Ghost Battle is a 1991 action-platform video game developed by Interactive Design and published by Thalion Software for the Amiga and ported later to the Atari ST.[4] After finishing Ghost Battle as freelancers, Austrian programmer Erwin Kloibhofer and Dutch graphic designer Henk Nieborg got an in-house job at Thalion. They went on to design another side-scrolling platform game, Lionheart (1993). It received a higher critical reception. Nieborg cited influences for Ghost Battle as Ghosts 'n Goblins, Green Beret, and various horror films.[5]
| Ghost Battle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Interactive Design[1] |
| Publisher(s) | Thalion Software[1] |
| Programmer(s) | Erwin Kloibhofer[1][2] |
| Artist(s) | Henk Nieborg[1][2] |
| Composer(s) | Jochen Hippel[1][3] |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, Atari ST |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action, platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
editThe game is a side-scrolling platformer that consists of five levels.[6] Three difficulty levels can be chosen at the beginning: easy, normal, hard. The player is a barbarian that has wandered into an evil forest and witnesses a princess being captured.[7] The barbarian can throw rocks and bombs at the enemies.[8] Additional weapons are available that are guarded by monsters.[6]
Reception
edit| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Aktueller Software Markt | 4/12 (Amiga)[7] 5/12 (ST)[9] |
| Amiga Action | 78%[6] |
| Amiga Format | 69%[3] |
| Games-X | 3/5 (Amiga, ST)[8][2] |
| The One | 77% (Amiga)[10] |
Ghost Battle received generally average reviews from critics. Amiga Action recommended the game overall but didn't like the slow movement of the main character and the badly translated manual.[6] Amiga Format concluded: "It is not the best platform romp ever designed, but the evil puzzles, good pics and excitable soundtracks are far better than the box lets on."[3] Games-X compared the game to Horror Zombies from the Crypt (1990). Graphics and sound were praised, the gameplay was said to be uninteresting at first but getting better over time.[8] The One found the music to be the game's best feature. Graphics were described as nothing special, gameplay as "largely uninspired", and controls as "very finicky".[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Interactive Design (1991). Ghost Battle (Amiga). Thalion Software. Level/area: Title screen.
By Erwin Kloibhofer and Henk Nieborg, music by Jochen Hippel, produced by Interactive Design, (C) 1991 by Thalion
- ^ a b c "Games Reviews - Ghost Battle [Atari ST]" (PDF). Games-X. No. 16. Europress. 8 August 1991. p. 23.
- ^ a b c Webb, Trenton (August 1991). "Screenplay - Ghost Battle". Amiga Format. No. 25. Future plc. pp. 82–83.
- ^ Interactive Design (1991). Ghost Battle (Atari ST). Thalion Software. Level/area: Title screen.
Converted to Atari by Michael Bittner
- ^ "RVG Interviews: Henk Nieborg". at RVG. 7 June 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Reviews - Ghost Battle". Amiga Action. No. 23. Europress. August 1991. p. 90.
- ^ a b Fuchser, Dirk (July 1991). "Barbarisch" (PDF). Aktueller Software Markt (in German). Vol. 6, no. 7/91. Tronic-Verlag. p. 60.
Preis/Leistung: 4/12
- ^ a b c Sharp, Brian (24 May 1991). "Games Reviews - Ghost Battle [Amiga]" (PDF). Games-X. No. 5. Europress. p. 18.
- ^ Fuchser, Dirk (January 1992). "Konvertierungen - Ghost Battle" (PDF). Aktueller Software Markt (in German). Vol. 7, no. 1/92. Tronic-Verlag. p. 112.
Gesamtnote: 5/12
- ^ a b Presley, Paul (July 1991). "Review - Ghost Battle". The One. No. 34. EMAP. p. 64.
External links
edit- Ghost Battle at MobyGames
- Ghost Battle at Amiga Hall of Light
- Ghost Battle at Atari Mania