Cauldron (video game)
| Cauldron | |
|---|---|
The box art depicts the main protagonist, a witch. Artwork by Steve Brown. | |
| Developer | Palace Software |
| Publisher | Palace Software |
| Designer | Steve Brown |
| Programmers | Richard Leinfellner, Stanley Schembri |
| Composer | Keith Miller |
| Platforms | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Enterprise 128 |
| Release | 1985 |
| Genres | Platform, scrolling shooter |
| Mode | Single-player |
Cauldron is a video game developed and published by British developer Palace Software in 1985 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC home computers. It contains both platform game and horizontally scrolling shooter sections. Players control a witch who aims to become the "Witch Queen" by defeating an enemy called the "Pumpking".
Designed by Steve Brown and Richard Leinfellner, Cauldron originated as a licensed game of the horror film Halloween. Brown eventually altered the game to use a theme based on the Halloween holiday. The mix of two genres resulted from Brown and Leinfellner wanting to make a shoot 'em up and platform game, respectively. The developers realised that there were no technical limitations preventing the genres from being combined.
The game received praise from video game magazines, who focused on the graphics and two different modes of play. A common complaint was Cauldron's excessive difficulty. The following year, Palace released a direct sequel titled Cauldron II: The Pumpkin Strikes Back.