Super Ghouls'n Ghosts is a video game developed by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It was the third installment in the Ghouls'n Ghosts franchise and the first in the series created specifically for a home console rather than adapted from an arcade game. The project was led by Tatsuya Minami, who was managing his first team after working on the SNES version of Final Fight. In 2013, Minami mentioned during a conversation with former Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata that he inherited the project with only the first level completed, and it took two years to finish, which was an unusually long time for game development in the early 1990s. Despite the challenges, the game was both critically and commercially successful, helping Minami continue his career at Capcom until 2006, when he joined PlatinumGames. He later left PlatinumGames in 2018 to start M-Two, a studio known for remaking Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 4. In the credits of Super Ghouls'n Ghosts, Minami used the pseudonym Mickey. Tokuro Fujiwara, who directed the earlier games in the series, served as the producer for Super Ghouls'n Ghosts. Mari Yamaguchi was part of the team as the composer. The game introduced a double jump, which allowed the protagonist, Arthur, to change direction mid-air—something not possible in earlier titles. Arthur also received two new armors: the bronze armor enhanced his weapon to an enchanted version, while the gold armor allowed him to use magic by holding the attack button. Arthur could also find shields that let him withstand an extra hit before being reduced to his underwear. If Arthur lost his armor, he was indeed seen walking around in his underwear, a design choice meant to emphasize the game's difficulty. Players have criticized the inability to shoot upwards (or downwards during a jump), a design choice that surprised some given the mechanics of the previous game. However, the introduction of a new weapon, the crossbow, somewhat compensates for this limitation. The game also features slowdown effects that cause the action to lag during certain scenes, a result of using Mode 7 and deformation and rotation effects, which were not possible on the Sega Mega Drive. The first and last levels of Super Ghouls'n Ghosts are similar to those in Ghouls'n Ghosts, starting in a cemetery, a tradition in the series. The other levels are completely new, with the second level featuring a ghost ship and a raft shaken by huge waves. The bosses in Ghouls'n Ghosts are generally considered more striking than those in Super Ghouls'n Ghosts. The first level's boss, Cracoucass, is often seen as almost comical compared to Shielder, the traumatizing giant decapitated ogre from Ghouls'n Ghosts. Players can find different weapons in chests, but can only carry one at a time. Some chests are trapped and contain a magician who can transform Arthur into a vulnerable creature, such as a baby, a seal, a bee, or a girl. Super Ghouls'n Ghosts must be completed twice, with no save or password between the two playthroughs. When Arthur believes he is facing the ultimate obstacle, the blue-haired princess reveals that defeating Sardius requires a secret weapon, the Goddess's Bracelet. To obtain it, the player must go through all the game's dangers a second time, starting from the beginning. In the Japanese version, Sardius is called Samaël, just as Lucifer became Loki in the European version of Ghouls'n Ghosts. The game also changed the Christian crosses on the coffins of the first level to Egyptian crosses (ankhs). The European version removed some enemies and obstacles, though the exact reason is unclear. A Game Boy Advance version of Super Ghouls'n Ghosts (Chô Makaimura R in Japan) was released in 2002 with a new cover illustration signed by Shinkiro and an Arrange mode that removes the second run, allowing the Goddess's Bracelet to appear from the start if Arthur puts on his gold armor. This mode also includes levels from the two previous games in the series, accessible through a branching system at the end of each stage. The SNES version of Super Ghouls'n Ghosts has been released on Virtual Consoles (Wii, Wii U, New Nintendo 3DS) and was part of the Super NES Mini catalog. It is also available on the Nintendo Switch since September 2019 for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. Super Ghouls'n Ghosts sold 1.09 million copies on the SNES, less than the 1.64 million copies sold by Ghosts'n Goblins on the NES. These are the only two titles in the franchise to have passed the million mark, with neither Ghouls'n Ghosts nor the 2021 Ghosts'n Goblins Resurrection achieving similar sales. Despite this, nostalgia has kept the game relevant, though its difficulty has limited its appeal to a broader audience.