Cardinal Syn
Encyclopedia
Cardinal Syn is a fighting game
developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment
, the creators of Criticom
and Dark Rift
, and published by Sony
through their 989 Studios
in 1998.
with free roaming features that allows you to move around a small interactive stage during the fight, similar to Ehrgeiz
. The combatants are designed out of a dark fantasy world similar to Dungeons & Dragons
, a great number of them non-human, each armed with melee weapons fitting for the style. The title gave access to combos, juggles, stage hazards, fatalities
, projectiles, and battlefield powerups.
And then, in the middle of a particularly brutal battle, a maysterious magic woman named Syn appeared brandishing the icon of the Wanderer that he had used as a symbol of clan unity. She coerced the clan leaders to hand their scrolls over to her where she turned them into three inscribed swords which held the knowledge of the Book. She then declared a tournament. Each clan would send its greatest warrior to engage in battles to the death. The survivor and winner of the tournament would be declared ruler of their Clan and given the entire Bloodlands to command, as well as gain access to the secrets of the swords. Yet that first tournament saw no winner, as Syn herself secretly killed the final warrior. Centuries passed and the wars raged on but now a new tournament is about to be held and the Clan leaders are sending their very best to battle for the rite to power.
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment
Kronos Digital Entertainment
Kronos Digital Entertainment was a U.S.–based video game developer founded by Stan Liu in 1992. They first garnered attention for their contract work for Sierra On-Line, most notably the groundbreaking intro sequence they created for King's Quest 6...
, the creators of Criticom
Criticom
Criticom is a 3D versus fighting game developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment and released in November 1995 in the USA, March 1996 in Europe and October 1996 in Japan by Vic Tokai for the PlayStation. The Sega Saturn version was released in early 1997....
and Dark Rift
Dark Rift
Dark Rift is a 3D fighting game for the N64, notable for being the first N64 game to use 60frame/s, as well as being N64's first native fighting game...
, and published by Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
through their 989 Studios
989 Studios
989 Studios was a division of Sony Computer Entertainment America that developed games for the PlayStation consoles and Windows personal computers. Their titles include Twisted Metal III and 4, Syphon Filter and 2, Jet Moto 3, Bust a Groove, EverQuest and others...
in 1998.
Gameplay
A 3D fighting gameFighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
with free roaming features that allows you to move around a small interactive stage during the fight, similar to Ehrgeiz
Ehrgeiz
, fully titled Ehrgeiz: God Bless The Ring, is a 3D fighting game developed by DreamFactory and published by Namco in 1998 for the arcade platform. It was first ported to the PlayStation and published by Square Co...
. The combatants are designed out of a dark fantasy world similar to Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
, a great number of them non-human, each armed with melee weapons fitting for the style. The title gave access to combos, juggles, stage hazards, fatalities
Fatality (Mortal Kombat)
In the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games, a Fatality is a finishing move that can be used against one's defeated opponent at the end of the final match, after the boss character says "Finish Him/Her." The Fatalities are usually lethal, featuring a brutal and morbid execution of the defenseless...
, projectiles, and battlefield powerups.
Story
Warfare had engulfed the Clans of the Bloodlands for numerous generations, each having a great hatred for the other. But one day a mysterious being put a stop to the carnage, summoning all the clans together and read from his Book of Knowledge which spoke of the harmony they could achieve by uniting in peace. For many years, the Clans put aside their weapons and enjoyed peace under the guidance of the stranger they had named the "Wanderer". Then when the land seemed to be paling and dying, the stranger divided the Book into scrolls and gave one to each clan before he vanished before their very eyes. It took no time at all before the Clans were at each other's throats, vying for control of all the scrolls in the Book's entirety and war again fiercely reclaimed the Bloodlands.And then, in the middle of a particularly brutal battle, a maysterious magic woman named Syn appeared brandishing the icon of the Wanderer that he had used as a symbol of clan unity. She coerced the clan leaders to hand their scrolls over to her where she turned them into three inscribed swords which held the knowledge of the Book. She then declared a tournament. Each clan would send its greatest warrior to engage in battles to the death. The survivor and winner of the tournament would be declared ruler of their Clan and given the entire Bloodlands to command, as well as gain access to the secrets of the swords. Yet that first tournament saw no winner, as Syn herself secretly killed the final warrior. Centuries passed and the wars raged on but now a new tournament is about to be held and the Clan leaders are sending their very best to battle for the rite to power.
Starting characters
- Finkster, from the Clan of the Thieves, hopes to steal the Book of Secrets and sell it to the highest bidder.
- Hecklar, from the Clan of the Jester, formerly Syn's court jesterCourt jesterA jester, joker, jokester, fool, wit-cracker, prankster, or buffoon was a person employed to tell jokes and provide general entertainment, typically for a European monarch. Jesters are stereotypically thought to have worn brightly colored clothes and eccentric hats in a motley pattern...
, he wants to be taken seriously as a hero. - McKrieg, from the Clan of the Dwarves, wants to gain power to stop the recent raids on his clan's villages by the Lizardfolk.
- Mongoro, from the Clan of the CyclopsCyclopsA cyclops , in Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, was a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his forehead...
, the strongest cyclops, he only wants to kill and eat whoever is unfortunate to cross his path. - Nephra, from the Clan of the SethSethSeth , in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, is the third listed son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, who are the only other of their children mentioned by name...
ite, she works to please a mysterious stone idol, the three swords are its latest request. - Princess Orion, from Clan of the Elves, wants to save her kingdom and ailing father.
- Plague, from the Clan of the Wretched, hopes to raise an army of undead using Syn's power.
- Vanguard, from the Clan of the Knights, fights to uphold truth, justice, and the protection of his people.
Unlockable characters
- Bimorphia, a grotesque male/female construct made by Syn, seeking revenge and to destroy the secrets which created him/her.
- Moloch, fom the Clan of the Lizardfolk, seeking revenge on humanity in general, and wants a world ruled by his species.
- Juni, from the Clan of the Fairies, defeating Syn will stop her lands from dying.
- Kahn, from the Clan of the MarauderMarauderA marauder is a bandit, outlaw, raider or such like who moves about in roving fashion looking for plunder.Other uses of marauder, usually derived from the above include:in " Football"...
s, defeating Syn will prove himself to be the strongest warrior in all of the Bloodlands. - Kron, Syn after undergoing a dragonDragonA dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
transformation using the full extent of her power. - Mongwan, from the Clan of the Ascetics, practically same storyline as Vodu.
- Redemptor, leads a mysterious cult who execute criminals, his true intention is unknown.
- Stygian, a pile of assorted bones reanimated by Syn's magic, seeks power to become alive once more.
- Syn, the evil sorceress herself.
- Vodu, from the Clan of the Shamans, had a terrible vision, and sets out to stop an imminent apocalypseApocalypseAn Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
caused by Syn.
External links
- Cardinal Syn at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- Cardinal Syn at Game FAQs