Ghostbusters Walkthrought
In Ghostbusters on the NES — yeah, the one everyone just calls Ghostbusters — we’re going step by step. The plan is simple: first build your bankroll and keep the city in line, then storm Zuul’s high-rise. Below is a practical, fluff-free route that spotlights those tiny gotchas that usually drain your money, time, and sanity.
Prep: the shop and your first loadout
From minute one, grab a few traps and the cheap “must-haves.” Ghost Bait carries you through the Stay Puft attack, and a car-mounted Ghost Vacuum lets you hoover up roaming spirits on the road — quick cash, calmer map. The PKE meter tracks psychokinetic spikes across the city: when buildings flash faster and turn red, it’s go time. Don’t cheap out on fuel: running dry two turns from a call is the worst.
City map: priorities and the Marshmallow Man
On the map, hit red houses first: they ramp PK faster, and stalling triggers the Marshmallow attack where Mr. Stay Puft goes berserk and scorches your balance with fines. See roaming ghosts streaming to the center — Spook Central? Drop Ghost Bait along their path and the crowd thins out. On your drives, keep the car centered and don’t miss canisters — snag a “GAS” and stop sweating the fuel gauge.
Inside buildings: clean capture fundamentals
In the lobby, don’t rush it: place the trap a bit below center so a falling ghost drops toward the jaws. Angle the first buster so his proton stream cuts the arc from above, catch from below with the second — don’t let the spook slip past the “funnel.” Steady payouts come from keeping the ghost in the beam crossover and nudging it to the trap with short steps, not fanning the streams too wide. Once the lids clap shut, remember to pick the trap back up. After a run of calls, swing by HQ to empty traps and refuel. That keeps cash moving and avoids losing the next job to “all traps full.”
Low-stress farming: what we’re saving for
A comfy midgame combo is the roof Ghost Vacuum, a stash of bait, and a tight loop on red houses. That’s a no-drama route: clean streets, growing cash. When the balance allows, buy beam upgrades and the Super Trap — tougher ghosts stop wasting your time. Next, sneakers for the finale: the “Zuul stairs” punish poor rhythm, and the shoes cut the pain in half. A Marshmallow Sensor also helps: it flags a sugary disaster early so you can drop bait where it matters.
When Zuul comes to town
You’ll see the central skyscraper — Shandor’s building, the one folks just call Zuul’s place — pop on the map and beckon. By then you should have solid cash beyond the starter loan, core gadgets bought, traps empty. Don’t dawdle: the longer ghosts wander, the louder the PK noise and the higher the chance of extra fines. Pull up — and the fussiest part of Ghostbusters (NES) kicks off.
Zuul’s stairs: rhythm and stamina
The climb is a straight rhythm check. Go step by step evenly, don’t hold buttons down. Short, consistent taps beat long spurts: the stamina meter melts faster if you lurch in sprints. Use landings as breathers — hit one, pause a second, settle your cadence (yep, like a real stairwell), then continue in the same tempo. With Super Sneakers, the game forgives more slips, but don’t relax: fall and you’re climbing again. Keep your fingers dry — most fails here come from broken rhythm, not raw difficulty.
Rooftop: how to slip past the Marshmallow giant
At the portal, it’s the classic playground strat: “dash under Stay Puft’s feet.” Move one buster at a time. Edge him up, wait for the nearer foot to lift, and do a short burst to mid‑screen. Stop in the “shadow” between steps, catch the second leg’s rhythm, then finish the dash to the door. Panic is the enemy: overextending usually ends with a comic chomp. Repeat with the second buster. Keep both alive and the rest is easier — unless you enjoy gambling on a solo finish.
Before the gate: finesse over brute force
Inside, don’t grandstand — precision wins. Set the busters symmetrically, drop the trap dead center under the arch, cross your proton streams and hold steady: jitter only hurts. It’s the same technique as apartments, just with less room for error. Don’t mash beams right up against the portal — leave a narrow corridor so spectral bursts don’t push the target out of capture. Patience, then payoff: hold it, land the final click, and the Ghostbusters log another clean case.
If you want to refresh the universe — why Spook Central is a thing and where the marshmallow monster comes from — swing by /history/. For buttons and control quirks, skim /gameplay/ — it saves runs where a single careful press would do.
That’s how Ghostbusters — just like the old schoolyard stories — gets cleared without extra losses: steady farm, smart routing, measured stair rhythm, and a cool head on the roof. Simple things that decide whether you open Zuul’s gate first try or come back for a rematch.