The Cliffhanger: Edward Randy
Encyclopedia
The Cliffhanger: Edward Randy, known in Japan
simply as , is a side-scrolling action-adventure
arcade game
only released in Japan
by Data East
in 1990
; however, several world revisions in English exist.
(or, rather, dieselpunk) worldview, where many scenes and settings are directly modeled after Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
, including a whip-wielding main character, Nazi
-like enemy army, and battles that take place on biplanes. The game also contains parodies or homages to works by Hayao Miyazaki
and Buster Keaton
. The game also uses a movie-like effect where upcoming in-game events are previewed in the game's background. Unlike some of the other comedic, non-sensical Data East
games like Trio The Punch
or Chelnov
, Cliffhanger is quite serious in its design and plot-line. However, it is still possible to complete almost all of the scenes by only using the spinning attack, so the game system is not too complex. As the game's slogan suggests, the emphasis lies in the game's exciting visual properties rather than difficulty or complexity in gameplay.
The player controls the main character using an 8-way joystick and 2 buttons, one for attacking and one for jumping. The main character attacks using a whip, and he can attack in 8 different directions depending on the direction pressed on the joystick. He can also slide on the ground when the jump button is pressed while the joystick is pressed to the side or diagonally downwards. Pressing the joystick diagonally upwards causes the character to run quickly, and pressing down on the joystick while the character is in the air allows him to stomp on enemies on the ground. The character can also do a spin-attack by looping their whip on other objects and holding left or right on the joystick. The character is invincible while they are spinning, but can only spin 4 times per attack.
The game is completed when the player finishes all 7 levels, and up to 2 players can play together at a time. There are no lives in the game, and the main character's remaining health is directly linked to the number of points gained by the player on each level. The player can revive the main character's health by killing more enemies, and they lose points along with health when they are hit by enemy attacks. The player is taken to the game over screen when their points (health) reaches 0. Therefore, the high score is calculated as the highest number of points the player had at any point in the game rather than the number of points they have at the end of the game.
The game's story-line is explained in demo screens that appear in-between levels. The level's subtitle is displayed before the start of each level.
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...
simply as , is a side-scrolling action-adventure
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
arcade game
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...
only released 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 Data East
Data East
also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, when it declared bankruptcy...
in 1990
1990 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*Bonk's Adventure is released for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and is the first US appearance of Bonk, the mascot of the TurboGrafx-16.*February 12 — Nintendo releases the NES game Super Mario Bros. 3 in North America...
; however, several world revisions in English exist.
History
The game is set in a steampunkSteampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
(or, rather, dieselpunk) worldview, where many scenes and settings are directly modeled after Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, from a story co-written by executive producer George Lucas. It is the third film in the Indiana Jones franchise. Harrison Ford reprises the title role and Sean Connery plays Indiana's father, Henry...
, including a whip-wielding main character, Nazi
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
-like enemy army, and battles that take place on biplanes. The game also contains parodies or homages to works by Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
and Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
. The game also uses a movie-like effect where upcoming in-game events are previewed in the game's background. Unlike some of the other comedic, non-sensical Data East
Data East
also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, when it declared bankruptcy...
games like Trio The Punch
Trio The Punch - Never Forget Me...
is an arcade game released by Data East in 1990. The game was never released outside of Japan, and is noted for its bizarreness and stupidity.The game was re-released in 2007 as part of , a series which ported arcade games from the 1980s and 90s to the PlayStation 2...
or Chelnov
Chelnov
, also known as Atomic Runner or fully titled as , is a Japanese side-scrolling action-arcade game developed and published by Data East in 1988...
, Cliffhanger is quite serious in its design and plot-line. However, it is still possible to complete almost all of the scenes by only using the spinning attack, so the game system is not too complex. As the game's slogan suggests, the emphasis lies in the game's exciting visual properties rather than difficulty or complexity in gameplay.
Plot
The game takes place during the 1930s in an unspecified European country. Research on a secret weapon of mass destruction was being conducted in this country under the leadership of a fearsome army general, the Dark Ogre, but an elderly scientist decides to escape after learning that he was being manipulated by the general. The scientist gives the key piece of his research, a prism stone, to his granddaughter Charlotte as he escapes, and the general pursues the prism with the full force of his army. Charlotte takes refuge in the home of Edward Randy, a teenage boy who was preparing for his first date in half a year with his girlfriend, Jennifer, while Edward suddenly finds himself in the midst of a huge adventure involving a dangerous plan to destroy the world.Gameplay
The game is completed when the player finishes all 7 levels, and up to 2 players can play together at a time. There are no lives in the game, and the main character's remaining health is directly linked to the number of points gained by the player on each level. The player can revive the main character's health by killing more enemies, and they lose points along with health when they are hit by enemy attacks. The player is taken to the game over screen when their points (health) reaches 0. Therefore, the high score is calculated as the highest number of points the player had at any point in the game rather than the number of points they have at the end of the game.
The game's story-line is explained in demo screens that appear in-between levels. The level's subtitle is displayed before the start of each level.
Ports and related releases
- The game was slated to be ported to the Sega SaturnSega SaturnThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
in by XING Inc., but this plan never came to fruition. As of , the game has not been ported to any consumer console. - Guardian HeroesGuardian Heroesis a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up and hack & slash action RPG video game in the vein of Final Fight or Golden Axe. The game features RPG elements. Guardian Heroes was developed by Treasure and released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn video game console...
includes two characters named Edward M. Cognac and Randy M. Green because Guardian Heroes character designer, HAN (漢炎剣) was a fan of the arcade game. Gunstar HeroesGunstar Heroesis a run and gun video game developed by Treasure and published by Sega.Treasure's debut game was originally released on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in late 1993, and later on, ported to the Game Gear by M2. On February 23, 2006, Gunstar Heroes was released as part of the Gunstar Heroes: Treasure...
, another game designed by HAN, also shows influences from the game. - Edward Randy appears as a computer-controlled character in the video game Sennou by KanekoKaneko, also referred to as , was a Japanese video game publisher founded in Suginami, Tokyo, Japan by Hiroshi Kaneko. It published a number of games both under its brand and other companies, such as Air Buster, Nexzr, Shogun Warriors, DJ Boy, Guts'n, and the Gals Panic series...
. - The chapter subtitles in Soichiro Kuzuki's story mode game in Fate/tiger colosseumFate/tiger colosseumis a 3D fighting game based on the eroge Fate/stay night, released for the PlayStation Portable by Capcom and cavia, inc. in cooperation with TYPE MOON...
are taken directly from the subtitles of The Cliffhanger: Edward Randy. - An official soundtrack titled Edward Randy / Super Burger Time was released on April 21, 1991, and was published by Pony CanyonPony Canyonis a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966 , which publishes music, DVD and VHS videos, movies and video games. It is a subsidiary of Japanese Media Group, Fujisankei Communications Group.-History:...
and Scitron Label. This soundtrack includes every song heard in The Cliffhanger: Edward Randy, as well as every song heard in Super BurgerTimeBurgertimeis a 1982 arcade game created by Data East for its DECO Cassette System. The game's original title, Hamburger, was changed to BurgerTime before its introduction to the US. The player is chef Peter Pepper, who must walk over hamburger ingredients located across a maze of platforms while avoiding...
. It also includes a couple of arranged songs.