'So to Celephaïs he must go, far distant from the isle of Oriab, and in such parts as would take him back to Dylath-Leen and up the Skai to the bridge by Nir.'
– H. P. Lovecraft, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, 1943.
Played during the Backloggd’s Game of the Week (27th Jun. – 3rd Jul., 2023).
The late 1980s and early 1990s are generally credited with the introduction of a hybrid concept combining action, platforming and RPG elements, but the exploration of this genre took different paths depending on the platforms on which the games were released. Computer titles emphasised the formulas Falcom invented with Xanadu (1985) and Ys (1987), namely the dungeon-crawler aspect and the very labyrinthine dungeons. Other developers, such as Game Arts and Renovation Game, came up with Zeliard (1987) and XZR: Hakai no Gōzō (1988), both featuring a side view inside the dungeons. XZR also adopted the idea of a top-down perspective when moving around the overworld.
The vibrant tradition of Japanese action RPGs in the 1980s
This tradition undoubtedly contrasts with that of arcade and console games, which favoured accessibility and shorter experiences. Contrary to popular belief, the history of this genre is far more complex than the well-known attempts of Zelda II: Adventure of Link (1987) and Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1987). These titles were part of a movement that had been underway for a number of years, most notably since Dragon Buster (1985). The genre cemented its place in the Japanese collective imagination, to the point where Hudson decided to copy the formula for the surprising port of Xanadu, Faxanadu (1987), which embraced the action side while retaining only a few RPG elements.
Cadash should be seen as a melting pot of ideas from all these pre-existing influences and experiments. Players are sent by King Dilsarl to rescue his daughter, Princess Salasa, who has been kidnapped by the sorcerer Baarogue. As in Gauntlet (1985), each player can choose one of the four available archetypes, each with their own set of abilities. Cadash immediately seems to be a thematic continuation of Taito's earlier game Rastan (1987). The magical skills of the Mage and Priestess are also reminiscent of the spells used in Zeliard, as are some of the bosses they face. The title is packed with references in a strange synthesis of Western high fantasy aesthetics, tropes from previous JRPGs and writing similar to Adventure of Link. Among other things, the slightly unsettling absurdity of the Gnomes' 'horses', whose appearance is ultimately that of featherless chocobos, is quite amusing.
A heap of borrowed ideas
This chaotic collision of ideas is reflected in both the progression and the gameplay. While the PC Engine port is to blame for the particularly rigid controls, Cadash remains clumsy throughout. Using magic is awkward because the player has to hold down the attack button to cycle through the various spells, wasting vital time as the action becomes frenetic. The game fails to communicate its intentions effectively, and the various stages exemplify this shortcoming. Some sequences are oddly labyrinthine and particularly uncomfortable with the arcade version's timer, while others are unduly linear. The Underground Forest, for example, offers several winding paths, but Cadash Castle is a dull succession of small chambers that disguise the linearity of the progression.
Similarly, the RPG elements seem superfluous. Money is handled in an inconsistent manner: equipment is very inexpensive, but the prices soar for certain key items and stays in inns – this aspect is limited in the console versions, where all prices are somewhat standardised. As a result, Cadash sends out odd signals, putting players in a stressful situation by constantly asking them whether or not they should save some money for a potential key item by avoiding spending the night at an inn, which is the only consistent way to recover hit points. Cadash is still quite enjoyable to play, as the title is very short, but this artificial tension, although it may serve the purpose of immersion, is largely antithetical to the title's exploratory intentions conveyed through its narrative.
Unsteady narrative temptations
Indeed, Cadash has a surprising narrative structure that stands above the average console title and is closer to the writing style of computer RPGs. Each stage is wrapped in a narrative arc involving the inhabitants of the various regions. There is something touching about Marinade's quest, even if the title never lives up to its potential: the dialogue in the town remains the same even after the young girl sacrificed to the Kraken has been rescued. The vibrant, believable quality of the world invites exploration, but this urge is constantly thwarted by the rather unpleasant combat system. Occasionally, the title – or at least its Western localisation – abandons its serious tone for no reason at all, name-dropping The Ghost Busters (1975) or Carl Sagan. These contrasting moods add to the game's volatile aspect.
The game's title, though probably unrelated, invites a comparison between Taito's approach and that of H. P. Lovecraft's The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (1943). The novella explicitly relies on a persistent and subtle reference to the stylistic materiality of Lord Dunsany's works. In particular, Randolph Carter's feverish, oneiric quest to find Kadath is imbued with the macabre and the spectre of the Great Old Ones. Peter Goodrich points out that '[Lovecraft's] "forbidden knowledge" is the dark side of the equally common "further wonders waiting" topos that Burleson properly identifies as one of Dunsanian features' [1]. In other words, Lovecraft mobilises the wonder of Dunsanian mythology and transmutes it to express the tormented existence of Randolph Carter. Cadash plays to some extent with the same referential framework, but the proposal struggles to establish coherence between all the ideas and remains hollow; by contrast, the strength of Adventure of Link and Castlevania II was precisely the deliberate interplay of contrasts with the previous episode.
__________
[1] Peter Goodrich, 'Mannerism and the Macabre in H. P. Lovecraft's Dunsanian "Dream-Quest"', in Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, vol. 15, no. 1, 2004, p. 46.
– H. P. Lovecraft, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, 1943.
Played during the Backloggd’s Game of the Week (27th Jun. – 3rd Jul., 2023).
The late 1980s and early 1990s are generally credited with the introduction of a hybrid concept combining action, platforming and RPG elements, but the exploration of this genre took different paths depending on the platforms on which the games were released. Computer titles emphasised the formulas Falcom invented with Xanadu (1985) and Ys (1987), namely the dungeon-crawler aspect and the very labyrinthine dungeons. Other developers, such as Game Arts and Renovation Game, came up with Zeliard (1987) and XZR: Hakai no Gōzō (1988), both featuring a side view inside the dungeons. XZR also adopted the idea of a top-down perspective when moving around the overworld.
The vibrant tradition of Japanese action RPGs in the 1980s
This tradition undoubtedly contrasts with that of arcade and console games, which favoured accessibility and shorter experiences. Contrary to popular belief, the history of this genre is far more complex than the well-known attempts of Zelda II: Adventure of Link (1987) and Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1987). These titles were part of a movement that had been underway for a number of years, most notably since Dragon Buster (1985). The genre cemented its place in the Japanese collective imagination, to the point where Hudson decided to copy the formula for the surprising port of Xanadu, Faxanadu (1987), which embraced the action side while retaining only a few RPG elements.
Cadash should be seen as a melting pot of ideas from all these pre-existing influences and experiments. Players are sent by King Dilsarl to rescue his daughter, Princess Salasa, who has been kidnapped by the sorcerer Baarogue. As in Gauntlet (1985), each player can choose one of the four available archetypes, each with their own set of abilities. Cadash immediately seems to be a thematic continuation of Taito's earlier game Rastan (1987). The magical skills of the Mage and Priestess are also reminiscent of the spells used in Zeliard, as are some of the bosses they face. The title is packed with references in a strange synthesis of Western high fantasy aesthetics, tropes from previous JRPGs and writing similar to Adventure of Link. Among other things, the slightly unsettling absurdity of the Gnomes' 'horses', whose appearance is ultimately that of featherless chocobos, is quite amusing.
A heap of borrowed ideas
This chaotic collision of ideas is reflected in both the progression and the gameplay. While the PC Engine port is to blame for the particularly rigid controls, Cadash remains clumsy throughout. Using magic is awkward because the player has to hold down the attack button to cycle through the various spells, wasting vital time as the action becomes frenetic. The game fails to communicate its intentions effectively, and the various stages exemplify this shortcoming. Some sequences are oddly labyrinthine and particularly uncomfortable with the arcade version's timer, while others are unduly linear. The Underground Forest, for example, offers several winding paths, but Cadash Castle is a dull succession of small chambers that disguise the linearity of the progression.
Similarly, the RPG elements seem superfluous. Money is handled in an inconsistent manner: equipment is very inexpensive, but the prices soar for certain key items and stays in inns – this aspect is limited in the console versions, where all prices are somewhat standardised. As a result, Cadash sends out odd signals, putting players in a stressful situation by constantly asking them whether or not they should save some money for a potential key item by avoiding spending the night at an inn, which is the only consistent way to recover hit points. Cadash is still quite enjoyable to play, as the title is very short, but this artificial tension, although it may serve the purpose of immersion, is largely antithetical to the title's exploratory intentions conveyed through its narrative.
Unsteady narrative temptations
Indeed, Cadash has a surprising narrative structure that stands above the average console title and is closer to the writing style of computer RPGs. Each stage is wrapped in a narrative arc involving the inhabitants of the various regions. There is something touching about Marinade's quest, even if the title never lives up to its potential: the dialogue in the town remains the same even after the young girl sacrificed to the Kraken has been rescued. The vibrant, believable quality of the world invites exploration, but this urge is constantly thwarted by the rather unpleasant combat system. Occasionally, the title – or at least its Western localisation – abandons its serious tone for no reason at all, name-dropping The Ghost Busters (1975) or Carl Sagan. These contrasting moods add to the game's volatile aspect.
The game's title, though probably unrelated, invites a comparison between Taito's approach and that of H. P. Lovecraft's The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (1943). The novella explicitly relies on a persistent and subtle reference to the stylistic materiality of Lord Dunsany's works. In particular, Randolph Carter's feverish, oneiric quest to find Kadath is imbued with the macabre and the spectre of the Great Old Ones. Peter Goodrich points out that '[Lovecraft's] "forbidden knowledge" is the dark side of the equally common "further wonders waiting" topos that Burleson properly identifies as one of Dunsanian features' [1]. In other words, Lovecraft mobilises the wonder of Dunsanian mythology and transmutes it to express the tormented existence of Randolph Carter. Cadash plays to some extent with the same referential framework, but the proposal struggles to establish coherence between all the ideas and remains hollow; by contrast, the strength of Adventure of Link and Castlevania II was precisely the deliberate interplay of contrasts with the previous episode.
__________
[1] Peter Goodrich, 'Mannerism and the Macabre in H. P. Lovecraft's Dunsanian "Dream-Quest"', in Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, vol. 15, no. 1, 2004, p. 46.