Ghostlop
| Ghostlop | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Data East |
| Publisher(s) | SNK |
| Producer(s) | Koji Jinbo |
| Designer(s) | Tony Taka Yuzuru Tsukahara |
| Programmer(s) | Kenichi Minegishi Osapan Sandy Hirokun |
| Artist(s) | Endo Chang Kazuto Lee Kenichi Maruyama |
| Composer(s) | Hiroaki Yoshida Masaaki Iwasaki Shinichi Yamazaki |
| Platform(s) | Arcade Neo Geo AES Neo Geo CD |
| Release | Unreleased |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Arcade system | Neo Geo MVS |
Ghostlop is an unreleased 1996 puzzle arcade video game that was in development by Data East and planned to be published by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS (arcade), Neo Geo AES (home) and Neo Geo CD. In the game, players assume the role of ghosthunters Bruce and McCoy from the Data Ghost agency to evict mischievous ghosts across multiple locations. Its gameplay mainly consists of puzzle mixed with Breakout-style action elements using a main two-button configuration.
Headed by Nitro Ball director Koji Jinbo, Ghostlop was created by most of the same team that previously worked on several projects at Data East for the Neo Geo platforms and who would later go on to work at Kaneko on Cyvern: The Dragon Weapons before the former company declared bankruptcy in 2003. The game was first given a location test in 1996 and despite being previewed across few video game magazines, in addition of being showcased to attendees at trade shows, it was ultimately shelved by SNK for unknown reasons.
Despite Ghostlop never being officially released to the public by SNK, a ROM image of the complete game was leaked online by homebrew developer Neobitz, allowing for it to be played. As of 2009, the rights to the title are currently owned by G-Mode. Its characters and gameplay mechanics would later reappear in Magical Drop V.