Play Chou Makaimura (Japan) Online

Game Overview

Chou Makaimura (or Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts if you grew up outside Japan) is one of those games that looks stunning—until it punches you in the gut repeatedly. You play as Arthur, a knight who somehow loses his armor to a stiff breeze, leaving him in heart-print boxers while fighting skeletons, demons, and whatever nightmare fuel Capcom dreamed up that week.

The controls are razor-sharp, but so is the difficulty. Miss a jump by a pixel? Dead. Hesitate for half a second against that floating eyeball monster? Dead. And just when you think you’ve beaten it, the game laughs and says, "Go do it all again, but harder." The sprite work is gorgeous, though—every level feels like a gothic painting come to life, even as it’s murdering you.

This isn’t a game you "beat" so much as survive. But if you’ve got the patience (or stubbornness), finishing it feels like climbing a mountain. Just maybe don’t throw your controller.