Cadaver (video game)
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{{Infobox VG
|title = Cadaver
|image = [[Image:Cadaver Coverart.png]]
|developer = [[Bitmap Brothers]]
|publisher = [[Image Works]]
|designer =
|engine =
|released = [[1990]]
|genre = [[arcade adventure|Arcade Adventure]]
|modes = Single Player
|ratings =
|platforms = [[Amiga]], [[Atari ST]], [[IBM PC clone|PC]]-[[DOS]], [[Acorn Archimedes]]
|media = two 3.5" [[floppy disk|disks]]
|requirements =
|input =
}}
'''''Cadaver''''' is an [[Isometric projection|isometric]] [[arcade adventure]] game by the [[Bitmap Brothers]], originally released by [[Image Works]] in [[1990]], for [[Atari ST]], [[Amiga]], [[IBM PC clone|PC]] and [[Acorn Archimedes]]. In the game the player controls Karadoc the dwarf.
== Story and Levels ==
===Cadaver===
[[Image:Cadaver s6.png|thumb|320px|right|Screenshot from original ''Cadaver'' release]]
In the original ''Cadaver'', Karadoc, who is a [[gold]]-hungry [[dwarf]] and really just hopes to find a [[treasure]], is on a mission to seek out and kill the [[necromancer]] Dianos, the sole remaining inhabitant of Castle Wulf.
The game consists of five levels representing different floors of Castle Wulf. Entering the castle via the sewers, Karadoc works his way up from the dungeons, through guard chambers, royal hall, king's private chambers and finally the battlements with Dianos's sanctum.
Karadoc's main modus operandi is picking up, throwing, pulling, pushing and stacking objects. By piling up a number of boxes, bones or other items, it is possible to reach higher places. Karadoc can find and use a small number of weapons such as rocks and [[shuriken]], but puzzles are the main driving-force behind the gameplay.
The game is heavily scripted. The isometric objects can react to a variety of other objects; for instance, a poisoned key can be cleaned by dropping a [[vial]] of water on it, and potions can be enhanced by the potion booster spell. The game has a wide variety of puzzles requiring items to be found, brought and used in a variety of places. The solutions to these puzzles sometimes require leaps in logic and the game has plenty of secret areas, hidden spells etc. Many of the puzzles also have multiple-solutions and there is often no specific order that the puzzles on a level have to be solved in.
'''Boss monsters''':
* Level 1: The Dragon
* Level 4: three Demons
* Level 5: Dianos
=== Cadaver: The Payoff===
The game has a follow-up named ''The Payoff''. After defeating Dianos, Karadoc returns to the inn only to find his employers gone, and every living person within the city either dead or transformed into a monster. Seeking the cause behind this, the dwarf fights his way to the local temple, and finds the answers - and his money - deep down in the crypts.
Gameplay is similar. ''Cadaver: The Payoff'' has only four levels, but they are significantly larger than those of the first game, and the second level has a large number of monsters and scant possibilities to heal.
'''Boss monsters''':
* Level 3: The Guardian
=== Demos ===
[[Image:Cadaver_screenshot.png|thumb|320px|right|Screenshot from the ''Cadaver'' episode ''The Last Supper'']]
There are three levels besides the nine from the two official releases:
* ''Gatehouse'', an early preview demo of the game, released on Amiga Format Cover Disk #13 <ref>[http://amr.abime.net/issue_169_pages Scans of Amiga Format issue 13] from http://amr.abime.net</ref>.
* ''Temple'', a demo released on Zero Coverdisk #8 in issue 16 <ref>[http://amr.abime.net/issue_384_coverdisks Scans of Zero issue 16] from http://amr.abime.net</ref>.
* ''The Last Supper'', a demo released on Zero Coverdisk #15 in issue 23<ref>[http://amr.abime.net/issue_391 Scans of Zero issue 23] from http://amr.abime.net</ref>. The story takes place in the "Zeigenhoff" building, and sometimes this demo is referred to by that name.
== Gameplay ==
=== Movement ===
The game is played using a joystick, with which you can control the movement of Karadoc in 8 directions. The directions are not as one would expect in a game from today - instead, they are rotated. If you push the joystick up, Karadoc will run "north", which is right-up on the screen. If you want Karadoc to move up on the screen (which is "north-west" in the game), you need to push the joystick left-up. The fire button of the joystick is used to jump.
=== Interaction with objects ===
When Karadoc touches an object, he can push it around, unless it is too heavy (a potion of strength allows pushing heavier objects). Touching an object also causes the context menu to be enabled. When the context menu is enabled, the fire button is used to select an action from the menu instead of jumping. The possible actions depend on the type of object, and are represented with icons. They include things like ''investigate'', ''pull'', ''pick up'', ''drink'', ''open'', ''insert'', ''give'' and some others. Items which are picked up land in Karadocs inventory, and get additional actions, like ''cast'' for spells. One item at a time also can be readied, usually a weapon, which makes the fire button throw or use the readied item instead of jumping.
== Reception ==
The game was received very well at its release. According to the official site, it has received the following awards:
* Golden Chalice 1990 Adventure Game of the Year
* Generation 4 1990 Best Foreign Adventure
* Golden Chalice Adventure Game of the Year
The Atari version was awarded as "C+VG HIT" in the [[Computer and Video Games (magazine)|Computer and Video Games magazine]] issue 107 <ref>[http://amr.abime.net/review_26884 Review summary and page scans] from C+VG magazine issue 107 (October 1990) from http://amr.abime.net/issue_1671</ref> in 1990. In the same year, the Amiga version received a "CU Screen Star" from the [[CU Amiga Magazine]]
<ref>[http://amr.abime.net/review_8913 Review summary and page scans] of CU Amiga magazine issue November 1990 from http://amr.abime.net/issue_72</ref> and was made an "Amiga Joker Hit" in the Amiga Joker magazine <ref>[http://www.kultboy.com/testbericht-uebersicht/343/ A summary of the review] in Amiga Joker issue 12/90 from http://www.kultboy.com </ref>, amongst others <ref>[http://amr.abime.net/hol_2907 An overview] of some ratings for Cadaver from http://amr.abime.net</ref>.
== References ==
<references/>
== External links ==
* [http://www.bitmap-brothers.co.uk/our-games/past/cadaver.htm Official website]
* [http://gods-country.de/cadaver/cadframes_eng.htm Fansite] with complete maps of all 12 levels
[[Category: DOS games]]
[[Category:Amiga games]]
[[Category:Atari ST games]]
[[Category:1990 video games]]
[[Category:Isometric video games]]
[[Category:Action-adventure games]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United Kingdom]]
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