Abadox: The Deadly Inner War (NES) Playthrough
253A playthrough of Milton Bradley's 1989 shooter for the NES, Abadox: The Deadly Inner War.
Abadox was developer Natsume’s second game to see a stateside release. Arriving four months after the Taito-published niche RPG Dungeon Magic: Swords of Element, Abadox broke into the US market with a heavy marketing push, complete with a nationwide television commercial campaign that undoubtedly gave countless children nightmares.
Capitalizing on the popularity of arcade shooters and horror movies, Natsume merged the two - like Konami did in Life Force - and the result was an extremely difficult console-exclusive shoot 'em up that proudly flaunted some of the most graphic visuals to ever appear in an officially licensed NES game.
Set in the distant future, the titular planet faces imminent destruction by Parasitis, a creature of unimaginable size that can take the shape of anything it consumes. As Lieutenant Nazal is waiting for his ship to be repaired on a nearby space station, he watches in horror as the giant being inhales the entire planet of Abadox, along with a satellite hospital where the beautiful Princess Maria is currently staying. Nazal, the lone survivor, pilots his ship into Parasitis for the sake of his people, his planet, and his true love.
Each of the game's six stages represent an area of Parasitis's body. Nazal enters the mouth and makes his way down the throat and through the esophagus and stomach, and once he has destroyed the core, he'll have to jet through the colon at top speed to escape.
Stages alternate between scrolling horizontally and vertically, most forcing Nazal's fairly large sprite into claustrophobic corridors brimming with enemies and incoming fire, and the action gets pretty hairy. It's intense and demanding, but the game does give you a fighting chance.
Like in the Gradius series, power-ups are key to surviving. Item ships drop speed ups, weapon upgrades, missiles, option pods, and shields. But, without shields, Nazal goes down in a single hit, and since death robs you of all your accumulated upgrades, getting wiped out places you at a serious disadvantage.
The graphics are a big part of the fun. Many of the neon, organ-themed backdrops pulse and squirm, and the enemy design as often creative as it is disturbing and gross. Granted, Life Force did something similar, but Abadox pushes the boundaries of taste a bit harder, and I loved the look of it.
"Bau" (Engrish for "Bow," I assume?), a skeletal zombie dog covered in clods of rotten flesh and being ridden by a parasite, guards the entrance to the mouth. Once you've blasted your way through him and breached the lips, you'll dodge teeth and uvulae and skim the surface of a writhing tongue as you make your way toward the throat. Before you can pass through, however, "Deathface" erupts from a mass on the wall and attacks, spitting fire at you as his stalk-mounted eyeballs track your movements. And that's all just in the first stage!
The music was composed Kyouhei Sada, an ex-Konami veteran who was responsible for the Contra, Rush'n Attack, Blades of Steel, and The Adventures of Bayou Billy soundtracks. His catchy synth leads and punchy basslines are an excellent complement to the action, and the quality is easily on par with the work he did at Konami.
For those that love a challenge, Abadox delivers the goods. It's an incredibly fun shooter, and it's an easy recommendation for those who loved Life Force, or for anyone looking for a polished title with a fantastically realized horror theme.
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