It’s Halloween night and the Vampire Count has struck at the very heart of the Bianconeri’s home ground. Having broken into the changing rooms at the Orogel Stadium-Dino Manuzzi, he has kidnapped the kit man Petrosino, the custodian of the shirts. Without him, Cesena cannot take to the pitch because they have no kits. To bring him home, you’ll need a hero, a ball and a few ghosts to chase away.

Thus begins Ghosts ‘N Goals, the official video game with which Cesena FC has chosen to celebrate Halloween: a pixel-art arcade platformer, in the style of 1980s arcades, available from today at ghostsngoals.com.

This is a first in the world of football. Ghosts ‘N Goals is, in fact, not merely promotional content, but a fully-fledged video game, complete with a storyline, three levels, its own bosses and a public leaderboard, entirely conceived and developed by Cesena FC’s Media House. The idea stems from a trend that has made a strong comeback in recent years: from the Duffer brothers’ Stranger Things series to a cult classic like Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, the pop culture of the 1980s and 1990s is everywhere once again. To mark Halloween, the aim was to create a video game reminiscent of those found in arcades back in the day, modelled on Ghosts ‘n Goblins: a fast-paced game with a simple, tongue-in-cheek storyline and a setting entirely based on Cesena. You choose your hero and play – guaranteed fun for young and old alike.

Instead of castles and knights, there are the streets, monuments and legends of Romagna. The first level, Notte al Manuzzi, starts at the Rocca Malatestiana and ends at the Orogel Stadium where, amidst fading spotlights and monstrous creatures, players must face the Mazapegùl, the goblin of Romagna folklore. The Mist of the Savio winds its way across the Ponte Vecchio, through Piazza del Popolo with the Masini Fountain, past the Malatestiana Library and up Via delle Scalette, where the Azdora, bewitched by the Count, awaits the players: she must not be defeated, but set free. The grand finale of The Count’s Ship takes players to the coast, from Cesenatico beach to the Porto Canale, all the way to the lighthouse in the storm and the boarding battle against the Porto Canale Octopus and the Vampire Count himself. The language is that of video games, but the story is deeply rooted in Romagna.

Leading the mission are four Bianconeri protagonists, each with their own power: Shpendi is King Mida, who kicks golden balls; Capitan Ciofi uses The Captain’s Mane to defeat monstrous creatures; Klinsmann is Captain Romagna and is capable of jumping higher than any other character; whilst Mister Diamanti faces every opponent with the power of Good Vibes. At the start of the game, you also choose your kit (home, away or third), and between levels there’s a penalty shoot-out bonus under the Curva Mare, against a ghost goalkeeper. Just like in the old arcade machines, the game is played three times with increasing difficulty, across three rounds named Serie BKT, Serie A and the Champions League, each with its own ending.

Ghosts ‘N Goals is completely free and requires no registration: you can play directly in your browser, in Italian or English, simply by visiting ghostsngoals.com. On a smartphone, the screen transforms into an arcade cabinet, complete with a joystick and touch buttons. There’s no tutorial: choose your hero, press start and off you go.

The surprises, however, don’t end there because, on the character selection screen, next to the four heroes, there is a question mark. Hidden behind that symbol is a Bianconeri legend, who can only be selected using a top-secret password, which will be revealed on 31 October.