ReAction Ghosts’ N Goblins
Hi, it’s me Veebs. I am an avid collector of action figures and my focus is 1:12 (6-inch scale). I would estimate that scale accounts for 95% of my collection, give or take. That said, Super 7 is making every attempt to turn my normal on its ear with their diverse ReAction line. I now own several figures across multiple properties because somehow, they tend to focus this line on stuff that I really, really love.
From Metropolis to the Misfits, my ReAction range has grown exponentially over the past year or so, and for an execution that really didn’t grab me when it was first introduced, I sure have been making up for lost time as of late. Ghosts’ N Goblins is something that I love with all my heart, and even though that game most certainly does NOT love me, I make no bones about picking up just about any merchandise based on the property. So yeah, G’nG plus action figures is something I live for, even as Arthur dies over and over again.
Yes, in the pantheon of my favorite video games of all time, Mega Man reigns high above all else, but Ghosts’ N Goblins is most certainly in my top ten, even though I have always been horrible at it. The game design, music, and subject matter appeal to me at just about every level, and thanks to modern pathways like YouTube, I am able to live at least vicariously through other’s skills to see this game all the way through. As a kid, I wasn’t sure it was even possible to beat the game, or if it had an ending at all.
I have been without toys of the franchise for most of my life, but recent times have yielded me an Arthur figure from Union Creative (with the Red Arremer coming soon!), and now Super 7 is delivering even deeper into the property with these two new ReAction sets. Sure, the overall scale and articulation scheme are not my forte, but the end result and overall presentation of how Super 7 handles this execution is always really well done, and G’NG is no exception.
The first set consists of Arthur, the ubiquitous Zombie, and big bad Asteroth, while the second see the more common in the game Underwear Arthur, Skeleton, and Unicorn. Can I say it right now that I am over the moon at the fact that I now own a Unicorn figure? I think he carries my favorite design of the game, and I have always wanted a toy of this guy, so this release makes me very happy.
There was no was Super 7 was going to miss the chance to get protagonist Arthur to carry both sets, and if is armored version is required, there would have likely been an outrage if the underwear version was left out. Admit it, that is how most of your time was spent playing this game when you were not dead. One hit to that armor and you were tasked to defeat the armies of Satan himself in naught but ya drawers. Heavy, man. Both Arthurs get the lance as the lone accessory in these sets, but it would have been cool if one of the versions had a different weapon since the dagger, torch, and holy cross were integral parts of the game.
The Zombie and Skeleton make for good common fodder (that probably killed you countless times), and while I like the release pattern of the three-packs, I wish I could get a couple more of each of these guys on their own to build out the armies. The color scheme of the Zombie matches the game art that was used to deco the very sharp card art for these releases, so it is an inverse of the game sprites in terms of the use of red and blue.
I mentioned the Unicorn figure as being my favorite of the sets above, but Asteroth is probably the best figure out of the whole spread. He is appropriately large, and the sculpted detail is very interesting in capturing his unique and gruesome design. That stomach face is a thing of terror, and with the game not pulling any punches in terms of difficulty from the outset, his legend of difficulty was indeed the stuff of nightmares.
What fun these are! I get it, ReAction is not everyone’s cuppa tea, and if Ghosts’ N Goblins sends you into a blind rage, then these probably are not for you, but if you DO like the property, you should most certainly pick these up. I hope Super 7 goes back to the well and gets us a couple more of these packs because there are certainly lots of characters left to do, the aforementioned Red Arremer is the biggest need, but Prin Prin, the Flying Knight, Blue Killer, Goblin, Woody Pig, Petite Devil, and Green Monster would all be most welcome. We just need some Arthur variations to add to the mix (I already have the Magic Armor version on the AMAZING Japanese Daimakaimura card art), and we are good to go. Let’s make it happen, Super 7, you have a great thing going here.
