Any love for Cadash ?

[goom]

Who else loves Cadash? It's my favorite game on the PCE.

I have fond memories of sneaking off to the comic book store after Sunday school and watching the older kids play this game and others such as Splatterhouse. If, by some miracle, I got to play, I would always choose the ninja, and would never get past the slime boss. I think I was 7 or 8. Now, I know this game by heart and can beat it with a single credit using any character.

Anyway, I think the PCE version is awesome. Instead of trying to replicate the graphics of the arcade, like with the Genesis version which failed miserably, the new sprite designs are fantastic. I can get the same satisfaction from beating the game, as with the arcade original, even though the game is condensed as a whole. I actually prefer the shorter levels - less walking, more action. And I love that defense (AC) actually does something now, making the fighter an amazing character. The hitbox on his shield is a lot smaller, but he doesn't need to rely on shielding anymore thanks to his defense and the fact that everything does 1 point of damage. The mage is much better than in the arcade version - he benefits massively from a shorter level 4 and the new knockback that sends you flying (it works in the mage's favor if you know how to use it). Plus, his lightning spell is a bit too good. The ninja is easily the best character in the game. The priestess...  isn't as good as in the arcade version. Everyone seems to have gotten a big boost in damage but her. And high defense is simply better than her protection spell now. Well, she still rules the arcade version.

[nat]

I have this game, but I haven't spent very much time with it at all. I've only played maybe twice, in fact.

One thing that struck me right away is how much the sound and music on the Turbo version blows. Not just the composition, but the technical quality is low-class NES fare. This was weird to me since Taito normally has a knack for great tunes and audio in general.

One day I'll give it a good run and get a more balanced view.

[esteban]

I have this game, but I haven't spent very much time with it at all. I've only played maybe twice, in fact.

One thing that struck me right away is how much the sound and music on the Turbo version blows. Not just the composition, but the technical quality is low-class NES fare. This was weird to me since Taito normally has a knack for great tunes and audio in general.

One day I'll give it a good run and get a more balanced view.

Play Rastan Saga II for as many hours as I have and then tell me if Cadash sucks. Cadash's music is "harsh", but I don't mind it too much...

As for the game itself, I think it is lots of fun, though far from perfect.

[nat]

I think when the day comes I finally sit down with it, I'm gonna throw on a CD in the background and turn down the volume.

[Turbo D]

I surprisingly don't own it, haha. Oh well. I have however played it on emulation and am a fan!

[shubibiman]

I love this game. Some graphics are great and I like the gameplay too.

[SNKNostalgia]

What the hell?? This is one of my favorite Turbo Chips of all time. This was the 3rd game I owned for the TG-16 back in 92. The other 2 games I had are Keith's Courage and Final Lap Twin. I still play it through once every couple of months. The music is kinda jumpy and buzzes a lot, but still not as bad as many Genesis titles I have played. It is funny how those were the only 3 games I owned for a while until 2000 when I finally bought a Duo along with the 4 in 1, Ys 1 and 2 and Final Zone 2. It wasn't until the past year or so that I went wild buying games for it. I am now at 4 Super CD titles, 5 CD-Rom2 titles, 7 US chips and 12 JP HuCards. I have a long way to go, but I have been buying the titles I always wanted over the years first. Also, I collect games for other systems as well. So, this slows me down a bit along with being an unemployed college student with a Neo Geo addiction for the past year.

[esteban]

I think when the day comes I finally sit down with it, I'm gonna throw on a CD in the background and turn down the volume.

I hear ya . My favorite game to NOT listen to: Mario Kart (SNES).

Before there were customizable soundtracks on the Xbox, there was "throw on a CD in the background and turn down the volume" of the console.

[OldRover]

What's wrong with the sound in Cadash? I happen to like it MUCH better than the arcade's sound. The music is much cleaner.

[esteban]

What's wrong with the sound in Cadash? I happen to like it MUCH better than the arcade's sound. The music is much cleaner.

I don't think anything is wrong with it . And I agree with you: the TG-16 tunes easily hold their own against the arcade's sound.

I do think, though, that even the HuCard has a somewhat "harsh" quality (a "rawness"), unlike other HuCards that evoke a warm, smooth, flowing feeling. Partly this is due to the composition of the songs themselves.

Anyway, this might make things clearer: Most IREM PCE games, for example, offer a much harsher, more raw sound than Cadash, but I'd put Cadash closer to the IREM end of the spectrum, than, say, Legendary Axe II (a PSG soundtrack we both love ).

Since warm/smooth sound is not inherently better than anything else, Cadash offers a great soundtrack that really fits the mood of the game.

Overall, I don't think the controls in Cadash are as tight as they could have been, but this has never detracted from my enjoyment. Cadash is totally fun to play and I'd rank it as one of the better HuCards.

Yes, I have love for Cadash

[spenoza]

I owned this game and played the hell out of it. I think I beat it with every character. I'd try hard to buy as many life bells as possible as early as possible. That and, as a young adolescent, ogling pixelated mermaid and harpy boobs.

Awesome game, but yeah, the music is harsh. So's the arcade. Guess when you have poor source material you get poor results.

[Digi.k]

I really use to hate Cadash with contempt..  but nowadays its a pretty awesome game.. Even the music which used to drive me nuts.. I really enjoy listening to it now.. I find it easy to complete tho..

In two player its much easier to die cause you lose that concentration.

[Dark Fact]

Played the Genesis version and a bit of the arcade version.  Never tried the TG-16 version.  Always wanted to.  Better get down to it.

[CrackTiger]

I have this game, but I haven't spent very much time with it at all. I've only played maybe twice, in fact.

One thing that struck me right away is how much the sound and music on the Turbo version blows. Not just the composition, but the technical quality is low-class NES fare. This was weird to me since Taito normally has a knack for great tunes and audio in general.

One day I'll give it a good run and get a more balanced view.

I just skimmed through the soundtrack in Magic Engine and it sounds pretty cool to me. I'm guessing that its the cruder instruments that are mixed in that turn people off. To me it has at least as many Genesis fm-like sounds than NES-like sounds in it.

Anyways, I haven't played through it in years, but I really liked it ever since I first rented it back in the day. Working Designs never released Turbo games in Canada, but a new video retal chain that opened up in town just happened to carry it and Parasol Stars(as well as Monster Lair and Chiki Chiki Boys for MD).

After playing through it several times back then, I didn't get another chance to try it or Parasol Stars again until at least 5 years later after moving to the big city. But even then I only had the PC Engine version of Cadash for a while.

[goom]

How do you guys play through the game? Do you guys level a bunch when playing? This game is too easy because of leveling, but it would be impossible without it.

This is my typical game in Cadash:

Get to level 5 on the first section with orcs. The boost in defense from level 4 to 5 is big, and helps against the first boss. Don't jump around doing downward attacks as you will miss enemy spawn triggers. As the priestess, use up heals before the boss. As the mage, cast the daggers spell once or twice to kill the boss. The first level of the PCE version is much harder than the arcade version because of the removal of hidden items and more HP for the boss.

Heal and buy crap and move on. No extra leveling during the second level. The priestess gets protection which makes things easier, but is really unnecessary on such an easy level. As the mage cast one firewall to kill the boss. Get new crap and go on to the next level. As the priestess go back to town to rest for precious mana.

Level 3 is where I do the rest of my leveling. Thanks to the game's wacky enemy respawning method you can get two rock monsters to come down the steps (in front of the gnomes hideout) by walking forward then back, and get ridiculously fast and easy experience. It usually only takes 3-5 minutes to get to level 10 which is enough extra leveling for the rest of the game. As the fighter I sometimes get an extra level because he gains experience faster than the ninja and priestess. As the mage I level until I get the lightning spell (do not waste magic points), which doesn't take long at all considering that he gains experience the fastest in the game. Go buy as many bells as possible, while leaving some gold (more for the fighter). Inch through the rock monster lair, so as not to get surrounded, then lay waste to the worm boss (one lightning is all it takes). As the mage (not wasting magic on regular enemies), use one lightning spell to kill the tentacle monster (free elixir), and another to kill that annoying harpy. Avoid, jump, or abuse the knockback effect to get past the rest.

Get new crap and move on. Thanks to enhanced agility and a shorter level and the new knockback effect, level 4 (which was the hardest part of the arcade game) is now a breeze. As the mage there's no need to kill the grim reapers or manticores, just run like heck and abuse the knockback. There's a secret room to the right of the first dragon you encounter where you can get an item that gives you maximum money. There's another secret room to the east of the fire wheels to skip through most of them. There's a secret room with a bell if you walk into one of the stairs in front of the village. The chest regenerates every time it leaves the screen so you might as well maximize your HP. Get new crap - the ninja and mage are now godly. One lightning to kill the elemental boss.

There's a secret elixir and bell in the large open space east of where you find the princess. What you can do, since you can only hold one elixir at a time (unlike the Genesis version), is to let an enemy beat you up until you use an elixir for full health then go pick up another one. No need to head back to town to heal (only if you're the priestess because she needs mana for protection). It takes but two lightnings to kill the last boss. The ninja as usual kills bosses just as easily and almost as quickly. The fighter takes barely any damage from bosses but takes some time to kill them. The priestess usually takes the longest.

[Ceti Alpha]

I haven't had a chance to play it on the Turbo, but I have it on MAME and it's pretty cool. I'll definitely buy the Turbo port eventually if just to see how it compares to the arcade. Nat has already stated that the music isn't as good and much of the parallax scrolling has been sacrificed. 

[Sinistron]

the game is a joy.
def. fun to roll through it here and there- one of the best turbochips.

[OldRover]

I play this game on my TE all the time for some reason.

[TR0N]

Another fan of cadash here played the hell out of it in the arcades.

While the,TG16 version falls some what short in the graphics and sound.It's gameplay does come close to it at least.

Also it has all four charcaters while the genesis version only has two 

Can't say i've sit down though and taken the time to beat,my copy on the duo-r.

Then again i have too many games to play all ready.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

Cadash was among the first dozen or so games that I had for the Turbo, so it got a butt load of play time back in the day.  It's not very hard, but it's good fun, even more so with a second player.

How do you guys play through the game?

I usually cheat to speed things up.  I've beaten it so many times with every character, that I don't feel too guilty about it.

[sinfreealex]

I finally got my copy of Cadash, ordered it a month ago on eBay and they guy was slow to ship. I beat this game back in the day. I can't remember whether I used the priestess or the mage. I've been trying to play it again lately, but I've had so many games on my list I've only given it a total of an hour or so. One of my all time favorites for the system.

[CrackTiger]

Another fan of cadash here played the hell out of it in the arcades.

While the,TG16 version falls some what short in the graphics and sound.It's gameplay does come close to it at least.

I actually prefer the Turbo port's artwork over the other versions.

[guyjin]

Cadash is one of my favorite turbo games. The music is good, the graphics are great, and it's just well-put-together.

[esteban]

Another fan of cadash here played the hell out of it in the arcades.

While the,TG16 version falls some what short in the graphics and sound.It's gameplay does come close to it at least.

I actually prefer the Turbo port's artwork over the other versions.

I totally agree, B_T. At first, since I was used to the arcade, I wasn't particularly in love with the TG-16 version's artwork. But then, after playing TG-16 over (and over!), I realized that it really had a charm of its own.

Now, when I play the other versions, I find that they're the ones that are lacking. Ha.

[ParanoiaDragon]

Love it, a little more then the arcade version I might add.

[TR0N]

Another fan of cadash here played the hell out of it in the arcades.

While the,TG16 version falls some what short in the graphics and sound.It's gameplay does come close to it at least.

I actually prefer the Turbo port's artwork over the other versions.

It's not bad i guess interesting enough the cover art is the,same for the jpn flyer.
http://www.arcadeflyers.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=172&image=1
It's some even thing more that wd stuck with it to begin with.

[CrackTiger]

It's not bad i guess interesting enough the cover art is the,same for the jpn flyer.
http://www.arcadeflyers.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=172&image=1
It's some even thing more that wd stuck with it to begin with.

Especially considering what WD would go on to do for TG-CD cover art.

[goom]

I just beat the game again for the zillionth time. This time with the mage. It's somehow satisfying to have his lightning spell hit the last boss about 50 times in three seconds. This game just never gets old for me.

But it's not like my love for Cadash is unconditional. The Genesis version is pretty bad - the omission of two characters is only the tip of the iceberg.

[OldRover]

Yeah indeed...not being able to play the Ninja sucks bigtime, he's my fave. Using his Spipit Ball weapon at max level, you can wipe out the final boss in about three seconds in the Turbo version. Ultra-powerful, just like the mage.

[goom]

Oh yes, the ninja simply rocks. Although the mage is my favorite character, I gotta say the ninja is stronger. The great thing about the ninja is that at close range he can hit the enemy about 3-4 times for every attack by the priestess or fighter (until he gets the sword of speed, at least), making him the king of physical damage hands down. So... he has the best range in the game, but even close up he outdamages the other three characters! Too good! Plus, it's just badass chucking infinite fireballs at enemies.

Here are all of the differences in the Genesis version, for those who might be interested. I'm doing this by memory so there may be an error or two on my part.

Omission of the ninja and priestess (obviously)
Complete omission of the tentacle boss (no more free elixir)
Floatier jumping mechanics - the mage, at level one, jumps as high as the ninja at level 15 or so
Attack and jump and you'll hold out your weapon until you land
Messed up hitboxes on certain enemies - play the arcade or PCE version then play the Genesis version and you'll whiff your attacks a few times, guaranteed
Weird enemy AI that will follow you down ropes and continue to chase you
Omission of the dragon amulet and chibi golem
Certain sections of levels are longer but have no content whatsoever (meaning no enemies, items, nothing, just more walking)
You can buy elixirs from stores
You can carry more than one elixir
Herbs heal 30 hp (I think)
You use herbs before elixirs

Simply put this game doesn't have the Cadash feel that the PCE version pulls off so effortlessly. Little things like enemy AI and hitboxes change the experience so drastically for me since I know the original game so well. Furthermore, the graphics look freaking weird - all the townspeople (every single one of them) have brown skin for some palette-related reason.

[TR0N]

Oh yes, the ninja simply rocks. Although the mage is my favorite character, I gotta say the ninja is stronger. The great thing about the ninja is that at close range he can hit the enemy about 3-4 times for every attack by the priestess or fighter (until he gets the sword of speed, at least), making him the king of physical damage hands down. So... he has the best range in the game, but even close up he outdamages the other three characters! Too good! Plus, it's just badass chucking infinite fireballs at enemies.

Here are all of the differences in the Genesis version, for those who might be interested. I'm doing this by memory so there may be an error or two on my part.

Omission of the ninja and priestess (obviously)
Complete omission of the tentacle boss (no more free elixir)
Floatier jumping mechanics - the mage, at level one, jumps as high as the ninja at level 15 or so
Attack and jump and you'll hold out your weapon until you land
Messed up hitboxes on certain enemies - play the arcade or PCE version then play the Genesis version and you'll whiff your attacks a few times, guaranteed
Weird enemy AI that will follow you down ropes and continue to chase you
Omission of the dragon amulet and chibi golem
Certain sections of levels are longer but have no content whatsoever (meaning no enemies, items, nothing, just more walking)
You can buy elixirs from stores
You can carry more than one elixir
Herbs heal 30 hp (I think)
You use herbs before elixirs

Simply put this game doesn't have the Cadash feel that the PCE version pulls off so effortlessly. Little things like enemy AI and hitboxes change the experience so drastically for me since I know the original game so well. Furthermore, the graphics look freaking weird - all the townspeople (every single one of them) have brown skin for some palette-related reason.

You should make a video to compare realy.

Just a thought given how youtube is lacking for any videos of,Cadash in action for some odd reason.

[Ceti Alpha]

I agree with Odama....er....I mean TRON.  I'd love to see a comparison video. Who doesn't love comparison videos?

[goom]

Er... I'd love to, but I don't have the wherewithal to make video captures. Plus, I'm lazy.