Gargoyle’s Quest is a 1990 action-adventure platformer developed and published by Capcom. The game was released exclusively for the Game Boy, although ports of it were eventually released for the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console and the Nintendo Switch Online service. It was initially developed as a spin-off of the Ghosts ‘n Goblins series, but found success all by itself.
Reviews for Gargoyle’s Quest were extremely positive, with particular praise for how it stretches the limitations of the Game Boy, despite being released early in its life cycle. Critics loved its depth, despite its apparent simplicity. It’s hard to say how well it sold, but considering it spawned two sequels, it was likely a strong performer for Capcom.
Gargoyle’s Quest Premise
Despite the limited scale of the game allowed by the Game Boy, Gargoyle’s Quest features a few different types of gameplay. The first features an overhead view, which allows you to walk around the game’s towns and map. On the surface, this resembles the core gameplay you might expect to find in something like the Pokemon games. In this view, you can speak with NPCs, as well as get into random battles outside of town.
The game’s second gameplay style is a more traditional side-scroller. You have various ways of moving here, with Firebrand being able to walk, jump, climb walls, as well as fly for a limited time. As you progress throughout the game, you gain access to more attacking abilities, which make the combat sections of the side-scrolling much easier. This is often done through the acquisition of items, and Gargoyle’s Quest makes sure that character progression is absolutely core to the gameplay here.
Gargoyle’s Quest features just a single game mode in its story. Because of this, it might not be the most replayable experience for some players. However, there’s enough variety between the side-scrolling and overhead gameplay that you might be able to get a few playthroughs out of Gargoyle’s Quest.
Gargoyle’s Quest Main Characters
Gargoyle’s Quest only has a really small cast to speak of. Most of the enemies in the game are nameless, and protagonist Firebrand doesn’t exactly have any friends along for the adventure. As a matter of fact, there are only a couple of characters you need to be aware of before playing the game – here they are:
- Firebrand: Firebrand is a gargoyle known as the Red Blaze. His destiny is to save the Ghoul Realm from the evil King Breager. Firebrand was a villain in Ghosts ‘n Goblins, but gets a hero turn in this title.
- King Breager: King Breager came to the Ghoul Realm to cause chaos, and there is only one person capable of stopping him from taking over for good.
Gargoyle’s Quest Titles in the Series
The Gargoyle’s Quest games were created as a spin-off to the Ghosts ‘n Goblins series, developed for handheld consoles to not draw attention away from the main titles. However, when it became clear how much potential the series had, two sequels were developed, the last of which was developed in 1994.
Since then, it has been radio silence in terms of new additions to the Gargoyle’s Quest series. It’s somewhat of a surprise given its success, and the rise in handheld gaming in the years since, that the owner of the IP hasn’t created another attempt.
Despite Gargoyle’s Quest seemingly being dead in the water, the Ghosts ‘n Goblins series endures to this day, with the most recent release being Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection in 2021.
- Gargoyle’s Quest (1990)
- Gargoyle’s Quest II (1992)
- Demon’s Crest (1994)
Gargoyle’s Quest Cheat Codes
If you’re looking for Gargoyle’s Quest cheat codes, it’s your lucky day. There are a bunch of cheats for the game, with some built into the experience, while others require the use of a third-party tool. The base game cheats are all level cheats, which allow you to select which stage you want to play through. However, if you can use the GameShark or Game Genie cheats for Gargoyle’s Quest, you can really begin to change things up. Here are all the cheats you need to know:
Gargoyle’s Quest Level Cheat Codes
These cheat codes in Gargoyle’s Quest can be used to teleport straight to certain levels in the game. You can use these in any version of the game.
Cheat Code | Cheat Effect |
---|---|
FFFF-FFFF | Allows you to begin the game with extra items and boosted attributes. |
WPXF-4BDQ | Takes you directly to the end of the game. |
SWXE-CBFJ | Takes you straight to the final stage. |
DFJG-PLOC | Takes you to the final town with 9 Lives, 99 Vials, and 1 Essence of the Soulstream. |
56CD-E67C | Takes you to the final town with 99 Vials. |
MUPP-JMHW | Takes you straight to Level 2. |
GJ7Q-KLVO | Takes you straight to Level 3. |
SWXE-CBFJ | Takes you straight to Level 4. |
BIF8-BRAZ | Takes you straight to Level 5. |
FWGG-57CY | Takes you straight to Level 6. |
HWTL-90AZ | Takes you straight to Level 7. |
N5AQ-9RZF | Takes you straight to Level 8. |
Gargoyle’s Quest GameShark / Game Genie Cheats
These cheat codes for Gargoyle’s Quest must be entered by using a GameShark or Game Genie cartridge. Some codes only work on one or the other. To avoid this, you can play the game on a cheat-supporting emulator, where you should be able to use both types of cheat code.
Cheat Code (GameShark) | Cheat Code (Game Genie) | Cheat Effect |
---|---|---|
016318DF | 63F-182 | Gives you 99 Vials. |
010216DF | 02F-162 | Gives you all weapons. |
N/A | 3EB-B08-2AA 3EB-A68-2AA | Allows you to hit anywhere. |
01020AC2 | 022-0A3 | Gives you infinite energy. |
01FF12DF | FFF-122 | Gives you infinite flying time. |
010117DF | 05F-172 | Gives you infinite lives. |
N/A | C9E-179-C49 | Gives you invincibility. |
010415DF | 04F-152 | Gives you max lifebar. |
N/A | 005-FAB-E62 005-B0B-7F2 | Gives you moon jump. |
N/A | 3EF-BA9-7F1 | Removes all random battles. |
N/A | 006-B28-91A C30-039-801 | Makes it so that you can defeat any enemy with one hit. |
N/A | 001-D4F-E6E | Allows you to start with one life. |
N/A | 051-D4F-E6E | Allows you to start with five lives. |
N/A | 091-D4F-E6E | Allows you to start with nine lives. |
N/A | 180-708-6EA AF1-E1B-193 | Allows you to walk through walls. |
Gargoyle’s Quest Cheat Code FAQs
How Do I Use Gargoyle’s Quest Cheat Codes?
For the base game level codes, you simply enter them in the Password menu. This will take you directly to the level you’re trying to reach. However, if you want to use the GameShark / Game Genie codes, they will need to be entered directly into your emulator. Usually, Game Boy emulators have a section to enter cheats. Just find that, ensure you’ve specified whether you’re using GameShark or Game Genie codes in the settings, and you should be good to go!
Do Gargoyle’s Quest Cheat Codes Work On Modern Versions of the Game?
That depends. If you’re playing on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console or the Nintendo Switch Online service versions of Gargoyle’s Quest, you’re not going to be able to use the GameShark / Game Genie cheats. This is because these versions don’t support these types of third-party cheats.
The level codes however? Sure, they should work as normal. They were built into the original game, and while level codes are mostly a relic of a bygone era of gaming, we see no reason that they’ll have been removed from the game in the re-releases.
Is There An Invincibility Cheat For Gargoyle’s Quest?
Not in the base game. However, if you’re playing the game on an emulator, you can use the Game Genie code “C9E-179-C49” to become invincible. There is no GameShark equivalent for this one, so you need to make sure that you’ve specified in your emulator settings that you’re entering a Game Genie cheat.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Screenshot from Gargoyle’s Quest.