Ghost Rider

A good side-scroller is hard to come by. For every Castlevania there are 20 disasters that make us wish we had never picked up the controller (or in this case, a Game Boy Advance).

It never fails to surprise me when, out of the most recent titles available, the best in a particular genre has a comic book license attached. Ghost Rider was a good movie – exciting, suspenseful, and as dark as Daredevil (the most underrated of all comic book flicks). And while I hoped the game would be decent, I didn’t expect it to approach “good” territory. Even scarier, there are parts of this game that are great.

Ghost Rider pulls this off with two gameplay formulas: a Castlevania / Devil May Cry-style adventure and a retro-style car chase shooter.

The Devils Are Crying

…And so are the criminals. Ghost Rider is stronger than the undead. He has the power to engulf his body in flames, multiplying his destructive energy. He uses a metal chain as a whip, attacking enemies without remorse.

The gameplay to match these moves is a cross between the aforementioned hit series from Capcom and Konami. The Devil May Cry elements are clear and robust: combo attacks, special moves, and dead enemies who release mysterious orbs that can be traded for upgrades. Ghost Rider’s connection to Castlevania is less obvious. It’s more about the way the game looks and feels – how you’re jumping across platforms and using a whip to strike down enemies.

Enemy encounters have an ants-on-watermelon effect – they see you, want to kill you, and swarm around like tiny insects. Squash them like the bugs they are by unleashing every weapon in Ghost Rider’s arsenal. In addition to the metallic whip, Ghost Rider can punch multiple times for an up close assault. You may hold the punch (B) button for a charge attack, and unlock the ability to fight while jumping through the air.

That leads me to an odd development choice: “R” = the jump button. Can you think of any other Game Boy Advance Game that used a shoulder button for jumping? It’s not a huge deal. But it is weird and feels unnatural for the first few minutes of play.

Ride Into the Sunset…of Death!

Ghost Rider’s car chase sequences are expansive for a Game Boy Advance title, encompassing pseudo-3D courses, various obstacles to avoid, and dozens of targets (enemies!) to hone your shooting skills. There are two key objectives to overcome – survival of enemies and survival of the environment. The first is accomplished by killing those who threaten your life. These enemies are of the repetitive type, but you’ll see a few different aesthetics, as well as a few boss battles that require a different strategy.

Normal enemies are easy to kill. Your first battle might seem tough, but that’s only because you don’t yet know their strategy, which isn’t hard to pick up on. Bikers usually hold back or pull ahead. They don’t like to fight side-by-side because it allows you to whip them from a safe distance. If they pull ahead, fire your weapon. If they pull back, push down on the D-pad to brake. They’ll speed up to your level (unintentionally), and you’ll get a chance to show them to their graves.

Boss battles are tougher because of the increased strength and attack levels. Biker bosses can fire multiple blasts in more than one direction. There is no guaranteed way to avoid them. You’ll have to watch the pattern of each blast series to know when to start moving. Left and right maneuvers aren’t good enough – fast braking and acceleration are a must. It’s crucial that you retaliate the second he stops attacking. Boss health meters grow with each level. They aren’t too high at the beginning of the game, but you should still upgrade often to ensure your Ghost Rider is most hellacious.

Ghost Rider or Ghastly Repetitive?

Ghost Rider has a lot going for it. The combat is fun and refreshing. You don’t typically find this level of entertainment on the Game Boy Advance (not since the DS arrived). But it all comes down to those two main play styles. You’ll slaughter 20 enemies, fight a mid-level boss, slaughter another 20 enemies, and then fight an end boss. After that Ghost Rider grabs his bike, speeds through the city, and destroys another dozen enemies. Then it’s back to the side-scroller battles – then back on the road – then back to…

You get the point.

Since the combat is entertaining, there isn’t much room for complaint. Hack-n-slash games, whether influenced by Devil May Cry or not, are repetitive by default. If anyone can find a way around this, the successful party would be commended as one of the best studios in the biz. But it hasn’t happened yet. And hack-n-slash games have been around since before the NES.

Should you buy Ghost Rider? Definitely. Game Boy Advance doesn’t get many hot releases. If you’re reading this review that means that you are likely (A) a Game Boy Advance owner, and (B) like the Ghost Rider franchise. Put the two together and you get one of the GBA’s best action games.

Gameplay: 7.5
If Devil May Cry were a 2D side-scroller it would play like Ghost Rider – loads of enemies, frequent hack-n-slashing, and several upgrades that make every kill worth savoring.

Graphics: 6.9
Decent backgrounds, enemy kills, and pseudo-3D motorcycle rides.

Sound: 3.0
Ghost Rider’s soundtrack would be great on any other platform. But the GBA is not known for high-quality sound. The score comes out muffled, garbled, and everything in between.

Difficulty: Medium
Sniff, sniff. What’s that appealing aroma? Am I getting a whiff of challenge? Could it be that there are still developers who believe in making challenging games for a handheld system?

Concept: 7.0
A new variation of an old idea, Ghost Rider is more than a game with a license.

Overall: 7.5
Those of you still using Game Boy Advance as your primary handheld should strongly consider the joy of Ghost Rider. It’s repetitive, but that’s true of all games in the genre (certain Castlevania games excluded). Good battles, tough bosses, cool upgrades, and exciting motorcycle assaults round out this interactive comic book adaptation.