Abadox: The Deadly Inner War

"The so-called Lifeforce clone turns out to be just as good."

Abadox has often been called a ''Lifeforce clone.''The reason for this is because of the nature of the game itself.Abadox has a very visceral theme in the entire game.In many aspects,such as the story and graphics,have caused it to be compared to Lifeforce more than once.However,although both are excellent games,they are completely different,apart from the gooey,visceral themes of both,and the fact that both of them are side-scrolling shooters,that sometimes switch view.

Graphics 8/10:Standard fare for an NES game but it is still very good for its time when you consider it is 8-bit hardware,there is plenty of attention to detail and many of the bosses are huge and impressive,such as the enormous cilia monster,which is pretty much a level itself,and the first level boss,which is an enormous face that,besides using the standard SHMUP bullets,attacks with it's eyes.
Each level usually has a miniboss for it as well.

Sound 7/10:There is very little SFX in this game,and few themes,but what is there is good.There are only 6-10 possible themes in this game,most of which are the level tunes,and the title screen,game-over screen,ending,and boss themes.SFX mostly consists of various 'blips' and 'bleeps' from firing.

Control 10/10:Not much to be said about the control,very responsive and easy to use,standard NES SHMUP fare.the A button can be used to adjust the directions of force shields once you acquire them in-game.

Story 9/10:This,unfortunately,has caused it to get compared to Lifeforce one too many times.Basically,the plot revolves around Parasitis,which is quite literally a living planet,that devours anything around it.It takes the form of whatever was eaten by it.In the game,you are Lieutenant Nazal(wonder if this was regular or a really bad joke?),the only survivor of Parasitis' previous meal,which was your homeplanet of Abadox.Well,not the only survivor,princess Maria has just gotten swallowed by Parasitis.You(Lieutenant Nazal)have decided that Parasitis has to be stopped,before it destroys all existing life.

Difficulty 10/10:This game is also insanely difficult and frustrating due to the fact that you die in one hit.Not much to be said about this.

Gameplay 10/10:As difficult as it is,this game provides a very good shooter experience,this game proves that sometimes a clone can be just as good as the original product itself.Depending on your preferences,this game can be an extremely fun shooter that will provide you with a good amount of entertainment.If you liked the old school style of shooters(side-scrolling,while blasting aliens),then you might like this game.

Overall 9/10:This game is just as good as the original game,Lifeforce itself.Sometimes a clone is a good thing.

Buy/Rent? If you're looking for a good shooter,or simply want some nostalgia,then get this game.You should not shell out too much money for it(I.E. $50.00).But all-in-all,Abadox is a good game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/07/02, Updated 07/07/02