Beyond the Ice Palace: A Ghosts 'n Goblins Tale Unfolds

Beyond the Ice Palace is an apocryphal sequel to Ghosts 'n Goblins developed by Elite Systems in 1988. Initially intended as a Thundercats game, it was repurposed after Capcom refused to grant development rights for a true Ghosts 'n Goblins sequel. The game features similar gameplay to its inspiration, with the player controlling a knight through three side-scrolling levels, battling enemies and collecting weapons. Despite critical acclaim upon release, Beyond the Ice Palace is hindered by its short length, with only three levels and a limited number of enemies. A sequel, Beyond the Ice Palace 2, was recently announced by Pixelheart, promising a more modern metroidvania-style experience.

Beyond the Ice Palace: The Apocryphal Sequel to Ghosts 'n Goblins

In the annals of video game history, there exists a curious chapter involving apocryphal sequels—unofficial follow-ups to popular arcade games developed by third-party studios. One such developer was Elite Systems, renowned for their stellar conversions of coin-op classics such as Bomb Jack, Commando, and Ghosts 'n Goblins to 8-bit systems.

Origins: The Thundercats Connection

Elite Systems' pursuit of apocryphal sequels began with the development of Bomb Jack II, an internally developed follow-up to the beloved arcade hit. Seeking to capitalize on the popularity of another hit franchise, Thundercats, the British company acquired the license to create several games based on the animated series.

However, the overlap between the Thundercats and Ghosts 'n Goblins projects proved to be problematic. Capcom, the rights holder to Ghosts 'n Goblins, declined Elite's request for a sequel, as they were nearing the release of their own successor, Ghouls 'n Ghosts. Additionally, Elite was hesitant to release two Thundercats games in such close proximity.

Beyond the Ice Palace: A Ghostly Resemblance

Undeterred, Nick Jones, the skilled programmer behind the Thundercats project, swiftly modified the game, removing references to Lion-O and replacing them with a generic fantasy setting. The result was Beyond the Ice Palace, a title that hinted at its close association with Ghosts 'n Goblins ("Ice Palace" being a section in the game's second level).

At its core, Beyond the Ice Palace was a blatant homage to Capcom's classic, featuring a protagonist traversing three multi-directional scrolling levels to confront and vanquish the enigmatic witch. The player character possessed the abilities to walk, jump, and launch an infinite supply of projectiles, with various weapons such as swords, maces, daggers, and broadswords available to collect throughout the levels.

Gameplay and Longevity

Beyond the Ice Palace played like a carbon copy of Ghosts 'n Goblins, with a few notable differences. The protagonist could summon two enigmatic masks that functioned as smart bombs, and instead of donning armor like Sir Arthur, he had a maximum of nine lives before the game ended.

Despite its similarities to arcade classics, Beyond the Ice Palace suffered from a glaring flaw: its brevity. With only three levels, each ending with a boss fight, the adventure could be completed in a matter of minutes, even by the standards of arcade games of the era.

Critical Success and Apocryphal Sequel

Despite its shortcomings, Beyond the Ice Palace was met with critical acclaim upon its release, earning high praise for its frantic gameplay and arcade-like presentation. It became a commercial success across Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC systems.

Its fortunes were not as favorable on 16-bit platforms, with the Amiga and Atari ST conversions offering little improvement over the 8-bit original. However, the game's legacy lives on, as Pixelheart recently announced Beyond The Ice Palace 2, an upcoming "metroidvania"-style sequel for modern platforms, promising to revisit the adventures of the blond prince once more.