This isn't "Ghosts 'n Goblins," I thought, as my eyes reeled at Capcom's modern reboot of the arcade game series. It cut out the sprites as expected but instead of replacing them with carefully crafted cel-shaded polygons, the developers opted for a paper-marionette style. The stylistic choices made the campaign feel like a storybook come to life.

Hard-core fans will recognize the level design and enemies, but the unique visuals give it an unfamiliar touch. While my eyes were repulsed by the visuals, my brain and thumbs felt the opposite. After dying in the same area for the 13th time, my mind was convinced that this revamp belonged as part of the franchise.

The frustration was palpable. The levels feel unfair at times. Nevertheless, despite the punishing difficulty, "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection" dangles the opportunity of success just enough that defeated players aren't entirely discouraged.

Unlike past games, players can adjust the difficulty and even use the Page mode, which gives novices the option to immediately respawn after a death, with unlimited lives. That and the Magical Metronome setting, which lets players slow down the game, gives novices a chance to beat the challenging campaign. And if that's still too difficult, players can enlist a friend to help out in a co-op mode that lets a buddy control support characters that create platforms, protect the protagonist or carry him across obstacles.

To get the true experience, though, players should tackle the campaign on Knight level of difficulty as Arthur once again tries to save the Princess from an army of demons. On startup, players face choices as they traverse the game's five zones. In the first two zones, players get the choice of areas to explore. Choosing one means they can't explore the other, but that doesn't hurt the experience because "Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection" is meant for multiple playthroughs.

Although the time limit pushes players to complete the levels, they should spend time exploring and investigating the various paths. They'll find treasure chests, secret levels called hell holes and most important, Umbral Bees, spritelike creatures used to unlock magic and skills.

Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection

Platform: Nintendo Switch.
Rating: Everyone 10 and up.