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Cabal

Arcade

Arcade

Cabal offers one player and two-player-simultaneous modes of gameplay. Each player assumes the role of an unnamed commando trying to destroy several enemy military bases. There are 5 stages with 4 screens each. The player starts with a stock of three lives and uses a gun with limitless ammunition...

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Developer
Tad

Released on
1988

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Arcade

Requirements
Arcade

Downloads
Shooter

Publisher
Fabtek

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

Cabal offers one player and two-player-simultaneous modes of gameplay. Each player assumes the role of an unnamed commando trying to destroy several enemy military bases. There are 5 stages with 4 screens each. The player starts with a stock of three lives and uses a gun with limitless ammunition and a fixed number of grenades to fend off enemy troops and attack the base. The commando is seen from behind and initially starts behind a protective wall which can be damaged and shattered by enemy fire. To stay alive, the player needs to avoid enemy bullets by running left or right, hiding behind cover, or using a dodge-roll. An enemy gauge at the bottom of the screen depletes as foes are destroyed and certain structures (which collapse rather than shatter) are brought down. When the enemy gauge is emptied, the level is successfully completed, all the remaining buildings on screen collapse, and the player progresses to the next stage. If a player is killed, he is immediately revived at the cost of one life or game overs if he has no lives remaining. Boss fights, however, restart from the beginning if the only remaining player dies.

From time to time, power-ups are released from objects destroyed on screen. Some power-ups give special weapons such as an extremely fast-firing machine gun or an automatic shotgun with a lower firing rate and larger area of effect. Others grant extra grenades or additional points.

Cabal

Overview & History

Released by TAD Corporation in 1988, Cabal stands as a trailblazing arcade shooter that inadvertently pioneered the behind-the-back viewpoint later popularized by modern tactical action games. Set against the backdrop of a thinly veiled Cold War espionage conflict, the storyline casts players as elite commandos—codenamed Firepower and Hurricane—dispatched on a relentless global crusade to infiltrate heavily fortified enemy strongholds, dismantle rogue military installations, and ultimately obliterate the oppressive regime’s central headquarters. Eschewing standard side-scrolling conventions, Cabal places its protagonists in the foreground, facing into the screen as they methodically blast through waves of heavily armed infantry, armored tanks, and entrenched gun emplacements.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The core gameplay loop revolves around a dual-axis combat system where players simultaneously maneuver their commando along the bottom horizontal plane while independent crosshair controls direct incoming artillery strikes. Destruction is the central mechanic: nearly every structure, from brick bunkers to towering monolithic statues, can and must be demolished. As players obliterate environmental cover, they accumulate points and deplete a dedicated boss-room progress meter. Defensive maneuvers are equally critical; characters can execute rapid acrobatic rolls to evade a barrage of incoming mortar shells and leaden crossfire. Power-ups dropped by specialized enemy units grant devastating heavy weaponry, including machine guns and armor-piercing grenades, turning the battlefield into a symphony of chaotic, pixelated explosions across five distinct, escalating combat zones.