Classic B&W Monsters Part 5: some spirited spirits, indeed

Super Nintendo, NES & GameBoy tomfoolery;

...I...I don't even know how to cap off my Classic Black & White Monsters month with its Halloween-i-est article, except to say that it is, indeed, the creepiest ghost story to be found in the NES, SNES and GameBoy libraries.

Oh, I guess could digress/pad the introduction by mentioning I somehow mis-counted, and thought I had SIX Friday-Articles in October, so I thought there'd be time to talk about the GameBoy sequel to Dr. Franken (Dr. Franken II, of course). Or maybe if I'd discovered there were only five Fridays early enough, I might have talked about Dr Franken II instead of the Ghost Bubble + The Real Ghostbusters/Mickey Mouse IV/Garfield Labyrinth combo-article...but then I wouldn't have been able to share this image with the world:

Garfield: lover of lasagna, operator of jackhammers

But that's the last wackiness I have for today --

Because this week's game might be the grimmest, most frightening Nintendo game from the '80s and '90s (or at least, the most frightening one that received a North American release).

Like Kirby's violent and cannibalistic ways, today's game tries to gloss over its morally horrific nature with lighthearted graphics, but darkness is its stock and trade so it is only partially successful at hiding the hideousness of the protagonist's...

Avenging Spirit

The story...

...presented with minimal commentary, because ~~I'm lazy~~ it kind of stands on its own:

One day I was walking with my girlfriend.

They kidnapped my daughter and held her for randsom in order to get information about my researchon ghost energy.

Ok, note to self: never date anyone whose father is researching "ghost energy"

To possess an enemy, position yourself on top of them and push the button.

You must possess them quickly or you will exhaust your energy.

Use the 'B' Button to Attack, and the 'A' Button to Jump.

There is little time left. Please hurry.

Then you play the level, as the fragile character WHOSE BODY YOU'VE POSSESSED...

and when they get killed,

TIME TO POSSESS SOMEONE ELSE!

While you're between hosts, you lose "permanent" ghost energy. Losing too much of that will eventually bringing you to THIS screen:

As your spirit contemplates returning to the world of the living to possess and kill again, or drifting away into the ~~title screen~~ great undiscovered country, from which no Chibi-Ghost has ever returned...

That's some dark stuff, right there.

Now we'll conclude with Billy "Big Bang" Blitz, and his special Halloween message!