Play Real Ghostbusters, The Online

Summary

The Real Ghostbusters on Game Boy is a quirky chameleon of a game – the same core experience appears as Garfield Labyrinth in Europe and as Mickey Mouse IV: Mahō no Labyrinth in Japan. Each regional skin swaps the hero (Peter Venkman, Garfield, or Mickey) but keeps the puzzle‑heavy, dungeon‑like stages that were lifted straight from P.P. Hammer and his Pneumatic Weapon, an unauthorized copy that still feels oddly cohesive.

In every version you wander block‑filled rooms, collect stars to unlock the next door, and juggle a limited inventory: a proton gun that only smashes the floor beneath you, bombs for the actual ghosts, and a 999‑second timer that can end your run as quickly as a stray flame. Touching a ghost, a flame, or a reforming block drains health, and a twelve‑digit password after each level lets you resume right where you left off – the Japanese edition even adds a dedicated inventory screen.

Critics were split. Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it a modest 6/10, calling it decent but routine, while Nintendo Power praised the puzzle design and password system despite fuzzy graphics. Later retrospectives have labeled it one of the strangest Ghostbusters titles, a low point for the franchise but a memorable oddity in the Crazy Castle lineage.

Storyline

In the Game Boy title Real Ghostbusters, the adventure begins with the two main Ghostbusters trying to make it across a rickety bridge. The tension builds as the bridge gives way and the lead character tumbles down, shouting for his partner’s assistance. All three regional versions incorporate a pneumatic hammer of some sort, turning the collapse into a puzzle‑solving moment that players must navigate. The hammer’s presence varies, but it always adds a mechanical twist to the otherwise supernatural setting.
In the North American release, however, the hero is solely Peter Venkman—no accompanying ghost‑busting teammate appears. Venkman mutters to himself before the broken span sends him plummeting, and instead of locating a pneumatic hammer he relies on his trusty proton pack to continue the chase.