Abadox
The Deadly Inner War (アバドックス, Abadokkusu) is a scrolling shooter for the Nintendo Entertainment System published in Japan in 1989 by Natsume and North America in 1990 by Milton Bradley Company. It features gameplay in the vein of Gradius and R-Type, in which the player must shoot hordes of enemies while collecting power-ups to upgrade their ship. The plot revolves around the player character Nazal attempting to rescue the "beautiful Princess Maria" from being held within the "nightmarish body" of the game's antagonist Parasitis.
Also recorded as Abadox: The Deadly Inner War
Abadox
- Date
- 1988
- Publisher
- Winning Entertainment Group · Milton Bradley Company
- Genre
- shoot 'em up · science fiction video game
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Documentary summary
The Deadly Inner War (アバドックス, Abadokkusu) is a scrolling shooter for the Nintendo Entertainment System published in Japan in 1989 by Natsume and North America in 1990 by Milton Bradley Company. It features gameplay in the vein of Gradius and R-Type, in which the player must shoot hordes of enemies while collecting power-ups to upgrade their ship. The plot revolves around the player character Nazal attempting to rescue the "beautiful Princess Maria" from being held within the "nightmarish body" of the game's antagonist Parasitis.
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q2660330
In this article
Plot
Plot
The game has often been noted by critics for its difficulty, with the player being instantly killed by a single enemy projectile.
In the year 5012, the planet Abadox is eaten by a giant alien organism known as Parasitis. Having consumed Abadox, the alien takes the form of the planet and seeks to devour other planets. The galactic military launches an attack but is destroyed by Parasitis who goes on to devour the hospital ship carrying Princess Maria. Second Lieutenant Nazal, the only surviving fighter of the galactic fleet, attempts to enter Parasitis's body and rescue Maria before it is too late.
Gameplay
Gameplay
The gameplay largely follows the conventions of side-scrolling shooters of the time. The player shoots down various enemies, almost all of which look like various internal organs (brains, eyes and even cilia). The player can also pick weapons and power-ups. Power-ups include speed boosters, increased firepower, homing missiles and shields similar to the "Option" featured in Gradius. For weapons, the player starts with the normal single shot, but can upgrade to a 3-way gun, a spread fire gun, a laser and a hoop-like weapon. However, like most shooters, if the player is killed, all of the upgrades will be lost and the player will have to restart from the last checkpoint. In some cases, if the player dies, they may have to navigate through enemy fire with slow speed, which could prove more difficult than ever. Another aspect of Abadox that sets the game off from other shooters is the second, fourth and sixth stages. The play style changes from a side-scrolling perspective to a vertical one, but instead of scrolling upwards like a typical vertical shooter, the stage scrolls downward. The final stage involves an escape sequence where the player must navigate out of the alien's rectal cavity before the alien implodes. This falls in suit with a Konami title, Life Force, to which Abadox bears a striking resemblance.
Audio
Audio
The music and sound effects for Abadox were produced by Kiyohiro Sada (credited as K. Sada), who composed music for several NES games from Konami, such as Contra, Blades of Steel and Rush'n Attack.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Japan
Named but not plotted · 1
Abadox is associated with Japan.
Country
Reception
Critics have generally looked at Abadox favorably for its design, but negatively for its high level of difficulty. Allgame gave the game a rating of 3 stars out of a possible 5.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Abadox Instruction Manual. Milton Bradley. 1990. Page 4.
- 2.Abadox: The Deadly Inner War. gametheater.org.
- 3.Dykman, Joan. Review - Abadox: The Deadly Inner War. allgame.
- 4.Harris, Steve. Electronic Gaming Review Crew. Electronic Gaming Monthly. Sendai Publications. 10. 1990. 1058-918X.
- 5.Abadox: The Deadly Inner War. allgame.com.
- 6.Allgame. Abadox: The Deadly Inner War Review.
References
Citations
References
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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