Nerdicus NES Review #5 : Abadox

   

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Title : Abadox

Release Date : 1989

Publisher : Natsume / Milton Bradley

LETS SUCK EPISODE 7 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT6D2KvznRA

"I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly eaten by a giant parasitic organism planet." - Obi Wan Kenobi

Alright, so maybe Obi Wan didn't exactly say that, but he would have if he lived in the universe in which Abadox takes place in. This is one of those games that I couldn't wait to get my hands on and play through again. Probably because it was one of my absolute favorites when I was a kid. I remember time and time again, I would drag my parents out to the rental store (at the time, it was RKO video) and I would just have to get my hands on this game. I must have played it, and beat it, at least a half a dozen times. And after playing it again now, I remember why I loved it so much.

Who wouldn't want to play a game with this type of advertising!? Sick!

In terms of gameplay, Abadox isn't that much different from the slew of other side scrolling shooters that were out for the NES console. You blast your way through each level, collecting power ups, and surviving a barrage of monsters and bosses. One of the interesting things this game did was split up the way the levels work. Either by being a horizontal shooter, or an overhead vertical shooter. But that wasn't what made the game stand out. It was the visuals. You're not just battling "enemy ships", you're battling creatures that look like weird floating organisms that can either be bulbous brains or bulging eyeballs. And it's not just the confines of space, you're flying through a planet that has been taken over by a parasitic organism. Awesome enough for you?

 

You're not seeing things. That's a tongue in the left picture. I don't remember if I was disturbed playing this game as a child, or if I was just a disturbed child. Who knows (I'm personally leaning toward the later).

In terms of difficulty, Abadox isn't really that hard until you get to the last couple of levels. If you are able to hold on to your power ups and survive, you shouldn't have a problem blasting your way through the enemies. There are times though where the screen becomes cluttered with critters and enemy fire, which causes quite a bit of lag which is biggest culprit in death.

Either that, or the fact that I would run screaming out of the room from the sheer horror out of some of the bosses in this game. Just take a look at a few of these things! I want to shake the hand of the enemy designer!

 


Looks like these mobs were pulled straight out of a H.R. Giger exhibit. Where's Ripley when you need her?

It's hard for me to say anything bad about this game. It's quick. It's fun. And the difficulty level is pretty well balanced across the levels. If you're looking for a classic side scrolling / vertical scrolling shooter for the NES, you need not search any longer. Abadox is a must have for your NES collection, and deserves at least one play through.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll have to prepare myself for the Parasitis invasion.

Until next time. Keep on gaming.