Gargoyle's Quest

レッドアリーマー 魔界村外伝 (Reddo Arīmā: Makaimura Gaiden)Game Boy, Nintendo 3DS, Switch1990

  1. JP1990
  2. NA1990
  3. EU1991
  4. RU—

Gargoyle's Quest is the Western name of Red Arremer: Makaimura Gaiden (レッドアリーマー 魔界村外伝), a Game Boy spin-off of Ghosts 'n Goblins. It is playable today in the Game Boy library of Nintendo Switch Online, added on 8 February 2023.

Gargoyle's Quest was developed and published by Capcom and released in Japan on 2 May 1990 as Red Arremer: Makaimura Gaiden. It is a spin-off of Ghosts 'n Goblins starring Firebrand, a demon who is one of that series' antagonists. Capcom deliberately put it on the Game Boy so that it would not overshadow Ghosts 'n Goblins in arcades and on home consoles.

Tokuro Fujiwara produced the game, and the music was composed by Harumi Fujita and Yoko Shimomura. Capcom released it in North America in 1990, while in Europe it was published by Nintendo in 1991.

Firebrand's story continued in the NES prequel Gargoyle's Quest II (1992) and the Super NES sequel Demon's Crest (1994). The original returned on the 3DS Virtual Console in 2011 and joined Nintendo Switch Online in February 2023.1

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
NA Gargoyle's QuestDate marked as needing a citation on Wikipedia Game Boy July 1990 Capcom 1
JP レッドアリーマー 魔界村外伝Reddo Arīmā: Makaimura Gaiden Game Boy May 2, 1990 Capcom 1
EU Gargoyle's QuestDate marked as needing a citation on Wikipedia Game Boy 1991 Nintendo 1
WW Gargoyle's QuestVirtual Console Nintendo 3DS 2011 Capcom 1
WW Gargoyle's QuestNintendo Switch Online, Game Boy library (NA/PAL and JP) Switch Feb 8, 2023 Capcom 2

Also known as: レッドアリーマー 魔界村外伝 JP1Red Arremer: Makaimura Gaiden JP1

Box art by region

  • Gargoyle's Quest box art, North America release
    NA Gargoyle's Quest
  • Gargoyle's Quest box art, Europe release
    EU Gargoyle's Quest

Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.

Version differences

  • TitleGB (NA)GB (EU)

    In Japan the title is Red Arremer: Makaimura Gaiden, openly linking it to the Makaimura (Ghosts 'n Goblins) series; in the West it became Gargoyle's Quest.1

Translations

  • English Official

    Capcom1990Game Boy · Japanese versionReleased · complete

    The English version came out in North America in 1990 (Capcom) and in Europe in 1991 (published by Nintendo).1

Where to play legally today

  • Nintendo Switch Online Subscription

    Gargoyle's Quest

    Game Boy version

    Checked: 2026-10-132en.wikipedia.org

Reception

Reviews included 9/10 from Nintendo Life, 92% from Player One and 25 out of 40 from Famitsu. PC Magazine put it on its 2019 list of the 10 best Game Boy games.1

In lists

Sources

  1. 1en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2en.wikipedia.org

Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13

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