Game #218: Sword of Kadash (1984)

Computer role-playing games in 1984 began to usher in what would become known as action RPGs. The Tower of Druaga, Courageous Perseus, Hydlide and Sword of Kadash heralded what would become an entirely new subgenre where reflexes and arcade-like play are combined with role-playing elements. Admittedly, this has created some problems for myself, and it will continue to do so. Why? While I am enjoying this subgenre, I am just not that proficient at it. I struggle a bit when reflexes are called upon. It is this very reason why many gamers prefer turn-based role-playing games. In these types of games there is a much greater time commitment requirement but the threshold to be able to play these games is low compared to a Dark Souls. Perhaps my skills will increase over time but as of right now it is a concern.

Sword of Kadash in an action RPG that was developed by Dynamix and published by Penguin Software. It was released in 1984 for the Apple II, 1985 for the Commodore 64, and 1986 for both the Atari ST and Macintosh. The game was written by Chris Cole who finished it at the incredible age of 17. This is a game that is quite a bit different than anything I’ve played to this date. It is a little reminiscent of the Caverns of Freitag from 1982 in terms of style, but the similarities end there.

The Sword of Kadash is an extremely difficult and challenging game featuring a sprawling dungeon of 250 different rooms. Each of these rooms are filled with monsters, diabolical traps, secret passages, useful items and/or treasure. I think I perished in this game more times than any previous game to date. Every single room requires constant experimentation.

I played the Commodore 64 version of Sword of Kadash on an emulator, and it took me over 20+ hours to beat the game. There were moments where I thought that I might never win the game. The map can be extremely confusing, and it is filled with its share of secret passages and hidden rooms. It took me hours of exploration to find the hidden passages that would take me deeper into the game. My first time through the dungeon, when I entered the dragon’s lair near the game’s end, I had 2400 hit points and discovered that these were woefully inadequate in order to defeat the dragon. I started the game all over again. When I next faced the dragon, hours later, I now had 5500 hit points, and discovered to my dismay, that this was still not enough. I started the game over a third time, and I took my time with every single room and in this run through I liberally used save states. I waited until I fully mastered and stripped each room of its possessions before moving on. When I next faced the dragon, I had over 11,000 hit points. This finally proved to be enough. Once I vanquished the lich who guarded the Sword of Kadash, I then learned that the sword protects me somewhat from the dragon’s fiery breath. The sword made the encounter with the dragon much easier whereas before it seemed a nearly impossible task.

The game begins with you wandering about the desert with very little water left. You are wondering how long it will be before the sand covers your bones when you are suddenly surprised and captured by brigands. They offer to spare your life if you will complete a task for them: which is to enter the deadly catacombs of the Fortress of the Dragon and retrieve the enchanted Sword of Kadash. They march you to the Fortress and force you to enter..

Your character gains experience as a result of your victories in battle and treasure that you find. When enough experience points have been gained, your level increases. When I defeated both the dragon and lich and retrieved the Sword of Kadash, I was 66th level.

There are various weapons, some that are magical in nature, that you can acquire. These range between axe, dagger, morning star, and sword. You can also find shields and rings which help to improve your armor class. The highest, or best, armor class which you can achieve is 50.

The various items or treasures that you can find throughout the Fortress are symbols, keys, scrolls, chests, and healers. The symbols resemble an Egyptian ahnk and they can help to remove a curse. The keys represent experience and money and are NOT necessary to open any doors or passages. Scrolls contain magic spells. The only spell you possess in the game is a Fear spell. When you cast the spell, it causes the monsters to move away from you for a short time. You can then use this reprieve to flee or to blast the hell out of them. The healers are boxes that heal up to 300 of your hit points. They are rare and much sought after.

The best shield that you can find in the game is a +4 shield which is hidden in one of the fortresses towers. This is a very hard to find area and I only found it on my 3rd time playing the game from the very beginning. The best sword I could obtain without sacrificing a lot of hit points was a +3 sword. Some of the creatures can be dastardly to kill. Ghosts and Wraiths in the very beginning and middle of the game can be particularly deadly.

The map with all of its secrets is the biggest challenge of the game. There are myriad hidden passages and rooms and hidden trigger bricks. The picture up above shows the dragon. You must get past the dragon, obtain the Sword of Kadash which is guarded by a powerful lich, and then use the sword to come back and defeat the dragon. Once you do, you are rewarded with this screen:

I really enjoyed this game even though I also found it to be very frustrating. This game is so much different than any of the other action RPGS thus far – that I feel like this game is somewhat genre breaking. I am surprised that it doesn’t get more recognition. Between work and preparing for the holidays, this game consumed much of my free time in December. I highly recommend it.

Next up on the docket is Water of Life.

Until next time…