An almost forgotten arcade gem
For a trip down memory lane, fire up this little old-school gem, a military shooter from the Capcom stable that provides some simple but enjoyably macho shooting action. It's a fixed screen shooter that is a sort of combination of Space Invaders, Commando and Operation Wolf and where players controls an agile little soldier as he sprints around blowing merry hell out a wide assortment of enemies out to take him down. This array of bad guys is one of the game's main points of interest and everything from your common foot soldier to tanks, helicopters and even submarines will attempt to pound you into a greasy stain throughout its five levels. There's a fair bit of cover to duck and dodge around as you run across the bottom of the screen, but most of it can be blown up so make sure you keep on the move otherwise it will be curtains for you. You can grab a few handy extra weapons like machine guns and shotguns to make your job easier, while buildings can be blown up to help rack up those points even faster. Cabal is pretty simple stuff but it's no less enjoyable for this fact so if you need some old-school arcade thrills, it does the job admirably. It's equally simple in terms of visuals, but it's got plenty of retro charm with its chunky sprites and cool environments, while sound is minimalist but also kind of effective. Games like Ikari Warriors might have grabbed most of the limelight back in the day, but if you dig out Cabal you'll find it's got a similar level of appeal, so check it out and get blasting!
