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Cabal (arcade game)
Encyclopedia
is a arcade
video game originally developed by TAD Corporation and published in Japan
by Taito Corporation
and in North America
and Europe
by Fabtek. In this game, the player controls a commando
, viewed from behind, trying to destroy various enemy military bases. The game was innovative for the era, and a modest success in sales.
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Either one player can play alone or two players could play this game, cooperatively, simultaneously. Each player assumes the role of one or two unnamed commandos trying to destroy several enemy military bases. There are 5 stages with 4 screens each. Both players' characters are seen from behind and initially starts behind a protective wall (the wall can get damaged and shattered by enemy fire). Players must use a limitless ammunition gun and a limited number of grenade
s to fend off enemy troops and damage the base. An enemy gauge at the bottom of the screen depletes as foes are destroyed and certain structures (usually the ones that collapse when destroyed, rather than simply shattering) are brought down. At the successful completion of a level by fully depleting the enemy gauge, all the remaining buildings onscreen collapse and the player progresses to the next stage. Boss fights, however, start from the beginning if a player dies. (This feature was criticised by many players. It can be circumvented, however, if two players play simultaneously and at least one stays alive at a given moment.)
Power-ups appear from time to time, being released from objects destroyed onscreen. Some power-ups give special weapons: One of them is an extremely fast machinegun and other one is an automatic shotgun with a slightly lower firing rate, but has a larger crosshair, allowing it to strike a wider area with each shot. Others grant extra grenades or additional points.
The arcade cabinet is a standard upright. Each player uses a trackball to move the player from side to side, and move the crosshairs about the screen. On later board revisions, a joystick was installed instead with an optional sub-pcb for use with a trackball. With a trackball, rolling (an invincible movement during which the player could not attack) is done by pushing the trackball to maximum speed.
Cabal was somewhat innovative in that it featured a 3D perspective in which the player was situated in the foreground, similar to modern FPS
games except with an over-the-shoulder camera view. Although it is sometimes compared to contemporary games such as Commando and Ikari Warriors
, it differs in that the player cannot move forward of his own volition; an area would first have to be cleared of enemies before advancing. Another interesting twist was that players could not move the character while firing (holding down the fire button gives players control of the aiming cursor), and when moving the character to avoid incoming bullets, the aiming cursor also moved along with your weapon. This meant that gameplay became a careful balance between offensive and defensive tactics, separating it from simple "platform" shooters which relied more on reflexes. Advanced gameplay involved destructible asset management in balancing dodging (which got riskier as the number of enemy projectiles on screen increased) with the safer alternative of taking cover
behind a protective but limited durability wall. Overall it was somewhat popular and did respectably well in the arcade
s.
Cabal was ported
to several home computer
s of the era, including the MS-DOS
, Commodore 64
, ZX Spectrum
, Atari ST
and Amiga
. It was also ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System
console
, which was ported by Zippo Games. The quality of these ports varied based on the target system's capabilities.
Cabal was followed in by Blood Bros.
, though the sequel had a western
theme as opposed to Cabal' s Vietnam
-era theme.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
video game originally developed by TAD Corporation and published in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
by Taito Corporation
Taito Corporation
The is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company....
and in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
by Fabtek. In this game, the player controls a commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
, viewed from behind, trying to destroy various enemy military bases. The game was innovative for the era, and a modest success in sales.
Gameplay
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
s to fend off enemy troops and damage the base. An enemy gauge at the bottom of the screen depletes as foes are destroyed and certain structures (usually the ones that collapse when destroyed, rather than simply shattering) are brought down. At the successful completion of a level by fully depleting the enemy gauge, all the remaining buildings onscreen collapse and the player progresses to the next stage. Boss fights, however, start from the beginning if a player dies. (This feature was criticised by many players. It can be circumvented, however, if two players play simultaneously and at least one stays alive at a given moment.)
Power-ups appear from time to time, being released from objects destroyed onscreen. Some power-ups give special weapons: One of them is an extremely fast machinegun and other one is an automatic shotgun with a slightly lower firing rate, but has a larger crosshair, allowing it to strike a wider area with each shot. Others grant extra grenades or additional points.
The arcade cabinet is a standard upright. Each player uses a trackball to move the player from side to side, and move the crosshairs about the screen. On later board revisions, a joystick was installed instead with an optional sub-pcb for use with a trackball. With a trackball, rolling (an invincible movement during which the player could not attack) is done by pushing the trackball to maximum speed.
Cabal was somewhat innovative in that it featured a 3D perspective in which the player was situated in the foreground, similar to modern FPS
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
games except with an over-the-shoulder camera view. Although it is sometimes compared to contemporary games such as Commando and Ikari Warriors
Ikari Warriors
Ikari Warriors is a 1986 arcade game by SNK, published in the United States and Europe by Tradewest. Known simply as in Japan, this was SNK's first major breakthrough US release and became something of a classic. The game was released at the time when there were many Commando clones on the market...
, it differs in that the player cannot move forward of his own volition; an area would first have to be cleared of enemies before advancing. Another interesting twist was that players could not move the character while firing (holding down the fire button gives players control of the aiming cursor), and when moving the character to avoid incoming bullets, the aiming cursor also moved along with your weapon. This meant that gameplay became a careful balance between offensive and defensive tactics, separating it from simple "platform" shooters which relied more on reflexes. Advanced gameplay involved destructible asset management in balancing dodging (which got riskier as the number of enemy projectiles on screen increased) with the safer alternative of taking cover
Cover system
A cover system is how a video game lets a virtual avatar avoid dangers usually in a three-dimensional world. This method is a digital adaptation of the real-life military tactic of taking cover to dodge enemy gunfire or explosives. Similar gameplay elements can be traced back to as early as 1986,...
behind a protective but limited durability wall. Overall it was somewhat popular and did respectably well in the arcade
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
s.
Ports and related releases
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to several home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
s of the era, including the MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
and Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
. It was also ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
, which was ported by Zippo Games. The quality of these ports varied based on the target system's capabilities.
Cabal was followed in by Blood Bros.
Blood Bros.
is a arcade game developed and published by TAD Corporation in Japan and Europe, while it was later published in North America by Fabtek. It is a spiritual sequel to Cabal, with almost identical mechanics...
, though the sequel had a western
Western fiction
Western fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West frontier and typically set from the late eighteenth to the late nineteenth century. Well-known writers of Western fiction include Zane Grey from the early 1900s and Louis L'Amour from the mid 20th century...
theme as opposed to Cabal
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
-era theme.
See also
- Dynamite DukeDynamite Dukeis a action arcade game developed by Seibu Kaihatsu. It was later ported to the Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive and Sharp X68000.-The Double Dynamites:It is a version with simultaneous 2 player support...
, featuring close combat in addition with similar shooting. - Blood Bros.Blood Bros.is a arcade game developed and published by TAD Corporation in Japan and Europe, while it was later published in North America by Fabtek. It is a spiritual sequel to Cabal, with almost identical mechanics...
, considered the "spiritual successorSpiritual sequelA spiritual successor, sometimes called a spiritual sequel or a companion piece, is a successor to a work of fiction which does not directly build upon the storyline established by a previous work as do most traditional prequels or sequels, but nevertheless features many of the same elements,...
" of Cabal. - Wild GunsWild GunsWild Guns is a fixed-view third-person shooter by Natsume for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in in Japan and in in North America. The PAL version was released in and published by Titus Software...
, a SNES game featuring similar gameplay. - Sin & Punishment, an N64 title.
- Gears of WarGears of WarGears of War is a military science fiction third-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios...
, a game influenced by Cabal - Zombie Panic in WonderlandZombie Panic in Wonderlandis a frenetic third-person shooter for WiiWare. Released in 2010 by Spanish videogame developer Akaoni Studio, Zombie Panic in Wonderland was first released in Japan by Marvelous Entertainment on March 16 of the same year...
, another similar game released on the WiiWiiThe Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's WiiWareWiiWareWiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
download service.