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Time to Play Cardinal Syn from your favorite retro console the Sony PlayStation. Released on the Sony PlayStation, this retro classic from its publisher is ready the second you press start — no downloads, no setup.

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Cardinal Syn is a 1998 fighting video game developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. 989 Studios released it in North America.

The Story Behind Cardinal Syn

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. Cardinal Syn has eight playable fighting characters, each with their own goal for retrieving the Book of Knowledge: 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.

989 Studios released it in North America. 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.

How Cardinal Syn Plays

Warfare had engulfed the Clans of the Bloodlands for many generations, each having a great hatred for the other. Moving away from the sci-fi theme in Criticom, Cardinal Syn takes place in a dark medieval and bloody world. 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.

Cardinal Syn has eight playable fighting characters, each with their own goal for retrieving the Book of Knowledge: 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. 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.

Why Players Still Load It Up

The game received "mixed or average" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. On a more positive note, Game Informer, while acknowledging that the game has flaws in gameplay and controls, praised Cardinal Syns concept, presentation and gore. 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, Cardinal Syn just ends up coming off as another 3D fighting game knockoff".

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. 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. GamePros early review said it "isn't the kind of action sedative you need—especially in the middle of a heated match.

Cardinal Syn — Frequently Asked Questions

Can I save my progress in Cardinal Syn?

It does — with a free account you can snapshot the game at any point using save states, then pick it up later from exactly that spot.

How many players does Cardinal Syn support?

Cardinal Syn supports 1 player(s) in this browser version.

Can I play Cardinal Syn online for free?

Absolutely. The full game loads in the player at the top of this page and runs right in your browser — no installs, no plugins, no waiting.

Do I need a controller to play Cardinal Syn?

No. Keyboard controls work out of the box (see the controls panel), and any USB or Bluetooth gamepad is detected automatically.

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