New Ghostbusters II is one of the best old-school Ghostbusters games once you get a feel for its rhythm. It drops the shop management and driving ideas from the earlier NES games and goes for something cleaner: room-by-room ghost busting, quick stages, and boss fights that actually feel good once you know the trick.
If you have only played the U.S. Ghostbusters II on NES, this one can feel like an entirely different universe. It is faster, friendlier, and much closer to a game we would actually recommend without an apology attached.
Before you start
- Use the secret menu. At the title screen, press A + B, then Start to open the hidden options.
- Pick the button layout that feels natural. Swapping beam and trap buttons can make the whole game easier.
- Remember the core rule: hold a ghost with the proton stream until it changes color, then use the trap.
- Do not stand in front of cart enemies, Cyclops enemies, or Vigo’s shots unless you absolutely have to.
Best general strategy
The game rewards patience more than panic. Most rooms are small enough that you can let enemies commit first, sidestep them, and then trap them safely. If a room feels messy, slow down. This is one of those NES games that gets much easier once you stop treating every encounter like a fire drill.
- Attack from the side whenever an enemy has a straight-line charge.
- Use walls and furniture to block thrown objects whenever possible.
- Do not chase every enemy around the room. Let them come into range.
- For bosses, keep moving first and worry about perfect damage windows second.
Level 1: Court Building walkthrough
The Court Building is your warm-up stage. Most of the trouble here comes from learning how the game wants you to handle paired enemies, furniture throwers, and quick ambushes.
- Clear the early Slimers and Joggers at an easy pace.
- When you reach the woman surrounded by Pink Spinners, hang back and grab openings instead of rushing in.
- For the bathtub-style enemy, trigger it, back away, then turn and fire.
- In the long hallway with desk-throwing Slimers, use cover and avoid taking the bait by running straight at them.
- Before the boss room, expect a couple of late Chainsaw Ghost ambushes.
Boss: The Scoleri Brothers
Take down the charging brother first so the room calms down. Hold the beam until he turns pink, trap him, then focus on the floating brother. If you break contact too early, you will just extend the fight.
Level 2: Abandoned Subway walkthrough
This stage is all about spacing and track awareness. The mining-cart enemies can end a good run in a hurry, so treat the tracks like danger zones first and score opportunities second.
- Clear the slower miners normally.
- When you see Kart Miners, step off the tracks and let them expose themselves.
- Use the right path when the stage branches, since the other route mostly wastes time.
- In train-car fights, use the seats as protection whenever you can.
Mini-boss: Decapitated Heads
These are more annoying than hard. Keep moving between safe openings and clear the heads in each car without getting greedy.
Boss: Conductor Slimer
This fight works differently from most of the game. You usually cannot hold him in a steady beam lock. Instead, pepper him, watch for the opening, and use the trap when his back is exposed.
Level 3: Peter’s Apartment Building walkthrough
This is the longest-feeling stage, mostly because it is a maze of repeated rooms and enemy combinations. The good news is that there is no boss waiting at the end.
- Watch for the doorway that flips your position. If you keep holding Up, you can loop yourself by accident.
- Imps and ninja enemies are the real trouble here, so prioritize anything that attacks through walls or teleports onto you.
- Against Cyclops enemies, never stay directly in front of them unless you enjoy pain as a hobby.
- The final stretch throws a lot of Jack-O-Lantern enemies at you, but they are manageable if you keep your spacing.
The stage ends with a story beat instead of a boss, so once the rooms stop throwing new enemies at you, you are basically home free.
Level 4: Sewers of Slime walkthrough
The slime slows you down here, which means positioning matters more than usual. Try not to get trapped while you are wading through the slower sections.
- Clear the early Pillar enemies as soon as they surface.
- Take your time in rooms where slime pools limit movement.
- Thrown-object Slimers are worse here because the terrain makes dodging clumsier.
- Top Spinner enemies look silly, but they can still body-check you if you get lazy.
Boss: Salamanders
You do not trap each one as it appears. Burn through them one at a time, stay mobile, and wait for the final one to change color. That last one is the one you trap.
Level 5: Museum walkthrough
The Museum is the game’s exam. It reuses earlier enemies, revisits boss patterns, and asks you to handle them with less room for sloppy movement.
- Expect a remix of earlier threats instead of brand-new gimmicks.
- Re-fought bosses follow the same rules as before, so trust what already worked.
- Use corners whenever Uber Janosz starts multiplying and the room fills with projectiles.
Boss: Uber Janosz
This is the hardest fight in the game for a lot of players. Catch one near a wall or corner if you can, hold the beam, and dodge the others while the clone count builds. It looks chaotic, but the fight gets more manageable when you stop chasing the middle of the room.
Level 6: Vigo walkthrough
The last stretch is short. Just keep moving upward until you reach Vigo.
Final Boss: Vigo
Wait for his large attacks, hit him around the waist area, and back off just enough to avoid the smaller orbiting shots. This is mostly a rhythm fight. If you get greedy and stay planted too long, Vigo will usually punish it.
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