#22: Ghosts ‘n Goblins (Capcom, NES, 1986/1989)

It’s not just their sheer numbers that make the enemies in this game so overwhelming, though. There’s also the fact that what tools the game offers you to defend yourself are not even remotely adequate for the task. Your weapons are feeble, and your armour seems to be made of glass. Take one hit from any enemy, just one, and your armour will shatter, leaving you to run around in your underwear. Take a second hit, and you die. There’s no way to regain you armour once it’s lost. Ghosts ‘n Goblins has no concept of mercy. It knows only suffering.

Even this, though, would be manageable, if only the enemies behaved consistently. But no, in a truly diabolical move, Ghosts ‘n Goblins introduces a degree of randomness to the activity of its monsters. They don’t always appear in the same place, or move in the same way. Which means you can’t even rely on muscle memory to see you through. Lightning-fast reflexes are required, and if you are to succeed, your first mistake must also be your last. The message is clear; your death is inevitable and approaching fast. Chaos triumphs over all. Entropy increases. There all is aching. Decay, decay, decay.

In the end, though, the most significant decay on display here is bigger than just one game. It’s a rot that sits at the heart of gaming culture, and it’s presented to us head on, as soon as the game is started.