{{Short description|1998 video game}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}} {{Infobox video game | title = Cardinal Syn | image = Cardinal Syn Coverart.png | caption = European box art | developer = [[Kronos Digital Entertainment]] | publisher = {{vgrelease|EU|[[Sony Computer Entertainment]]|NA|[[989 Studios]]}} | producer = Andy Koo<br>Sany Abe-Tsukii | designer = John Paik | programmer = Mohammad Asaduzzaman | artist = Albert Co | composer = Brian Min | writer = Stanley Liu<br>Patricia Winters | platforms = [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] | released = {{vgrelease|PAL|June 26, 1998<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 11, 1998 |title=Key Dates |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/896431722 |access-date=May 11, 2024 |work=Staines and Ashford Leader |pages=3 |quote=June 26th//''Cardinal Syn''}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=June 27, 1998 |title=Perfect for a head-to-head |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1054514840 |access-date=May 11, 2024 |work=[[The Bolton News|Bolton Evening News]] |pages=16 |quote=''Cardinal Syn''//(SCEE / Kronos Digital Entertainment)//For PlayStation//Price: £34.99//Out Now}}</ref>|NA|August 25, 1998<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=August 25, 1998 |title=''Cardinal Syn'' Finally Arrives |url=http://www.gameinformer.com/news/aug98/082598d.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990128102322/http://www.gameinformer.com/news/aug98/082598d.html |archive-date=January 28, 1999 |access-date=May 11, 2024 |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Game Informer]]}}</ref>}} | genre = [[Fighting game|Fighting]] | modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]], [[multiplayer]] }}
'''''Cardinal Syn''''' is a 1998 [[Fighting game|fighting]] [[video game]] developed by [[Kronos Digital Entertainment]] and published by [[Sony Computer Entertainment]] for the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]]. [[989 Studios]] released it in North America.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_103_February_1998 |title=Sneak Previews: Cardinal Syn |magazine=[[GamePro]] |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]] |issue=113 |date=February 1998 |page=[https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_103_February_1998/page/n67/mode/2up 62] |accessdate=September 5, 2023}}</ref> It received mixed reviews.
== Gameplay == [[File:Cardinal Syn gameplay.jpg|thumb|Gameplay screenshot]] ''Cardinal Syn'' is 3D [[fighting game]] with free roaming features that allow the player to move around a small interactive stage during the fight,<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_32 |title=NG Alphas: Cardinal Syn |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Future US|Imagine Media]] |issue=32 |date=August 1997 |page=[https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_32/page/n65 64]}}</ref> similar to ''[[Ehrgeiz]]'' and ''[[Bushido Blade (video game)|Bushido Blade]]''. Moving away from the sci-fi theme in ''[[Criticom]]'', ''Cardinal Syn'' takes place in a dark [[medieval]] and bloody world.<ref name="cng" /> The combatants too fit within this dark fantasy design and are somewhat similar to ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', and a great number of them non-human, each armed with melee weapons fitting for the style. The title character gives access to combos, juggles, stage hazards, [[Fatality (Mortal Kombat)|finishing moves]], projectiles and battlefield power-ups.
Small crates found in each stage can be broken open to acquire items.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/8/8a/EGM_US_102.pdf |title=Cardinal SYN: This Time, Fighting's Not a SYN |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=Ziff Davis |issue=102 |date=January 1998 |page=64 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703235249/https://retrocdn.net/images/8/8a/EGM_US_102.pdf |archivedate=July 3, 2023 |url-status=live |accessdate=September 5, 2023}}</ref>
== Plot == Warfare had engulfed the Clans of the Bloodlands for many 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.
In the middle of a particularly brutal battle, a mysterious and powerful sorceress known as 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.
== Characters == ''Cardinal Syn'' has eight playable fighting characters, each with their own goal for retrieving the Book of Knowledge:<ref name="cng" />
* Mongoro, a cannibalistic cyclops * Plague, an undead corpse * Nephra, an Egyptian princess * Vanguard, a knight * Heckler, an insane jester * McKrieg, a dwarf * Princess Orion * Finkster, a thief
==Development== The game was showcased at [[E3 1997]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scea.com/news/press_example.asp?ReleaseID=9480|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20001208064000/http://www.scea.com/news/press_example.asp?ReleaseID=9480|title=Commit the Cardinal Syn|website=[[Sony Computer Entertainment America]]|archivedate=December 8, 2000|date=June 19, 1997|accessdate=May 20, 2025}}</ref>
== Reception == {{Video game reviews | GR = 57%<ref name=GR>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/196869-cardinal-syn/index.html |title=Cardinal Syn for PlayStation |website=[[GameRankings]] |publisher=CBS Interactive |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501144552/https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/196869-cardinal-syn/index.html |archivedate=May 1, 2019 |accessdate=November 28, 2020}}</ref> | Allgame = 2/5<ref>{{cite web |last=Thorpe |first=Damien |url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7835&tab=review |title=Cardinal Syn - Review |website=[[AllGame]] |publisher=[[All Media Network]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115114728/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7835&tab=review|archivedate=November 15, 2014|accessdate=October 23, 2020}}</ref> | CNG = 4/10<ref name="cng">{{cite web |last=D'Aprile |first=Jason |date=September 29, 1998 |url=http://gamecenter.com/Consoles/Sony/Cardsyn/ |title=Cardinal Syn |website=Gamecenter |publisher=[[CNET]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20000823210700/http://gamecenter.com/Consoles/Sony/Cardsyn/ |archivedate=August 23, 2000 |accessdate=September 5, 2023}}</ref> | EGM = 3.125/10<ref name=EGM>{{cite magazine |last1=Smith |first1=Shawn |last2=Davison |first2=John |last3=Boyer |first3=Crispin |last4=Williams |first4=Ken "Sushi-X" |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/4/45/EGM_US_108.pdf |title=Cardinal Syn |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |publisher=Ziff Davis |issue=108 |date=July 1998 |page=138 |accessdate=September 5, 2023}}</ref>{{efn|Four critics of ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' gave the game each a score of 4/10, 5/10, 3.5/10, and 3/10 in an early review.}} | EPD = 5/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Lucas |first=Victor |date=October 7, 1998 |url=http://www.elecplay.com/review.html?article=227&full=1#mr_toppy |title=Cardinal Syn |website=[[EP Daily|The Electric Playground]] |publisher=Greedy Productions Ltd. |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030705212724/http://www.elecplay.com/review.html?article=227&full=1#mr_toppy |archivedate=July 5, 2003 |accessdate=September 5, 2023}}</ref> | GI = 7/10<ref name=GI>{{cite magazine |last1=McNamara |first1=Andy |last2=Storm |first2=Jon |last3=Reiner |first3=Andrew |url=http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=jun98&doc=cardinal |title=Cardinal Syn |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |publisher=[[FuncoLand]] |issue=62 |date=June 1998 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990914013732/http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=jun98&doc=cardinal |archive-date=September 14, 1999 |url-status=dead |access-date=November 28, 2020}}</ref> | GameRev = B−<ref>{{cite web |last=Zimring |first=Jason |date=September 1998 |url=http://www.game-revolution.com/games/sony/action/cardinal_syn.htm |title=Cardinal Syn - Playstation [sic] Review |website=[[GameRevolution]] |publisher=[[CraveOnline]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040419233215/http://www.game-revolution.com/games/sony/action/cardinal_syn.htm |archivedate=April 19, 2004 |accessdate=November 28, 2020}}</ref> | GSpot = 4.8/10<ref name=GSpot>{{cite news |last=MacDonald |first=Ryan |date=July 8, 1998 |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/cardinal-syn-review/1900-2546946/ |title=Cardinal Syn Review |work=GameSpot |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050101104713/http://www.gamespot.com/ps/action/cardinalsyn/review.html |archivedate=January 1, 2005 |url-status=live |accessdate=September 5, 2023}}</ref> | Hyper = 70%<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Toose |first=Dan |url=https://archive.org/details/hyper-056 |title=Cardinal Syn |magazine=[[Hyper (magazine)|Hyper]] |publisher=[[nextmedia|Next Media Pty Ltd]] |issue=56 |date=June 1998 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/hyper-056/page/48/mode/2up 48], [https://archive.org/details/hyper-056/page/52/mode/2up 53] |accessdate=November 28, 2020}}</ref> | IGN = 5.5/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Harris |first=Craig |date=October 23, 1998 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/10/24/cardinal-syn |title=Cardinal Syn |website=[[IGN]] |publisher=Ziff Davis |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230819054353/https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/10/24/cardinal-syn |archivedate=August 19, 2023 |url-status=live |accessdate=September 5, 2023}}</ref> | NGen = 2/5<ref name=NGen>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_43 |title=Cardinal Syn |magazine=Next Generation |publisher=Imagine Media |issue=43 |date=July 1998 |page=[https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_43/page/n113/mode/2up 112] |accessdate=November 28, 2020}}</ref> | OPM = 3/5<ref name=OPM>{{cite magazine |last=Mollohan |first=Gary |url=https://archive.org/details/official-u.-s.-play-station-magazine-volume-1-issue-09-june-1998 |title=Cardinal Syn |magazine=[[Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine]] |publisher=Ziff Davis |volume=1 |issue=9 |date=June 1998 |page=94 |accessdate=October 5, 2024}}</ref> }}
The game received "mixed or average" reviews according to the [[Review aggregator|review aggregation]] website [[GameRankings]].<ref name=GR/> ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]''{{'}}s early review called it "a pretty, if confusing, waste of time and effort".<ref name=NGen/> ''[[GamePro]]''{{'}}s early review said it "isn't the kind of action sedative you need—especially in the middle of a heated match. The ''Syn'' committed in this game is ''syn''-ple: Mediocrity."<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Scary Larry |url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_108_July_1998 |title=Cardinal Syn |magazine=GamePro |publisher=IDG |issue=118 |date=July 1998 |page=[https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_108_July_1998/page/n65/mode/2up 66] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041031072304/http://www.gamepro.com/sony/psx/games/reviews/262.shtml |archivedate=October 31, 2004 |url-status=live |accessdate=November 28, 2020}}</ref>{{efn|''[[GamePro]]'' gave the game 4/5 for graphics, two 3.5/5 scores for sound and control, and 3/5 for fun factor in an early review.}}
''[[Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine]]'', with a score of 3 out of 5, praised "beautiful graphics" and a "KILLER end-boss!", but were critical of AI and that it would not be deep for fighting game enthusiasts.<ref name="OPM" /> ''[[GameSpot]]'' in its review wrote that "''Cardinal Syn'' has some nice graphics and sound to set it apart from other games in the genre [..] with its typical weapon-based fighting system that plays like ''[[Soul Blade]]'' and ''[[Dynasty Warriors (1997 video game)|Dynasty Warriors]]'', ''Cardinal Syn'' just ends up coming off as another 3D fighting game knockoff".<ref name="GSpot" />
A common theme that many reviewers, including ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'', had, was that the computer AI is too weak.<ref name="EGM" /> On a more positive note, ''[[Game Informer]],'' while acknowledging that the game has flaws in gameplay and controls, praised ''Cardinal Syn''<nowiki/>'s concept, presentation and gore.<ref name="GI" />
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== Notes == {{notelist}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == *{{moby game|id=/9090/cardinal-syn/}}
[[Category:1998 video games]] [[Category:3D fighting games]] [[Category:989 Studios games]] [[Category:Fantasy video games]] [[Category:Fighting games]] [[Category:Kronos Digital Entertainment games]] [[Category:Mortal Kombat clones]] [[Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games]] [[Category:PlayStation (console) games]] [[Category:PlayStation (console)-only games]] [[Category:Sony Interactive Entertainment games]] [[Category:Video games about death games]] [[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]