The Tornado's Gonna be Totally Awesome This Time! Let's Play Gargoyle's Quest II!

Do it in all possible permutations. Sure, it'll take awhile, but the insight we'll gain over the next 120 updates will be invaluable.

I'd like to see getting Dagon's Scales since I somehow missed that when I played through it. Otherwise, I don't care.

Go Team Arremer!

As for the order, I vote for doing the side quest as early as possible. Apart from that, I am suggesting we try to replicate the successful order we had in Demon's Crest.

The first location was the town, so we should start there. My suggested order is:

Topete Village, East Cave, Desert, West Cave, Palace.

Sounds like a plan! Let's go! (I don't mean to snub anyone else's suggestions. It's just that this isn't really complex enough to benefit from multiple trips through).



We head northwest to the very small town.



Lost? It's right here. You can't miss it.



They say a horrible monster called Dagon lives in the desert south of this village. That is why nobody tries to go there.

Hmm, good to know. There's a lot of useful information packed in here. It's the town's only real purpose, out-of-universe.



You have to receive the power from the king of the Ghoul Realm before you go to see Lethe.

Ah, so that's why the gatekeeper to the north doesn't give us the time of day.



Forget about it. Go see Lethe yourself. I would if I could...



You can warp from one mirror to another.



will be able to see Lethe. ...Really, guys?



Never attack him while he is transformed into you. Attack him when he reveals himself.



here since the beginning of the Ghoul Realm.



to the north of this village.

Terrible jokes aside, Topete is full of relevant and surprisingly straightforward information.



It also gives us extra lives for a decent price.



Off to the east cave!



This section is full of these odd bone pillars. The skulls will breathe fire in the downward diagonals. It comes out fast and has very wide hitboxes, so you'll likely get toasted a couple times, but it only takes off one heart. The green platforms will rise up as long as Firebrand is standing on them and immediately begin to lower once he leaves.



This is really short and easy. As soon as we touch the vial, we exit the level, having "obtained the Achelon's Water," whatever that is.

Now we'll go south of the village to enter the desert. It's significantly smaller than Sittem, and emptier. Wander around a bit, and you'll soon stumble upon...



MID-BOSS: Dagon

Other than the element of surprise (we're dropped straight into the fight), Dagon really doesn't do much. It slowly drifts after you, and as it takes damage, it loses segments of its serpentine body without gaining speed, becoming easier to avoid as the battle goes on.




Well, looks like "terrifying monster" may have been stretching a bit. This fight flickers like mad, so sorry about some sketchy shots in there. Anyway, we get Dagon's Scales, which doesn't boost our stats in any way. That's two consecutive items that have no apparent use...



Back to the mountains with us!

The Secret of Mt. Imaus



This cave is similar to the one right next door, but it's definitely the big brother of the two. It also has its own tune and at least makes the entrance look like a cave.



This cave gives us bees to contend with. Like the bugs of the forest, there will pretty much always be one present, and they'll move toward Firebrand in short bursts. Since we'll already be using the tornado to navigate, it's nice to know that they can one-shot the bees (but from the "glass half empty" perspective, bees can destroy your stepping stones).




Multi-tiered platforms make the next stretch easier (though some of them can collapse, and there's insta-kill lava below). Eventually we come to a towering, spiky wall, and ride a green platform up a few screens.

We reach the top and...the level just carries on with more bees and collapsing platforms.



AHHH! And green roly polies! Luckily, the more precarious layout actually favors Firebrand when dealing with these guys. Just approach at their level and watch as they curl up and sail over you, landing on the spikes below or some other platform. Just keep moving in case they happen to land somewhere close enough that they can make the jump back.



There are a few more, so like I said, don't look back and you'll be fine.




No easy out this time.

BOSS: Twin Guardians



These guys look like their day job is roughing up Ryu Hayabusa for the Jacquio, and they're probably the toughest fight in the game. The arena has lava below and spikes lining all other surfaces. With two targets to avoid, space is at a premium. They can also spit projectiles, which are easy enough to avoid, but limit our mobility further. Contacting them directly takes off two hearts. As you can see from my life count, they managed to kill me three times.

Unfortunately, it seems like luck/insane reaction times play a bit of a role, though you can help yourself. They have the ability to cross the screen with this swooping motion at insane speeds, and they cover so much real estate while doing so that it can be really rough to dodge. They seem to do the move at random (though they'll always both do it simultaneously if both are alive). The only real respite is staying a good distance above or below them, as in the shots above. Of course, Firebrand can only hit them if he's on the same level.



If both are alive, they can also come together to form this tornado, which sprays projectiles in a clockwise pattern. This is basically just a stall tactic. If you see it, you know to put some distance between you and it, and then you'll have plenty of room to squeeze through the projectiles. Otherwise, the guardians will drift slowly toward Firebrand, then pause, adjust, and do it again.



Sometimes they move slowly long enough for you to aggressively get in one's face and pump it with busters until it's dead. Other times it's best to try to hit and run, and/or get them grouped together. I like to kill off one ASAP, just to have more room, but on this particular run I was reduced to one heart very quickly, and after a long chase, I killed them both in the same second.



Awesome! No additional benefits though. Oh well, let's visit the hidden palace.



Firebrand used the Candle of the Poltergeist. The word "the" is optional in this game, and there's no consistency to when it's omitted.

Oh! I can move! It seems my magic is coming back. The King of Destruction took me by surprise. But nobody knows who the King of Destruction is. I can see why he took you by surprise then.

I suggest you see a great old man named Lethe in the Labyrinth to the north of the village Topete. He may know something about the king. I'll give you my power, Firebrand.

With that, the king boosts our jump and wing. But if he's hanging out in the mountains, then who's at the palace...?



Hmm, the greeter was pleasant enough, but I get a sneaking suspicion something's not right here.



Ah, so it's not just me! (Oh, and the game does spell Palace correctly; I jumped the gun with the screenshot).

Preeeeety sure they mean Acheron, which in Greek mythology (besides being a real river) was one of the five rivers in the Hellenic underworld this particular one being associated with woe (a particular flavor of sadness). It's also the river that the dead would cross by means of the ferryman upon their death (the Ferryman carrying people over the river Styx in pop mythology is not quite correct, as both Styx and Cocytus spring from Acheron).

Don't forget that another of the rivers was named Lethe, which is apparently the same guy our hero is looking for.

This is true, but I get the feeling this borrows more from the Dantean version of the rivers than the classical Greek forms.

So yeah, most of the town does nothing but laugh at us. We can get 1-Ups for 15 vials from this guy, though.



I don't understand what you're talking about.

Having talked to the real king already, this guy's ruse is even more transparent.



If we say yes, we'll get more "ku ku ku"-ing. Say no and:



MID-BOSS: Fake King




You know this bit by now. The impostor (who is NOT the Doppelganger we've heard about, oddly enough) will fly toward Firebrand, pause, then do it again. Notably, each time he pauses, he wraps himself in his wings, becoming immune to damage. He's also very fast and takes off two hearts per hit. However, he doesn't take much to put down. Ten buster shots at most (it can be hard to tell which individual shots "count") will take care of him. This fight is short and fast-paced. You basically want to lead him on a chase and send a few shots his way every once in a while. He hits hard and fast, and may occasionally approach you at an angle that you just can't dodge in time, but he's a lot easier than the Guardians (while remaining a lot tougher than Dagon).



Now that we've taken care of the impostor, let's chat up the locals.



The Essence of the Ghoul Realm is hidden very well. Try searching many places.

This refers to the golden vial we found very early on that gave us a life extension. Sounds like there's more!



That's correct!



Here's a nice incentive to talk to everyone. We can get some Essence of the Ghoul Realm right here. This is a permanent life extension, and an easy one to miss if you're not in the habit of chatting up every NPC (fortunately, there's not many in this game).



I've been studying the Essence of (the) Soulstream for many years. It can recover your vitality to the maximum, but its materials are very rare. I need the Achelon's Water and the Dagon's Scales!

Way ahead of you buddy! So yeah, this is the Ghoul Realm's laboratory, where scientists study all these bizarre, nonsensical items and objects you come across. It's a nice little bit of world-building.



Wait for a while. I'll make you the Essence of Soulstream with these materials...Here you are. Use it and your vitality will be fully recovered.

Sidequest complete! The Soulstream is a great little item. As mentioned, it fully heals Firebrand upon use. What's great is that we can now use it once per life. This makes the Twin Guardians quite a bit easier (though it's still only a matter of a couple hits), and takes some pressure off the remainder of the game.

The townspeople are a lot more helpful now, and really point us toward Mt. Imaus (even giving us a sense of urgency). It's almost like the developers expect you to go to the massive palace immediately north of the bridge first!



is a mountain called Imaus. And there is an old palace in the mountain. But no one tries to go there.



the oldest village in the Ghoul Realm, called Topete.



capital of the Ghoul Realm.



it was said that only the bravest man in the Ghoul Realm was allowed to go to the Palace of Imaus.




Hey, the dude's price went up now that it's a decent neighborhood.

With that, the less linear portion of our adventure draws to a close! I'm sure you can figure it out, but just to recap for clarity's sake:

Firebrand is meant to go to the palace as soon as he crosses the bridge to this portion of the map. He fights the impostor king, frees the townspeople from brainwashing, and learns of Topete, rumors of the real king on Mt. Imaus, the Soulstream and its components, and that the Achel/ron's Water is near Imaus. He scales Imaus to talk to the real king, gains his power, and is instructed to go find Lethe. He passes through Topete on the way, learning about the upcoming Labyrinth, Lethe, and Dagon's location. He hunts down the scales and water and obtains the Essence of the Soulstream.

Gameplay-wise, the only real difference in shaking things up is getting the king's power boost to help with Dagon, the fake king, and getting to the water. But Imaus/the Twin Guardians are the nastiest hurdle of this portion of the game, so it's better to have the Soulstream for that. Still, I find it fascinating that the game is fairly linear in the first third (letting you explore the map, but not really accomplish anything other than what you're supposed to) and very linear in the final third, but somewhat open here.

It also interested me to see the game manage to point you in the right direction with its narrative. The dialogue/localization is pretty rough overall, but it manages to get the job done here. And I really love the image of ghouls in lab coats cooking up all these macabre items.

Next time: Firebrand gets over himself.

Password: 58685604-8304435

Alright, we have the king's blessing, we have lots of good advice, and we're ready to tackle the Labyrinth! Pardon us, good sir!



...Oh. Is he sick or some--yikes!




MID-BOSS: Scyther...

As usual, Scyther's Speed is something to be wary of, and its Attack is nothing to sneeze at, knocking off two hearts apiece. Its typing limits its options, though.

In all seriousness, this guy has two actions: It will throw its scythe arms like a boomerang, with a length that can easily cover half the screen, several different trajectories depending on where Firebrand is, and enough speed that it can often catch the return and throw another by the time you've dodged, moved into position to attack, and fired a shot.

Secondly, it will rise straight up into the air, fly forward, then drop straight down. It won't even wait until you're out of its scythe range to do this; just approaching the limits of its reach will prompt it to close the distance, reducing your reaction time. When it IS in range, it will throw boomerangs all day long, so waiting it out isn't really a viable strategy. It's also roughly twice as durable as fellow speedy, hard-hitting mid-boss the Fake King. On the other hand, the Soulstream effectively makes Firebrand twice as durable too, but it's 5 hits to 16. And this is against an opponent with an extremely fast, long-ranged attack that it's content to spam. Scyther kinda comes out of nowhere as one of the nastiest threats of the game.

But never fear, there are ways of dealing with it. You can deliberately take damage from spikes. They only take off one heart, effectively doubling our life bar, giving us lots of invincibility frames, and letting us worry about offense rather than dodging.



But the cleanest method that I've found basically consists of constantly triggering the boss to do alternate actions. Take up position on the central platform. Scyther will throw diagonally upward, so jump up and away. This should move us away enough to prompt it to fly forward, at which point you'll drop back into range and be able to pepper it with shots. Once you're close enough, it will immediately cease forward momentum...but it will still rise to its fixed "flying" height before dropping and throwing again. You force its two actions to cancel each other out, preventing it from closing the distance, forcing its attack to come from the same, predictable angle, and rendering it vulnerable each time you jump. Things can still go badly if your timing is off, but this is a pretty simple way to win.




We come to another bridge/cave segment. There's a stretch of collapsible platforms under a low ceiling, but it's really a non-issue with our mighty 3rd-level Wing.



There are a couple vials placed close to spikes, a couple bees, and another brush with lava at the end, but this is pretty easy.



And we're outside again. The game really starts railroading us at this point. There's nothing to do but to go into the building.



A building that contains nothing but a mirror. I wonder...?

Labyrinth of Mirrors



At last, we've found the Labyrinth. As I'm sure you can guess, mirrors are the motif here. Fully intact ones are treated like doors, and we'll often have the choice of which one to go through.



We can even simply go back through the entrance (where the room has gone curiously dark). Sometimes, this is the only alert that you've taken a wrong turn. It's also notable that this is the last chance we have to explore the first half of the game's territory. Once we engage the boss, everything prior to it is inaccessible (barring Game Overs/resets).




These jewel critters are really more of obstacles than enemies. They don't move (but they do visibly shine!), and a tornado or fireball will cause them to crumble, at which point you can walk freely past them. But in a few seconds they do the Dry Bones thing and reassemble.



Hitting them with the buster will destroy them permanently, but it also sends a spray of shrapnel flying. Really, these things are usually best left alone. Since you'll be using tornado for most of this dungeon, crumbling them temporarily is usually the best bet if you need to interact with them.



This is the only one that may be worth attacking.



As a general rule, the furthest mirror from your entry point is the correct one. In this case, it's basically a draw (left is correct. Right kicks you back to the previous room).



Instant death comes in a blue crystal flavor this dungeon. It really meshes nicely with the whole mirror thing.



Cracked mirrors are more than just scenery. From this point on, most of them will house one of these guys. Fortunately, they can only move horizontally, there's only one per mirror (unless you leave the screen and come back), and they're extra weak to tornado.



This next room's a long one, with lots of red herrings and mirror ghouls. I love the way the ghouls emerge from the mirrors. I'm also really liking the shadowy corners of the room that the torches can't illuminate.



There's also a heart, which should be safe to get if you're cautious.



After climbing past several mirrors, we finally reach the room's true exit.

A long flight with a ghoul in our path. There's no shame in taking a hit here. We can also get a preview of what's to come at the top of the screen.



There are a couple falling platforms for some reason.




Now we come to a large hall packed with mirrors. Lots of ghouls, falling blocks, and opportunities to get sent backward/turned around. The correct mirror is in the lower row.



This looks familiar! Just take it slow and take out Jewel Bones if you really need to.



At this point there are just a couple more rooms with only one possible exit.



Finally, a room with a much grander mirror...and something moving inside it.




BOSS: Doppelganger

The Doppelganger will begin the battle as Firebrand. We were warned about this in Topete, so we obviously know not to go shooting it (it will take one heart off of our own life bar and do nothing to it). It will either transform shortly after appearing, or launch across the screen once, then transform. It never maintains Firebrand form for more than one swoop. It can also spit a fireball as Firebrand. Like the real thing, it can only have one onscreen (it doesn't use buster or tornado), and it's tiny. The true form can only swoop.

Said swoop is extremely fast and very hard to predict/dodge. The tricky part is that it will take either an upward or downward arc depending on where Firebrand is. This makes it sound like baiting it is an easy task, but it's tougher than it sounds. It's easy enough to stand on the ground to get it to swoop down, then jump and avoid damage, but since it floats in midair between swoops, you get no chance to counter. Firebrand is slow to fall or change directions in midair, so prompting it to take the upward path and dodging is also a tall order.

Fortunately, you can only lose one heart at a time in this fight, regardless of how you take damage. Also, although this arena is probably the least hazardous room we've fought a boss in, that off-center block proves to be incredibly annoying. I like setting it up so I'm centered between the block and right wall. Even if I take a couple hits to take that position, it's worth it.

As for offense, I find the best method is try to get a feel for how long it pauses between swoops, then jump and shoot just before it's ready to go. If this goes well, you should rise just high enough to prompt it to go upward, land several hits with the buster before it takes off, and already be descending before it reaches you. The stupid block cuts off that battle plan, and between that and the Doppelganger's speed, the fight can feel a lot cheaper and sloppy than it really is. Get out from under the block, and you have a fighting chance.



With that, we've solved the Labyrinth and we can finally meet Lethe!

You are the chosen one. I'll tell you the legend of the Ghoul Realm. Listen up.



When Ghoul Realm is covered with Black Light, it's the crisis of the Ghoul Realm. Great start. Is the fade to black due to Firebrand nodding off?

The Black Light will bring death and destruction everywhere. But there is one hope for us. That's a red gargoyle. If only we knew one!

He will turn into the Red Blaze and seal the Black Light.



who is trying to destroy the Ghoul Realm. He is trying to free the King of Destruction, Breager, who can destroy the whole world. Gaza's Palace overflowed with the Black Light and the Breager's Palace began to appear. Firebrand, go to Loosekeep and ask the King and Queen to put their power into this candle.

Firebrand obtained the Lethe's Candle. So Lethe has been hogging all the missing "the"s?

Come back here when you receive the power from the king and queen. Then the candle will turn into the Candle of the Ghoul Realm and the road to Breager's Palace will be opened.



To reach Loosekeep, you have to go though Naga's Path, southeast of this place. I heard only one of several entrances of Naga's Path leads to Loosekeep.

All of this should sound very familiar to players of GQ1. The game's coming to a head now. On to Loosekeep!

Things are gonna be very busy as we close in on Christmas, so I'm trying to keep up the pace here. Don't let that discourage you from commenting on something from back on page one.




Leaving Lethe's digs, we can take stock of the new territory available. We're blocked to the east, and have a choice of seven paths to the south. The exit to the correct path is visible beyond the treeline. We can even gaze wistfully at the palace on Mt. Imaus, but we can never return.



Obviously the closest branch to Lethe is the correct one, right guys?




First we have a descent plagued by spectral birds. There are a couple easy vials to grab as well. Loosekeep will be our last chance to buy extra lives, so may as well grab what we can.



There's a long journey over crystals, and a spiked ceiling to prevent the tornado from helping too much.



Then we have to climb out. Tornado won't work on the birds. In fact, the birds can wipe them out. So whether you want to use the tornado to just escape them quickly or use the buster to clear them out is up to you.



Well, that wasn't too...oh.

So yeah, six of the seven entrances form three pairs that don't get you anywhere. The correct one is the southernmost tunnel. All of them have the same layout, even the proper one. It is a good chance to stock up on vials before visiting our last shop.



After being able to stray multiple screens off-course early in the game, it's kind of jarring to have nowhere and no incentive to wander.



But they do have an enthusiastic greeter.



Well, use 'em or lose 'em.



I haven't mentioned it much, but a lot of villages have curiously empty houses or landmarks like this that draw your attention.



began to overflow with the Black Light. Even Rushifell and Verona could not do anything about it.

Wait, who did you say?

Can't you see that King Rushifell is in the left tower and Queen Verona is in the right tower?

No, I can't! And Lethe didn't mention names. Let's visit them first, then we can talk about them. First, the queen.



You saw Lethe, didn't you? You must be the one who can save the Ghoul Realm. I'll put my power into the candle. Kah...

Firebrand obtained the Hippogriff's Feather. Firebrand's wings are covered with the Hippogriff's Feather. Now Firebrand can fly further than before.

Go ahead, Firebrand. Stop the Black Light!

I'll do my best! Now to visit the king.



Up to putting his power into the candle, Rushifell has identical dialogue to Verona. But I did actually manage to capture the red flash in the "power bestowing" sequence.



Something very powerful has built up in Firebrand's body. Firebrand obtained the Magic Claw.

With the Magic Claw, you will be able to climb up the walls of thorns. The future of the Ghoul Realm depends on you, Firebrand.

Alright! Things are going great! All of our stats are even at four (that means six hearts), and we have one of the coolest weapons in the series. But first, let's talk about our royal couple.

There's not a lot to say about Verona. It is nice to have an explicitly female demon finally make an appearance, and look just as freaky and inhuman as her counterparts. A few seconds of Googling revealed that there is a Verona in British mythology, but there was nothing especially demonic about her. There's also, of course, the Italian city. I don't know if there's a mistranslation or if this is a case of "let's grab some name from myth/Shakespeare because it sounds cool."

Rushifell has a bit more history in this universe. It's a (deliberate, I'm guessing, to avoid controversy) mangling of Lucifer. Capcom's rendition of the demon first appeared in Ghouls 'n Ghosts (that's the second one, debuting in arcades and ported to the Genesis) as the super-final boss. There, English translations referred to him as Loki. He sat on a throne facing the camera, shot stuff from his hands, and was beaten by several blows to the head from Arthur's recently developed vertical attacking skill.

In the original Gargoyle's Quest, he returns, with the name Rushifell, as a sort of rival/ally/worthy opponent to Firebrand. There, he believes he's the Red Blaze (and considering he's both red in color AND fiery, he's probably the only denizen of the Ghoul Realm with a better argument than Firebrand). You have to go through a dungeon and fight him on his throne by shooting him in the head. It was a clear sendup to his debut, although the fight plays out differently. After Firebrand's victory, he takes it in stride and supports him the rest of the way.

Obviously, his role is trimmed down here, with his "competing with Firebrand" angle nowhere to be found. But he and his ridiculous name are always welcome, as far as I'm concerned!

Oddly, there's no opportunity to grab a password in Loosekeep, so let's make our return to Lethe's place.




On our way, we can check out our new toy. Of the three games, this one probably explained claw the best, although it's still not entirely clear until you see it in practice. Claw lets you spit gelatinous blobs (they jiggle as they fly through the air!), that splatter on contact with spiky surfaces, coating them with a layer of nice, climbable...stuff. So you get more platforming fun, but this seems to work with the level design more than tornado. Plus, while tornado does pack some offensive punch in this game, claw has the range of the buster and is even more powerful. The only downside is if you miss and a shot sticks to some spikes, it counts as being "active." You do get two shots, like the tornado and buster.



With upgraded wings, this gap is nothing.



There's our password!

Next time: We break the barrier and start the endgame!

Okay, time to show off our powered-up candle!



You seem to have obtained the power of Rushifell and Verona. Now I'll put my power into the candle. Kah...

Lethe's Candle turned into the Candle of the Ghoul Realm.



Use the Candle of the Ghoul Realm before the barrier at King Breager's Palace and the barrier will be broken. Firebrand, go to Breager's Palace. Destroy Goza and save the Ghoul Realm, please!

Well, since you asked so nicely, off we go!



The word "ghoul" appears in this game approximately 173 times, and they still manage to screw it up in the eleventh hour.



Nowhere to go but the ominous cliffside castle. (Well, you can go back to Loosekeep to get more extra lives, but you probably don't have many more vials than you did last time).

Gaza Crevasse (Are Gaza and Goza supposed to be the same name, or did Goza put a mustache and glasses on his hideout name?)



Despite the black void the castle's positioned on, our attack is framed by a nice blue sky, with a few clouds visible. We have some lengthy jumps over spikes to make, and these...things get in our way. They'll spiral slowly toward you as you approach, but two quick shots of Claw bring them down.



We soon reach a gap in the spikes and things look a lot more sinister. Skulls often serve as safe corners between spiky floors and walls. Of course, with Claw you can perch and renew your wing meter on any wall.



What's this? A branching path? A pit full of pain and/or death?



Oh. Really, Goza?



The Buster would like to remind people that it once ruled this game (even though you don't even need it to get at the vial beyond that platform, vials are useless at this point, and it takes twice as many hits to take down our freaky-faced foe here. Speaking of which, there's a shot of it making a freaky face).



Aha! Goza's first little pit was just there to lure us into a false sense of security. He's upping the ante now...and giving us a heart to restore the single point of damage those spikes will do. Marginal improvement?



After mocking Goza's dungeon design, I foolishly let my wing run out before clawing the far wall. Those spikes are instant death.

Not a bad deal, since this thing refused to spit its projectiles at me the first time through. Enjoy!



Hey, something else that would clearly inspire a Demon's Crest equivalent. There were more of those than I remembered. The lantern ghost will pursue you relentlessly. One shot kills it, but also turns off the lights.



Claw has another function here: It serves as a sort of sonar to let us know where walls are in the dark. The lights will come on pretty shortly, but it's helpful for restoring our wing meter. The extra life is also a welcome sight in the dark.



The bugs will normally crawl up and down a designated stretch of wall, but will occasionally take off for Firebrand. Amusingly, if they walk into Claw-gunk on the walls, it will kill them.



Alright, sorry for making fun of you, Buster.



More ghosts, more spikes, more Claw. There's not much more to say about it, but I really like this dungeon. The thrill that comes from managing limited flight (but at least having a good eight seconds to work with) really shines through here, and Demon's Crest suffers a bit for never limiting it.



Just one more barrier and we reach...a non-action screen.



I must destroy you before you become the true Red Blaze.

Blunt, isn't he?



BOSS: Goza

Okay, Gargoyle's Quest had its last two bosses (Rushifell and Breager) sitting in thrones, facing the camera in the center of the screen, sending projectiles from their hands, and taking hits to the head. The sequel does something similar, but positions the bosses in the far right of the room, facing left. This...makes things incredibly easy. Goza is a total wuss; Dagon's the only boss that I'd consider easier. That overworld encounter with three of those pillbug enemies is more life-threatening than this guy.

To be fair, the setup is interesting and has potential: We have a pit of insta-kill spikes, platforms distributed in various positions that Goza can destroy (we see similar things with Demon's Crest's final and super-final bosses), and non-lethal spikes to the left that you can use to renew the meter.



Unfortunately for Goza, his weak point is always exposed, Firebrand can jump to it from even the lowest point in the room with his Level 4 jump, and his Level 4 wing plus getting two shots with Claw allow him to rack up hits at an incredible pace. Goza's projectiles are slow and telegraphed, and you have plenty of open space to avoid them. And it doesn't take all that many shots to bring him down. This fight shouldn't take more than a minute.

It's cool that this fight stresses flight, clinging ability, and altitude awareness, but you're just too well-equipped for what Goza's selling, and you can easily take off huge chunks of his health without fear of retribution. Replace the spikes on the left with an ordinary wall, and you'd have a very good first boss fight, teaching you the range of Firebrand's skills.

Although you defeated me, you will not be able to defeat King Breager unless you become the true Red Blaze. Well, we all know that's never gonna happen. Pack it in, guys.

Also, King Breager should have revived completely by now.



For putting in such a pathetic showing, Goza sure is brimming with confidence. He goes out with a smile (and his chair goes on smiling).

With that, the lights dim and it's time for some disembodied conversation.



I admire you coming this far, Firebrand. I'm Demogorgon. In most video games, these two sentences would mean bad news. But in the Ghoul Realm, this is most welcome!

The Black Light represents King Breager's tremendous destructive power. His mysterious army is controlled by his psychic power. This is such a weird thing to throw in there. I guess it's a good excuse for why killing Breager means the complete and immediate end of the conflict.

Now it's time for you to prove that you are the true Red Blaze and defeat King Breager. So I'll never be able to defeat Breager unless I'm the true Red Blaze, which I prove by defeating Breager.

I'll give you my power. One last set of power-ups with cool names, guys!

Firebrand obtained the Mammon's Hoof. Firebrand obtained the Bereal's Wings. (I have no idea what Bereal is supposed to be).

Firebrand obtained the Atlas' Armor. All the power of Firebrand has built up in Firebrand's body. Firebrand obtained the Magic Darkfire.

I love how when demons get overloaded with powers, it just gives them more powers.



At this point, we're left in the empty throne room. Exiting will throw us straight into the final dungeon. We're now at Level 5 across the board, which means seven hearts, infinite flight, and the ability to leap the full height of the screen in a single bound. Plus we have a new weapon. Back-to-back dungeons may sound daunting, but we're more than equipped for the task.

Almost certainly Belial/Belias/Velius. Dude gets around.

Finale time! Let's set the mood.

Breager's Castle



Breager's Castle is a bit heavy on the purple, but as we'll see, there are some cool touches to the architecture.

Our new Darkfire attack is pretty beastly, shooting off a massive fireball with surrounding waves of blue that are hard to capture. It'll one-shot any normal enemy we come across in this dungeon. Darkfire served as the final ultimate weapon of the original Gargoyle's Quest as well (I believe there were enemies that could survive a single blast in that game, but they were previously established as being extremely durable, and Darkfire still dealt with them much more quickly than anything else). It emerges in Demon's Crest as well, where it is badly outclassed by another upgrade (which is not only significantly more powerful, but doubles Firebrand's defense. And it's found in the same stage).



Insta-death spikes and spread-firing enemies greet us early on.



The second of these foes is spaced in such a way that you're compelled to shoot it, then retreat from its shots far enough that it respawns. I end up tanking some damage to just power though, but this was only after I took way too much abuse.



Bustin' still makes me feel good.



These foes are similar to the jewel enemies we faced in the Labyrinth. They visibly ooze, and simply sit in our path. They're positioned in much less convenient locations than the jewels, so we're gonna have to toast them with Darkfire. This causes them to burst into four pieces. If you position yourself at the same height as the creature and are some distance away, you should be fine. But you once again have to be careful about retreating and bringing it right back. Oh, and there's the blue waves the Darkfire gives off.



Claw gets some more use here. Since there aren't enough faces in the Ghoul Realm, we now have faces in the walls that spit these nasty things at us. They're not that fast, so you should have time to carefully make your way up.



Lots going on here! First of all, the projectiles are now fired vertically (and the "mouths" are no longer accompanied by eyes). There's also more space between floor and ceiling than the walls of the last section, so it's harder to keep track of where and when projectiles are coming. Secondly, we get a good look at some fancy pillars in the background. And finally, we get another Essence of the Ghoul Realm basically handed to us. I mean, it takes a bit of finesse to get up there without being hurt, but it's worth any pain, considering it will immediately bring us up to full health plus one. This will max us out at Life Level 6, or eight hearts.




Now we come to something new. As soon as we get anywhere close to the skeletons' level, they'll start spitting projectiles straight ahead. They can only have on onscreen at a time, but they fly fast. It seems easiest to get close enough for them to start shooting, wait for a shot to fly overhead, then jump up and roast them. That heart can be a bit tough to snag, though. Killing the creature guarding it won't do much good, because it's far enough that it will respawn as you go for the heart. Trying to weave between shots is also difficult, since Firebrand jumps and falls relatively slowly. It may not be worthwhile at all.



Another Buster barrier and a better look at the blobs. It appears there are a bunch of eyeballs within the mass that go flying out on impact. An inspiration for a Demon's Crest boss, perhaps?

We have another Claw corridor, with some bugs to hassle us. This is actually easier than a similar setup in the previous dungeon, but I do like the use of the skeleton thing. We've been compelled to switch to Claw, and after being accustomed to taking these things down with one shot, it may catch us off-guard that they can survive that. Of course, only two shots of Claw will bring them down, and if you're getting in its face like I tend to, it barely makes a difference. But if you forget to tap the button a second time out of habit, you could take a point-blank hit to the face.



One last hurrah for the Tornado! This jump is set up JUST right so that you can't reach it from the ledge or wall of spikes. A little Tornado, a little Buster, and we reach the final door.



Although I have not completely recovered my power, I am powerful enough to destroy you and put an end to the legend of the Red Blaze.

It's Breager! And shockingly, he's feeling pretty confident about destroying us and all that. Let's see how that goes.




FINAL BOSS: King Breager

Fight Against Breager

As in GQ1, Breager is like a harder version of the penultimate boss. Since Goza's such a wuss, that's not hard to do. Breager is slightly more adept at defending himself, but once you get in rhythm, he's really only capable of prolonging his fate for a minute or two.



(I died bringing you guys a full-body shot of Breager, so cherish it. And then I just happened to get a cool-looking shot of the screen flashing as Breager takes a hit).

To break it down: Breager fires a spread of three shots from...the face on his knee (really?). Both the mouth in his stomach and his hands can generate the flashing red and blue orbs. Unlike Goza's, these will hunt Firebrand down. Meanwhile, we have lethal spikes on the floor, nonlethal spikes peppering the walls and ceiling, and a horizontally moving platform in the center of the room. Breager's weak spot is his head, and Darkfire can destroy the homing projectiles.

Our game plan is to hover at the same height as Breager's head. Ideally, once this is established, the rest of the battle will consist of firing to the right and moving a short distance back and forth. We need to be close enough for Breager's head to be onscreen so our shots count, and we need to back off so we have enough room to squeeze through the spread shot, as well as allow the homing projectiles room to move into our line of fire. Soon you should realize exactly where you need to be to dodge the spread, and from there the challenge virtually disappears. We can only have one shot onscreen at a time, and between the projectiles absorbing them and us needing to fall back, it can take a little time to pack on damage, but it only takes 20 shots to finish the job.

Really, establishing position (both initially and regaining it should you get hit) is the only aspect of this fight that's remotely challenging. And with all our hearts plus the Soulstream, there's plenty of room for error. You can really just plow over anything in the late stages of the game.

I never dreamed my plot would be thwarted by you, Red Blaze. But remember, someday I will revive and destroy you!

Like I told Goza, after that performance, that threat doesn't carry much weight.

We cut to Firebrand in the throne room of King of the Ghoul Realm, and we get to wander around and soak up the praise.



Or get told to move along.



Or get incomplete thoughts.



That's more like it!





I never dreamed you were the legendary Red Blaze. By the way, I heard of a beautiful land called the Human Realm. It is under construction. Explore the land and if you like it, take it over and be the king. Firebrand, leave for the Human Realm now!

King's in a big hurry to get Firebrand out of here, huh? I guess I can't blame him.



When Firebrand defeated King Breager, Firebrand released all of his power. This is a bad habit that Firebrand gets into.

The Ghoul Realm was enveloped in flames and the Black Light was swept away together with the King of Destruction's army. Thus the Ghoul Realm returned to its peaceful state and Firebrand fulfilled the legend of the Red Blaze. And his legend was handed down from generation to generation.

Living Legend

Finally, we roll the credits, and get the names of the bosses. As with GQ1, creatures that you'd think were bosses don't make the list, but here we go.

With that, we conclude Gargoyle's Quest II: The Demon Darkness. This also wraps up (in improper order) TT's Let's Plays of the Firebrand trilogy. I have some concluding thoughts, and I'm definitely eager to see what anyone else thinks of the game, but for now, I'm gonna let it sink in for a bit.

Thank you for your reading!

Amazing.

The parallels between the Rushifell/Breager and Goza/Breager battles are striking. In both cases, not only is it a harder version of the fight that needs to be fought pretty much the same way, but both add projectiles you can now shoot down to the second fight. I wonder what inspired that.

Regardless, this was an excellent LP, Beta. And I'm glad to have done my part in getting a set of LPs up for this series, which really deserved them.

Belatedly

Maybe Belial?

But yes, great LP Beta.

Great LP! Now I've seen all 3 GQ games.

I love that the human realm is "Under Construction". Now I imagine that there is some doorway somewhere and it is closed, with one of those "Under Construction" signs and a flashing red light, just like websites used to have in the good ol' days.

Well, as you're the one LPing Terranigma, you're the expert on how Human Realm construction would look.

I hope everyone's enjoying the holidays!

GQ2 is an inconsistent game. You can explore almost the first half of the world map from the very beginning, then you're railroaded through the last stretch of the game. The bosses range from pushovers to borderline cheap to well designed, with no real order to it.

To its credit, it's a very nice looking and sounding 8-bit game. It also shines in the level design category. From beginning to end, you're pushed to your limits, even as those limits constantly increase. Flight, clinging to walls, tornado, and claw really give the platforming a lot of depth and potential.

I really think that a perfect game lies somewhere between the tight level design of the GQ games and the excellent power-ups and exploration of Demon's Crest. As it stands, we at least got a trio of games that deserve a lot more love.

So, what next? Some possibilities:

(Super) Ghouls 'n Ghosts: The NES rendition is a bit too infuriating for my tastes, but if people want to see more from this universe, I'm willing to dive into the 16-bit entries.

Kirby Super Star: There's lots to do here! Arenas to run, abilities to break down, treasures to find, and branching paths to venture down.

Mega Man: Wily Wars: Wily Tower! Journey to the West-themed Robot Masters! Your pick of abilities from MM1-3!

Castlevania 3 (Japanese version): I don't know how well a screenshot LP can really show off the differences from the U.S. version, but if you want infinite-knife-throwing Grant, awesome music, and manageable difficulty, look no further!

Thanks again for reading!