Ghostbusters is a 1986 action game for the NES that challenges you to build a successful ghost-catching franchise in New York City. Based on the hit movie, you must manage your budget to buy vehicles and traps, drive through the city streets to reach haunted locations, and carefully coordinate your team to capture ghosts before the city’s PK energy meter maxes out and you face Gozer. The Japanese release is especially famous among retro gamers for its challenging difficulty and its iconic, mistranslated ending screen (“Conglaturation!”).
How to Play
Your objective is to earn enough money catching roaming ghosts to enter the Temple of Zuul and defeat Gozer. On the map screen, move your Ghostbusters logo over red flashing buildings. During the driving sequences, avoid hitting other cars while vacuuming up stray ghosts. When capturing a ghost, place the trap, position your two busters, and trigger their beams without crossing them. Use the Arrow Keys for the D-pad to move and steer, Z / X for the A / B buttons to lay traps and fire beams, and Enter / Shift for Start / Select to pause or access your inventory.
Tips
- Buy the Ghost Alarm: Purchasing the ghost alarm early will alert you to which buildings are haunted, saving you time and preventing the city’s energy level from rising too quickly.
- Don’t cross the streams: When catching a ghost, if your two busters’ beams touch, your current team will be instantly incapacitated, losing you the capture and valuable time.
- Watch your gas: Keep an eye on your vehicle’s fuel gauge during driving sections; running out of gas forces you to push the car, slowing you down drastically.
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