(7/10/2014 - 7/16/2014) Game of the Week: Cadash

[SamIAm]

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July 10 - July 16: Cadash
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(Chosen by Bardoly)

This is another one of those games that I've never played, but it really looks like I should.

Are the differences between the Japanese version and the English version significant enough to choose one over the other? I'm not gonna lie, I've got an Everdrive, and this is just the kind of case that it's good for.

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GOTW Schedule:

January 15-21: Battle Royale (TheClash603)
January 22-28: Drop Off/Drop Rock (esteban)
January 29-February 4: Bonk's Adventure (roflmao)
February 5-11: Silent Debuggers (vestcoat)
February 12-18: Somer Assault (BigusSchmuck)
February 19-25: Splatterhouse (FiftyQuid)
February 26-March 4: Bloody Wolf (Jibbajaba)
March 5-11: The Lost Sunheart (Gogan)
March 12-18: Sapphire (BlueBMW)
March 19-25: Energy (PunkicCyborg)
March 26-April 1: Air Zonk (_joshuaTurbo)
April 2-8: Veigues Tactical Gladiator (Punch)
April 9-15: 1943 Kai (lukester)
April 16-22: Lords of Thunder (munchiaz)
April 23-29: Ninja Spirit (csgx1)
April 30 - May 6: Bomberman (SamIAm)
May 7 - May 13: Pyramid Plunder (Black Tiger)
May 14 - May 20: Galaga 90' (nullity)
May 22 - May 28: JJ and Jeff (geise)
May 29 - June 4: The Legendary Axe (Damon Plus)
June 5 - June 11: The Legendary Axe 2 (galam)
June 12 - June 18: Aero Blasters (Phase)
June 19 - June 25: Star Parodier (Inframan)
June 26 - July 2: Alien Crush (synbiosfan)
July 3 - July 9: Shockman (toktogul)
July 10 - July 16: Cadash (Bardoly)
July 17 - July 23: Dungeon Explorer (Gentlegamer)
July 24 - July 30: Military Madness (DarkKobold)
July 31 - August 6: OPEN!!

Rules:
-All members are allowed one submission. When there are no further submissions, we will have a reset and everyone will be able to submit another game.
-Each game may only be submitted once.
-If you wish to retract your submission, please do so at least two weeks before your game is due. Your next submission will go to the back of the cue.
-Please don't submit games that have a high language barrier or will take too long to complete (particularly RPGs).
-Please don't submit games that are too expensive. Below $50 is best. Above $100 won't work.

(If you have any questions or comments about the GOTW system, please either PM me or post in the old thread)

[toktogul]

I'll give it a go with a friend. Ive never been able to get very far in this game for some reason.

any tips before i start my friday night gaming session?

[Gentlegamer]

I'll give it a go with a friend. Ive never been able to get very far in this game for some reason.

any tips before i start my friday night gaming session?

If it's anything like the original, grind levels in the beginning to get overpowered.

[toktogul]

Awesome, i'll abuse of this grinding system with my neighboar! I'm very excited! Last week we got drunk and focused on getting through New adventure Island, this week's challenge, Cadash! Thanks for the tips!

[HailingTheThings]

The best!!!!

[Bardoly]

I'll probably play through this on Monday or Tuesday evening with my sister.  The last time that we tried it, we accidentally caused a game-ending glitch in the last town!      When you get the thing from the old lady, DO NOT let your partner leave the room BEFORE you pick the item up!  It will NEVER come back, and you will NOT be able to finish the game!  Note:  For all playing through as a single player, this glitch cannot occur.

[spenoza]

If you find it too easy due to all the grinding, try again with a different player. The Fighter and Ninja are the easiest. The Priest is a bit harder, and the Wizard is the hardest, especially since there is a delay when selecting spells to cast.

I was watching an arcade longplay the other day and realized there is at least one item I don't think the TG port got. It was something to help find secrets.

Given how heavily FM audio plays into the arcade soundtrack, I've always been impressed with how the TG soundtrack turned out.

[SamIAm]

Unless someone who has never submitted a game so far does so by Tuesday the 15th, we will have a reset, and everyone will be able to submit another game.

So if you haven't submitted one, it's now or never!

[Gentlegamer]

I nominate Dungeon Explorer

[Punch]

I nominate Gunboat II CD. I'll just ask my twin if you guys can have the proto, one moment.

[johnnykonami]

I loved this game, both the arcade and TG-16 version.  Saw a writeup about the arcade version in EGM, which got me pumped to play it.  When I finally got the TG-16 version, I played it nonstop, and beat it with all the characters multiple times over.  Sadly, it was one of the games I had that got sold despite all that.  My retarded mentality was that I had beaten it to death so it was fine to let go.  At one point, I had most of the Working Designs releases:  Parasol Stars (Still have, thankfully), Cosmic Fantasy 2 (Still have), Cadash (Sold, now regret), Vasteel (Stolen, still angry to this day, it was one of my favorite games and now it's expensive), Exile (Still have), Exile 2 (traded but would like to get it back one day).. did I miss any?

[DarkKobold]

This is one of my favorite TG16 games. I love trying to skip the scale - which is far easier in the arcade version.

Also, I developed a technique to skip the silk rope. You get poisoned, and then use the damage boost during a jump to throw you back, up on to the platform. I really want to see if there are any other skips possible.

Also, I nominate military madness.

[SamIAm]

Thanks Gentlegamer and DarkKobold for your suggestions! I have updated the list.

We have some good stuff coming up.

If anyone else would like to make a submission, doing so well in advance of your week is nice for people who don't yet have your game and would like to track it down. So please go ahead and submit if you're interested; it's easy and painless, I assure you.

[Lochlan]

Cadash is one of my favorite games of all time, I own the TurboGrafx and Arcade versions and have beaten both many times.  (Although not for a while--I should fire it up again in the spirit of this thread!)

The home versions are totally degenerate because they don't have a timer.  As others have already mentioned, you can just grind on the first level and stay ahead of the difficulty curve.  Even though the game is still enjoyable, the lack of a timer completely ruins the game balance, as it has a critical role in keeping the game difficult.  However, other than that large flaw it's a very high-quality port and I love running through it now and again.  It's also a reasonable "trainer" for the PCB, I beat the TG version several times before I moved on to the PCB.

The original arcade version of Cadash is basically a perfect game. It is tough-but-rewarding, the presentation is great, and the large number of characters give it serious legs for repeated play.  And, most importantly, it is mostly well-balanced--a 1cc is attainable with every character.  Going the distance means managing your resources (HP, MP, Gold, Time, remaining inn visits) carefully, which requires some improvisation and a deep knowledge of the maps.  This gets somewhat easier upon repeated play since you'll inevitably find the many hidden herbs and antidotes, and the gold secret really helps out too.  But you also have to know when you should stay at an inn (you will screw yourself with this a lot early on), the when/where/how of grinding with a timer, and how the gold curve works.  My biggest criticism of Cadash is that some of the enemies in level 4 are too strong and the whole level feels rushed/thrown-together.  It's especially annoying because the game is really long (by arcade standards).

Also: a special nod has to go to the four-player link mode, which is totally bad-ass.

The Fighter and Ninja are the easiest. The Priest is a bit harder, and the Wizard is the hardest, especially since there is a delay when selecting spells to cast.

I disagree.  Cadash claims the Fighter is the easiest but it's a complete lie.

The Priestess is by far the easiest character due to her (insanely good) shield magic and superior ranged weapons.  Her individual attacks are the weakest, but her weapon goes through walls and tends to hit enemies a second time when it returns--so the net result is that she's actually stronger than the Fighter.  AND she get's shield magic early in the game!  AND she has healing magic.  IIRC she can crush the second-level boss, before he can even attack, by just attacking downwards.  Her greatest weakness is that she's slow, which is only relevant in a timed game.  I think she's still faster than the mage, though.

The Ninja (my personal favorite) is definitely the second-to strongest character, having both ranged weapons and fast movement.

It's debatable whether the Fighter or the Mage provides the more difficult game experience, but I say it's the Fighter.  His lack of a ranged attack--except the fire sword you get for a while--is a huge disadvantage and makes him very vulnerable to enemies.  He also has to buy equipment upgrades more than any other character, which is pretty annoying since it makes keeping track of money more important.

The Mage is very slow and weak, and the magic delay is pretty awkward, but you get used to it and his magic is crazy strong (although some enemies are invulnerable to magic).  The real issue with the Mage is that cycling through spells is extremely awkward, and especially in combat (i.e., most of the time).  Bad controls = no fun.  I have less knowledge of him than the other characters because his awful controls make him my least-favorite to play, but I still think the Fighter gives you a harder game overall.  Homing lightning magic > hitting your enemy with a sword.

[slinkyturd]

I'm newer to this game. Just got it a few short months ago. I've only played as the fighter, and I have to say that with the early level grinding, this game was still easily beatable with the fighter on my first try. I mean at a point you don't have to even try to avoid boss attacks anymore. I did grind up to level 10 in the early stages and still was unable to buy all his armor upgrades. I think the last helmet upgrade was the only one I didn't end up being able to afford and it didn't really matter. I haven't tried the other characters yet, but have heard the mage is just horrendous to try and win with. Has anyone actually been able to do that?