Shuper Ghouls 'N Ghosts is a mixture of run and gun shooter with platformer. Set in a medieval-like setting that you are a Knight with an armor and spears to throw. If you take a hit, your armor breaks, then you get hit again and you die. Not much to be done with that.
Unlike most peole, I've never felt like the difficulty in this game was that fair, I hate when games make you suffer a cheap death so that you can see what can happen and on the next time you get there, you'll be ready. Ghouls 'N Ghosts has to much of the "things popping up from the ground" or terrain changing forms that there's no way you can see it coming, I'm not a big fan of it. The game shouldn't have that much limitation on your health and lifes if it would make a reaplaying learning experience.