Cadash

Cadash is an Arcade Game made by Taito Corp. in 1989. It is an extremely rare example of RPG videogame specifically made for the arcade market, and by that we mean that plays almost like Zelda II the Adventure of Link, with a platforming structure interspersed with all the elements of a typical console RPG.

The plot is generic and bare-bones, but we're speaking of an era when people simply mashed buttons, so it can be justified: the evil Baarogue kidnaps Sarasa, princess of the kingdom of Deerzar, and four heroes (a fighter, a mage, a priestess and a ninja) are asked by the King to save her, defeat Baarogue and rescue the kingdom.

Up to four players could join the game, by linking two boards together; in this way, each one of them had to get a different character to play with. The Genesis port, for obvious reasons, excised this and made only the Fighter and Mage playable.

Since this is an early example of videogame RPG, furthermore simplified to appeal to the arcade crowd, there are many typical RPG tropes, as the list below shows.

"Thank you for the important thing!"
 * Amazing Technicolor Battlefield: During the final boss battle.
 * Ballistic Bone: The weapon of choice of those blue trolls/ogres in the second continent.
 * Big Creepy-Crawlies: The Worm boss (that looks more like a caterpillar), which when defeated gives you the Worm Thread to progress (so it's a silkworm then?) and is encountered again near the end of the game.
 * Blind Idiot Translation: The name "Balrog" became "Baarogue/Baalogue" in the translation. There are also many mistakes and unusual sentences.


 * Blob Monster: Slimes, the Black Pudding (a giant slime and the first boss) and its purple cousin found much later in the game, which is also poisonous.
 * Call a Smeerp a Rabbit: The gnomes' horses, which are strange bipedal chicken-like creatures... that go "Neigh!" when you approach them.
 * Cap: At level 20, though it's pretty hard to reach. Also, you can't carry more than 60000 gold pieces (65535 in the Genesis version).
 * Dem Bones: A few skeletons here and there.
 * Experience Points: "(Character Name) has gone into a higher level!"
 * The Grim Reaper: In the catacombs of the fourth continent, there are specters modeled after it. They're tough, appear and disappear at will and use a nasty thunderbolt spell.
 * Hidden Elf Village: The gnome village in the third continent.
 * Inexplicable Treasure Chests
 * Instant Awesome, Just Add Ninja: The Ninja is one of the best characters to complete the game with. He needs more XP that the others to gain levels, but other that that, he's fast, fairly strong, has the best range with his projectile weapons and can hit enemies behind walls.
 * Invincible Minor Minion: Strange porcupine-like creatures.
 * Law of Chromatic Superiority: The Fighter's best set of armor and weapon is golden.
 * Man-Eating Plant: The Crawling Kelp boss.
 * Medieval European Fantasy: The Ninja sure feels out of place...
 * Nothing but Skulls: A partial example. The platforms and environment of the catacombs in the fourth continent are entirely composed of human remains.
 * One-Winged Angel: When it looks like Baarogue is defeated, he soon turns into a red dragon, that after a few hits sprouts yet another head.
 * One to Million to One: One boss is a devilish-looking fire elemental that stands in place in a fire pit. Suddenly, it turns into a myriad of indestructible fireballs that bounce all over the place, before reforming himself in the fire pit at the other side of the room.
 * Pig Man: The very first enemies you'll meet.
 * The Place: "Cadash" is Baarogue's castle, the final dungeon and theater of the final showdown.
 * Robe and Wizard Hat: The Mage, being a typical mage, dresses like this. He's also got a Wizard Beard.
 * Save the Princess
 * Squishy Wizard: The Mage is the physically weakest among all the characters, both in terms of attack and defense. His spells make up for this though.
 * Stalked by the Bell: The game is timed, and if the timer runs out (and it never stops), an invincible floating skull appears and pursues the players. The only ways to buy more time are entering the portals that connect the continents, buy the hourglasses in the shops or use a specific spell from the Priestess.
 * Standard Status Effects: Only one, poison. Can be cured with antidotes or with one specific spell of the Priestess.
 * Underground Monkey: In full force near the end of the game.