It's not...I don't think...Super GnG...what was it? :O

[Ed Oscuro]

Here's a way out there one for ya: One of the first SNES games I saw (long before I played a Ghouls 'n Ghosts game) had many elements of a Ghouls 'n Ghosts style game: Different types of sub-weapon, colored armor to pick up, and a fair bit of difficulty...but after having played through Super GnG months ago I'm fairly sure that this isn't it (I don't recall the raft stage). It DID begin in a forest, though...so, am I going daft and it IS Super GnG, or is there another game very similar to it?

[Crush Crawfish]

Actraiser, maybe? It's an early SNES game and begins in a forest. There are also magic spells you get that are kind of like sub weapons. No armor, though. Excellent game, too. :D

[Xexyz]

Okay, I'll start off by saying that I've never played this game before, so this is a long shot.

Capcom had another series that was similar in themes to the Gouls series. They were the Gargoyle's Quest games. The third one, known as Demon's Crest, was released on the SNES. You were the character Firebrand or Firebane (I forget), that pesky red gargoyle that is a pain in the ass to take down in the Ghouls 'N Ghosts series. I don't know if it plays similar but I think this one was much more platform oriented than the previous installments for the GB and NES, respectively.

[gamenthusiast]

Like Crush Crawfish stated, it most likely is ActRaiser. This title's first level is in a forest. The main character has armor and the gameplay is similar. The game was one of the first titles for the Super Nintendo.

[Li Wang]

Magic Sword.

[MegaDrive20XX]

ActRaiser, so says I, Mr. Ghouls N Ghosts 8-)

[Cthulhu]

Actraiser sounds very possible, but the strategy portions of the game seem like something most people would remember pretty clearly. Can you think of -any- other details about the game? Also, when you say "one of the first SNES games I saw," did you see it right when the system came out? Or did you not see the system until it had been on the market for a little while?

[Ed Oscuro]

Well...you're talking to a guy that had memories of the dropship in Super Metroid being black and white, so...it's also rather bizzare that I've played the game through and know what it's like, but then on the other hand I have these old memories of it that don't match up. Wierd!

It's definitely nothing that's been mentioned thus far...I've played Actraiser a lot on emus and my SNES, and I know the Gargoyle's Quest/Demon's Crest/Blazon series fairly well too.

At this point I'm 99% sure it WAS Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts; my memories must've been bad. I recall different colored suits of armor, the sub weapons such as the crossbow...it's just that there was SOMETHING that didn't seem the same; I didn't recall the stage one forest being so dark. I also vaguely remember seeing the familiar square-faced bosses...again, I know exactly what they look like *now,* but these memories are...sorta...off. As for the date I saw it, couldn't have been earlier than 1995 nor much later (four years after the game first came out).

Thanks for the suggestions, though - Magic Sword looks like it might be worth taking another look at, and certainly looks more impressive than King of Dragons (also Capcom)...

Well, sorry for wasting everybody's time, but I suppose it wasn't a total loss. Memories - don't trust 'em, I say!