A suspicion about Abadox

[Skyknight]

We'd need someone with access to the Japanese manual (and the ability to read it), but I have a hunch that originally, Abadox was the name not of the devoured world, but the space monster--and that it's supposed to be a demon. I'm guessing that its conjuring involved it possessing a whole planet, or thereabouts.

1. "Abadox" sounds a lot like "Abaddon".
2. The final stage has wraiths in it. Wraiths. Not something you'd expect from a mere starbeast that's basically a variant of Zelos, as the American manual has it. A messenger of Hell, though...

[JBC]

Iunno, but good theory! I love that game & wish someone would acquire the rights. I can only image how wicked a nasty guts-planet would look in current gen graphics.

EDIT - Ah! Developed by Natsume. I thought it was just some bizarre experiment conducted by Milton Bradley but they were only the publisher.

[scrilla4rella]

Well, it looks like I may be of some assistance. I'll give the manual a look when I get home from work and report back. Surprisingly the Fami version of Abadox is a lot less common than the NES version.

[Lordgalvar-II]

If I hadn't heard of the game the first post would read like some kind of occult conspiracy. It made my day though. I agree it is a neat theory too.

[BIL]

Interesting theory, definitely interested in hearing back from scrilla4rella. I have the FC version too but can't read a word of Japanese, and the box/cart/manual illustrations don't hint at anything supernatural. I always assumed the more ghoulish enemies (like the first stage's flying skulls) were straight biohorror.

[Skyknight]

I will admit I've seen a few other cases where threats stipulated as alien in-story have a demonic cast to them in my eyes. X-Multiply is a good example. Between the skeletons in st. 3, the skull-studded walls in st. 6, and Bykhee's Baphomet-like pose, I actually wondered if the game had originally been imagined as an attack into Hell. Is there a tendency in Japanese pop culture to conflate aliens and demons?

[ACSeraph]

Hmmm, I'd like to search this game out. I wonder how pricy it would be for a fami cart...

As for the theory, could it be that the alien explanation was an act of censorship imposed by Nintendo? Don't know if anyone here played the ports of Doom on GBA, but those were censored and the story was changed from a demonic invasion to an alien invasion, which ruins the entire thing imo.

[Despatche]

Is there a tendency in Japanese pop culture to conflate aliens and demons?

Maybe, but the thing is that there's a tendency in America to!

[JBC]

I always found it really strange the Milton Bradley of all companies would publish something as gory as Abodox. I guess it was only seen as passable because of the 8bit graphics.

[DunlapDunlap]

Hmmm, I'd like to search this game out. I wonder how pricy it would be for a fami cart...

As for the theory, could it be that the alien explanation was an act of censorship imposed by Nintendo? Don't know if anyone here played the ports of Doom on GBA, but those were censored and the story was changed from a demonic invasion to an alien invasion, which ruins the entire thing imo.

Man, Doom on anything other than PC changed the demons to aliens. Some people just don't like to raise hell.

[Mortificator]

More conspiracy bait: Abadox was inspired by Salamander, and Salamander 2 has a boss named Abaddon.

[BIL]

I will admit I've seen a few other cases where threats stipulated as alien in-story have a demonic cast to them in my eyes. X-Multiply is a good example. Between the skeletons in st. 3, the skull-studded walls in st. 6, and Bykhee's Baphomet-like pose, I actually wondered if the game had originally been imagined as an attack into Hell. Is there a tendency in Japanese pop culture to conflate aliens and demons?

I was thinking of X-Multiply too, which besides a distinctly Baphomet-looking last boss and Rosemary's Baby implications appears to have a few HP Lovecraft mythos references (first boss "Hostur" / Hastur). Given that in HPL context the occult and the alien are effectively the same, the game doesn't really need to outright declare its content demonic to have a sinister effect. The parting message has a more ambiguous tone than Gradius bosses' usual "BWAHH, I NEVER DIE" rant, praising the protagonist before teasingly asking "Do you know what I am?" "You" being whoever concluded the enemy was a mere virus, presumably.

This assuming the designers were deliberately using HPL/demonology to create a cosmic horror effect, and not just cherry-picking random awesome creepy stuff for their shooter (Baphomet is on the cover of HR Giger's HPL-invoking Necronomicon, and everyone knows how Irem raided his fridge for R-Type).

[ACSeraph]

This thread piqued my interest in Abadox enough that I ordered a fami copy off of Amazon.jp last night. A bit pricy at about $20 cart only, I would have liked to get it CIB, but I didn't think the cardboard bits were worth an additional $45. Mostly I just want to play it.

[scrilla4rella]

Sorry for the delay. It turn out I don't have the manual, just the box and cart. I could have sworn it was CIB...
-
The back of the box talks about entering the body of an organism and makes no mention of a demon. I would be interested to see the story page of the instructions.

Anybody interested in posting a well-lit picture of it?

[BIL]

Hang on a sec, I'll see if my terrible scanner will cooperate. I need to stop collecting stuff and upgrade my gear, haha.

edit: is this any help?

[ACSeraph]

^No furigana so it's hard for me to make much of it. I'm sure someone else will come along with a good translation. I don't see anything about demons though, it's talking about "parasites" and "mother alien". Also "Beautiful Maria". So even Abadox had just a little bit of moe...

Oh, the last line definitely says something about Abadon though, not Abadox, so there might be some kind of link here.

[BIL]

Also "Beautiful Maria". So even Abadox had just a little bit of moe...

Haha, yeah. Was just looking at the NES version's wiki and its talk of "Princess Maria." I ain't even surprised tbh... even Taito's hard as nails space shooter MEGABLAST had to shoehorn in loveable "SINDY" for the boys to rescue. Actually that game was about rescuing earth's kidnapped wimminz so maybe it's a bad example (or the ultimate example?).

[ACSeraph]

ultimate example?

Probly this

---

Still staring at this at work and this is what I've basically squeezed from my brain, definitely not necessarily correct:

In the year 5012 humanity is suddenly attacked by a living cellular force they call Parasitos (which sounds like something youd order at taco bell). A young (lieutenant?) in the military named Nazaru is the lone survivor of some attack, and he decides to fight for the sake of his comrads and Maria-tan. It then talks about him going onwards towards the final battle with the mother alien.

And I believe the final line says something to the effect of: "It is as though he is fighting against Abadon, the destroyer of worlds." I'm not so sure about the kanji here, this is just my guess. I definitely don't think Abadon is referring to a place.

[Skyknight]

I did find commentary in Japanese on the game here: http://homepage3.nifty.com/konbatto/coment.2008.5.htm

Putting it through Bing, and figuring out what little I can, it looks like Parasitis is encroaching on EARTH, and the original attack force to repel it was obliterated save for Nazar...and possibly his lover Maria. Except Maria seems to have been swallowed by Parasitis, so he has extra motivation to tear through that thing with all available speed.

On a side note, I guess the Japanese box art shows the "real" Parasitis. Looks like an experiment went horribly wrong on a space station. That would certainly explain the technological aspects of the last two stages.

And the reference to Abaddon (I guess "Abadox" is supposed to be a conflation of Abaddon and the "Parasite X" mentioned in the story?)...While taking another look at the sprite of the end boss, I notice that the humanoid figure portion has HORNS. Make of that what you will.

[ACSeraph]

Judging by the last line I'm pretty sure the connection was intentional, although it isn't explicitly stated. "Sore ha maru de" means "It was as though" or "It was almost as if". I think we were meant to come to our own conclusions about the true nature of the Parasitos.

Also I can confirm it is Earth that is being attacked.

[Squire Grooktook]

This assuming the designers were deliberately using HPL/demonology to create a cosmic horror effect, and not just cherry-picking random awesome creepy stuff for their shooter (Baphomet is on the cover of HR Giger's HPL-invoking Necronomicon, and everyone knows how Irem raided his fridge for R-Type).

I think the rule 63 Baphomet was a definite Giger shout out given the subject manner. My best guess with X-Multiply is that they didn't set out to create a Cthulhu Mythos shmup but definitely wanted to instill it with some of that "eldritch" eeriness. I think the ending message at least cements that they intended it to have an ambiguously supernatural element to it.

[Skyknight]

I think that by now, we can safely presume that when Milton Bradley localized the game, putting in the devoured world of Abadox was their way of justifying the title without having to draw fundamentalist ire by referring to Abaddon. (But honestly, they're supposed to get worked up about a game where you're FIGHTING the Abaddon figure, and with decidedly non-magical means no less? I can't trace the train of thought at all.)

Right now, my guess as to what's going on is that "Parasite X" was an unknown alien life-form being studied on a space station or research ship, when it grew out of control and subsumed the place (hence the mechanical elements of stages 2, 5, and 6; they're just portions of the vessel that Parasitis hasn't gotten around to absorbing yet). Sounds a little like the X from Metroid Fusion, actually. Only this time, Parasitis is actually motile, and detected Earth as the nearest place to subsume.

[Captain]

Its all connected.

Parasitos attacks Earth, is defeated.

Remains manifest as strange virus.

After the events of X-Multiply, virus is used to create the Bydo.

Bydo subside after numerous defeats and start evolving.

Much time later, after humanity leaves Earth and settles on other planets, they create a weapon of ridiculous destruction.

Bydo return as the Thiima to kick their asses and end the human threat, get their asses kicked instead.

(one of the endings of G-darius implies some universe-resetting or whatnot, but to know what is canon and the timeline specifics is not possible, but could be a stable loop)

Belser reverse-engineers Thiima technology and pesters humanity. Before doing so, they were known as Bacterians.

Illuminati confirmed.

Every non-loli shmup is happening in the same universe. It is simply too awesome to not be true.

[Skyknight]

...You forgot Thunder Force, Image Fight, Aleste, Sol-Deace, Andorogynous (although given its ridiculous length--it actually puts Tatsujin-Ou to shame!--I can see why you left that off), Space Manbow, Thunder Cross, E.D.F., Shienryu, Batsugun, Makyou Senshi, Battle Garegga, Ketsui, Axelay, and Strikers 1945.

(No, DON'T try to vector them in. We like our sanity.)

[Captain]

Thunder Force is a side story that never interferes with this, or even if it does happen, has nothing to do with the main storyline.

Strikers....lol.

[BIL]

I did always like your theory of Blast Wind being a stealth Thunder Force prequel, Skyknight.

Regarding Abadox, a rampantly virulent assimilator that operates at a cellular level also gives a distinct John Carpenter's The Thing vibe. I'd guess those objects on the story page are meant to represent stars, but they also remind me of the movie's computer simulation showing the alien's cells at work. Incidentally that movie is the first of Carpenter's "apocalypse trilogy," followed by Prince of Darkness and In The Mouth of Madness, both of which are outright HPL-style cosmic horror (some fans like to theorise JC's interpretation of the Thing is based on a Shoggoth, given its origin and nature are left a total enigma).

I think the ending message at least cements that they intended it to have an ambiguously supernatural element to it.

It'd be cool if both Natsume and Irem's designers really were aiming for true occult horror, where not everything's spelled out and neatly explained. Inexplicable fear is something a lot of supposed "horror games" manage to screw up! (a certain Doom 3 comes to mind)

[PC Engine Fan X!]

On the back of the Milton Bradley release of Abadox, it mentions that this NES gamepak is a whopping 2 megabit game! Quite impressive for an NES game released stateside back in the day. Bought it used from a video rental store for a mere $9.99 back in the day. Love the opening intro that leads into the main Abadox main title screen -- lending an air of mystery as to how the origins of it all began and comes to a eventual conclusion.

Can't forget the infamous tagline that MB used for the American release of Abadox as well: "The Deadly Inner War!" (as shown on the front cardboard box).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Ed Oscuro]

Is there a tendency in Japanese pop culture to conflate aliens and demons?

Maybe, but the thing is that there's a tendency in America to!

RoboDemons is an impressive example of this. Sadly, also a prime example of a quadruple Z grade title. Worse than Action 52.

Parasitos (which sounds like something youd order at taco bell).

Speaking of bait, it's illegal to dump that stuff in Canada and all of the blue states. Sounds more like another REAL LIFE CORPORATE CONSPIRACY to me.

Also "Beautiful Maria".

I figure you guys are just on the cusp of this, but this makes me think of that desecrated statue from Exorcist. Definitely could fit the body horror themes mentioned in this thread.

Andorogynous

Speaking of body horror, there's a theme that seems to have some kind of Twitter / Pixiv correlation factor with shmups.

p.s. Where is my shmup based on The Sea of Fallen Beasts? The cover's got a Kriegsmarine cruiser (or something) on the front and everything.

[Skyknight]

Actually, Andorogynous (note the extra o) is the name of an MSX2 vertical-scrolling--more specifically, downward-scrolling--shmup, published by Telenet. I wasn't impressed by the plays I saw of it on YouTube (two loops, I think each one takes about an hour, only difference I noticed for loop 2 was the addition of a True Final Stage).

Because of the downward scrolling (although your character shoots horizontally) and similar biological theme, I actually thought at first there might be some developers shared between it and Abadox. Proved not to be true.

[Ed Oscuro]

I know what it is - I wrote about it here a long time ago. But pointing out the unusual theme seemed to make sense given the themes mentioned in this thread.