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Mento

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ST-urday #006: Cadaver

By Mento 2 Comments

It's been a difficult week. Without getting into too much real-life stuff, a week full of speedrun fun has been marred by a troubling development. Still I'm not exactly on the way out, and there's no stopping ST-urday once it begins, so we here are again with another look at an Atari ST game from my halcyon days. Also: I have something odd planned for next week. We'll see if it pans out, but it's a change of pace compared to the usual one (or two) game format.

As for the SGDQ speedruns: While there's been a lot of entertaining streams, there's also some degree of diminishing returns setting in as well. It sort of feels like the Steam sales: the first few are incredible, but after a while you notice the same games popping up over and over. I suppose it's in the speedrunner mindset to play through a game so many times and never tire of it, but that's definitely less so the case with me. Of course, I say that in a feature where I specifically dredge up games from my past instead of focusing on the new and unplayed. It's not like I don't have a dozen never-touched Steam games on the "must play" tier of my backlog I could be getting on with. (As a parenthetical aside, how messed up is it that I now have so many games in my Steam backlog that I've had to tier them in order of how badly I want to play them? I might laugh at Brad's unfortunate DotA 2 hat fixation, but I'm equally in the thrall of some manner of diabolical mercantilism.)

Still, the idea here is to highlight some PC games from before "PC game" was really a standardized model and to show you fine folk from outside (and within) the contours of the European continent what you may have missed, having been born in the wrong place and a decade too late. Subjectively speaking.

Cadaver

No Caption Provided

I'm well aware that invoking the Bitmap Brothers in an Atari ST retrospective focusing on "obscure European titles" is the equivalent to asking console gamers if they've ever heard of a little thing called "The Legend of Zelda" (hyperlinked for additional sarcasm), but BB's 1990 action-adventure game Cadaver is one of their lesser known titles outside of Europe because it was one of the few that never saw a console port. That's opposed to games like Speedball 2 and The Chaos Engine, which are definitely well-trodden ground by now considering both are available on Steam.

As will become apparent when the screenshots start showing up, Cadaver owes some debt to C64/Spectrum ZX isometric adventure-puzzle games made popular by developers such as Ultimate Play the Game - that would be Rare Ltd. to you or me - with one of these isometric adventures (Knight Lore) soon being made available for the first time in decades via their Rare Replay compilation. Cadaver changes things up with a very detailed world - more than the 8-bit systems of the mid-80s could hope to convey - and frame it all with some medieval fantasy RPG trappings. It's not exactly Ultima or Wizardry (though it does bear a certain resemblance to another isometric RPG I'll be covering in due time) but it does make the game feel a little more thoughtful; like a D&D campaign crafted by a particularly trap-happy DM. I suppose Shadowgate would be a pretty close approximation of what you can expect; just with a different interface and more control over your character's physical movements.

Cadaver has an interesting history in the world of demos too. It was around this time that the idea of a coverdisk demo was starting to build steam, and many developers would go the extra mile for their fanbase via enthusiast magazines by giving them something that would be a little more substantial than the first couple of stages cut from the full game yet still remain only the smallest taste of the finished product with the intent to get them invested sufficiently enough that they would fork out the dough for a retail copy. Even back then it was a difficult balancing act of showing off too much versus too little, and some developers and publishers were far more adroit at it than others. With Cadaver, the Bitmap Bros actually created a few small standalone adventures with the same engine and a few of the same puzzles, but in an otherwise completely different setting: "Temple", "Gatehouse" and "The Last Supper" were three mini-campaigns given away on coverdiscs leading up to the game's release (or immediately after, to keep sales going) that gave nothing away of the final product but still provided a decisive glance at what Cadaver was. We'd also see this in cases like DMA Designs's Lemmings, where the developers would create a handful of levels especially for magazine readers. If I recall correctly, those little extra steps always went appreciated by the Amiga/Atari ST/PC communities eagerly following future releases. I suppose that's still the case.

Welcome to Cadaver! Now this is what I call a reserved title screen.
Welcome to Cadaver! Now this is what I call a reserved title screen.
Like last time with Prophecy 1: The Viking Child, there's a fair bit of story in the opening crawl. These are on crumbling parchments too. I guess toss that in with
Like last time with Prophecy 1: The Viking Child, there's a fair bit of story in the opening crawl. These are on crumbling parchments too. I guess toss that in with "skulls used as health gauges" for Atari ST tropes we're accruing.
Here's the basic interface. Now that I look at it, it's sort of Populous-esque with how it uses the bottom two corners of the screen for additional HUD space.
Here's the basic interface. Now that I look at it, it's sort of Populous-esque with how it uses the bottom two corners of the screen for additional HUD space.
When standing next to an object, the player can hit the fire button - remember, we only have the one button on an Atari joystick - to bring up this context-sensitive list of commands. This thing that looks like a dragon breathing fire is actually
When standing next to an object, the player can hit the fire button - remember, we only have the one button on an Atari joystick - to bring up this context-sensitive list of commands. This thing that looks like a dragon breathing fire is actually "pick up". I forget if there's an inventory limit but then half the stuff we'll find is junk anyway. We're told that Karadoc is a "treasure hunter" though so I tend to hang onto anything that looks valuable for the sake of kleptomaniac verisimilitude.
Full water barrels are good for replenishing one's stamina (provided they're not full of poison or beetles or something) though I'm not even sure stamina is really a thing in this... wait, did something behind me just make a noise?
Full water barrels are good for replenishing one's stamina (provided they're not full of poison or beetles or something) though I'm not even sure stamina is really a thing in this... wait, did something behind me just make a noise?
The first puzzle isn't particularly challenging, but then the idea is to ensure we have a grasp of the command menu. As stated, it's context sensitive, so we'll have an icon that is
The first puzzle isn't particularly challenging, but then the idea is to ensure we have a grasp of the command menu. As stated, it's context sensitive, so we'll have an icon that is "use" for this lever that we didn't see when looking at the barrel or pickaxe (a.k.a. mattock a.k.a. Matlock) earlier.
Though this squirmy customer looks like it might mean business, it's fairly harmless. Minor enemies - the sort of dungeon dressing creepy-crawlies that are everywhere - can be easily killed by stomping on them. We have an infinite amount of stomps, as the default (or
Though this squirmy customer looks like it might mean business, it's fairly harmless. Minor enemies - the sort of dungeon dressing creepy-crawlies that are everywhere - can be easily killed by stomping on them. We have an infinite amount of stomps, as the default (or "neutral") function for the fire button is to jump.
I neglected to mention the first pick-up of the game: the diary. This records your progress, gold and XP. Going up XP levels lets you live longer and does more damage with weapons, but I have no idea how it's calculated. Gold is essentially
I neglected to mention the first pick-up of the game: the diary. This records your progress, gold and XP. Going up XP levels lets you live longer and does more damage with weapons, but I have no idea how it's calculated. Gold is essentially "score", since I don't think this game has merchants. Then again, it's been a while since I got particularly far with it.
A helm! Karadoc is already fully equipped with dwarf gear, so I don't think he can use any of the armor or melee weapons that can be found. He's more of a rogue class that relies on thrown items, like rocks or shurikens. Actually, he mostly relies on avoiding combat all together. It's a wise decision.
A helm! Karadoc is already fully equipped with dwarf gear, so I don't think he can use any of the armor or melee weapons that can be found. He's more of a rogue class that relies on thrown items, like rocks or shurikens. Actually, he mostly relies on avoiding combat all together. It's a wise decision.
Especially when the tougher enemies are these creepy pointy thingummies. You can't leap on these for obvious reasons, and many act as obstacles that need to be puzzled around. Because this game is big on the pixel-hunts, you might not have noticed the item in the torch sconce up on the top-left there. I dunno what it is, but I want it (and that spare pickaxe on the ground too, while we're here).
Especially when the tougher enemies are these creepy pointy thingummies. You can't leap on these for obvious reasons, and many act as obstacles that need to be puzzled around. Because this game is big on the pixel-hunts, you might not have noticed the item in the torch sconce up on the top-left there. I dunno what it is, but I want it (and that spare pickaxe on the ground too, while we're here).
One of Cadaver's classic puzzles is this sack tunnel. There doesn't appear to be anything here and we can't carry these sacks around in our inventory: however, we can push and pull them out of the way to reveal a gem on the ground.
One of Cadaver's classic puzzles is this sack tunnel. There doesn't appear to be anything here and we can't carry these sacks around in our inventory: however, we can push and pull them out of the way to reveal a gem on the ground.
The game also has a lot of instances of scripting. By finding this gem I've
The game also has a lot of instances of scripting. By finding this gem I've "disturbed" this overlarge maggot. Another minor enemy, but the sort of event that'll either: A) Make you jump due to the surprise, B) Bolster you because they wouldn't have programmed this in unless you were making progress, or C) Both.
See? This gem has a goddamn name. You try telling me it isn't important.
See? This gem has a goddamn name. You try telling me it isn't important.
Another scripting example: finding this runic stone at the end of this dead end tunnel drops a spider at the entrance, forcing me to deal with it. I'm afraid this little eight-legged fiend is going straight to Squishtown. The runic stone itself is inscribed with a spell that can only be used so many times before the stone vanishes, so it's imperative I use it at the right spot. Abra Cadaver!
Another scripting example: finding this runic stone at the end of this dead end tunnel drops a spider at the entrance, forcing me to deal with it. I'm afraid this little eight-legged fiend is going straight to Squishtown. The runic stone itself is inscribed with a spell that can only be used so many times before the stone vanishes, so it's imperative I use it at the right spot. Abra Cadaver!
I picked up a bag full of rocks, so now I can take care of this spiky menace by throwing stones at it. You equip an object through the inventory, but all it usually does is make you throw said object. Actually, if I had a skull handy, I could throw that as a distraction: for whatever reason, the spiky ball monsters love skulls.
I picked up a bag full of rocks, so now I can take care of this spiky menace by throwing stones at it. You equip an object through the inventory, but all it usually does is make you throw said object. Actually, if I had a skull handy, I could throw that as a distraction: for whatever reason, the spiky ball monsters love skulls.
A simple pushing puzzle later and I'm the proud owner of a charm. No idea what it does, but it vanished immediately. Aren't adventure games fun?
A simple pushing puzzle later and I'm the proud owner of a charm. No idea what it does, but it vanished immediately. Aren't adventure games fun?
Chests are great fun too, especially if they're trapped. This one wasn't, fortunately. While it didn't have many items I needed, that lever on the wall definitely helped. Maybe the chest was put there to distract me from the lever?
Chests are great fun too, especially if they're trapped. This one wasn't, fortunately. While it didn't have many items I needed, that lever on the wall definitely helped. Maybe the chest was put there to distract me from the lever?
Sometimes you'll come across these solid puce walls. They're not incredibly stable, however.
Sometimes you'll come across these solid puce walls. They're not incredibly stable, however.
This is where the pickaxe comes in. While you're meant to throw it at the wall, you can also place it by your feet and walk it into the wall to remove it. Must be one of those automatic pickaxes.
This is where the pickaxe comes in. While you're meant to throw it at the wall, you can also place it by your feet and walk it into the wall to remove it. Must be one of those automatic pickaxes.
Whoa, it suddenly got all Atlas Corporation in here. No idea who this skeleton was, but it's rare to find a whole one.
Whoa, it suddenly got all Atlas Corporation in here. No idea who this skeleton was, but it's rare to find a whole one.
Yeah, I'm not going to touch any of these until I read something that explicitly tells me what order to press them in. Last thing I need is bombs dropping from the ceiling.
Yeah, I'm not going to touch any of these until I read something that explicitly tells me what order to press them in. Last thing I need is bombs dropping from the ceiling.
Actually, I should probably stop here. The game's starting to open up a bit now, and there's a distinct non-linearity with how you can tackle each of the game's floors. Plus, this screen raises all sorts of tantalizing questions: what does that potion do? Can I use that shield for something? Where's the key for that keyhole? If this is a gaol, who is imprisoned here? Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near?
Actually, I should probably stop here. The game's starting to open up a bit now, and there's a distinct non-linearity with how you can tackle each of the game's floors. Plus, this screen raises all sorts of tantalizing questions: what does that potion do? Can I use that shield for something? Where's the key for that keyhole? If this is a gaol, who is imprisoned here? Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near?

Cadaver's a lot more enjoyable than I remember it, even with the confusing adventure game logic that was so prevalent in its day. I actually had to tear myself away to write this week's ST-urday (and also because I'm concurrently working through Metal Gear Solid 4's Act 3 and should really get back to it), which is probably all the praise it needs. Though I can't imagine it'd be easy to find or figure out a way to play it on modern systems, it's aged fairly well largely due to how expertly the Bitmap Bros handled the pixel art and sound design in their games. If you're a fan of this particular niche sub-genre of isometric adventure games - I'm partial to Solstice and Equinox myself, scored by the very same fellow behind GBEast's beloved Contradiction: Spot the Liar! - go seek it out.

(Back to the ST-urday ST-orehouse.)

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