In 1985, Sierra On-Line released the adventure game, The Black Cauldron. The title is based on the Disney film of the same name. Releasing shortly after King’s Quest, The Black Cauldron had a lot of similar design philosophies. That being said the game went on to do well even though certain ports were criticized for not being as good as others. Enjoyment of The Black Cauldron depends mostly on whether you like the other Sierra adventure games.
©Gameplay screenshot of The Black Cauldron – Original / License
The Premise Of The Black Cauldron
Players play the role of a young pig keeper named Taran. Taran is on a quest to stop the evil Horned King. The gameplay is meant to be accessible to children. The game’s mechanics such as the inventory, item use, and look mechanic have all been allocated to buttons. Many fans consider the title to be ahead of its time since this simplification of adventure mechanics wouldn’t reappear in the genre for the next decade or so.
©Gameplay screenshot of The Black Cauldron – Original / License
The Main Characters of The Black Cauldron
- Taran – the young protagonist of The Black Cauldron.
- Horned King – a symbol of terror, seeking the cauldron to command an undead army.
- Princess Eilonwy – not your typical princess.
- Fflewddur Fflam – the bard with a knack for exaggeration, humor, and light-heartedness.
- Gurgi – The courageous yet timid misfit of the gang.
- Orgoch / Orddu / Orwen – The three mischievous witches embody the darker aspect of magic in The Black Cauldron.
- Creeper – The cowardly assistant of the Horned King.
- Doli – A short-tempered fairy who aids Taran.
- King Eidilleg – The ruler of the kingdom.
The Black Cauldron Cheat Codes
Debug Mode Codes
Pressing “Alt + D” during gameplay will enable debug mode. The version number and location coordinates will be displayed. The following codes can now be entered at the command window at the bottom of the screen to activate the corresponding function.
| Effect | Code |
|---|---|
| Assign new value to chosen variable | set var |
| Change your current X/Y coordinates on current screen | position |
| Obtain all items in game | gimme gimme |
| Prompts you to select an object to obtain | get object |
| Resets chosen flag | reset flag |
| Sets chosen flag | set flag |
| Show Priorities of current screen. Press ESC or Enter to return to normal view. | show priority |
| Shows chosen flag | show flag |
| Shows chosen variable | show var |
| Teleport | tp |
Debug Mode Item Codes
| Effect | Code |
|---|---|
| Apple | 8 |
| Book of Knowledge | 20 |
| Bread | 25 |
| Bread | 24 |
| Bread | 5 |
| Cookies | 9 |
| Corn | 2 |
| Dagger | 11 |
| Flying Dust | 15 |
| Food Wallet | 4 |
| Gruel | 3 |
| Harp | 13 |
| Hero Shield | 22 |
| Keys | 16 |
| Knapsack | 1 |
| Lute | 14 |
| Magic Mirror | 19 |
| Magic Sword | 12 |
| Magic Word | 18 |
| Pot of Gold | 21 |
| Rope | 10 |
| Suit of Armor | 23 |
| Tin Cup | 17 |
| Water | 7 |
| Water Flask | 6 |
Miscellaneous Codes
How Points Are Scored
- 5 points for feeding Hen Wen (You may feed her the corn or the gruel)
- 4 points for finding the secret house in the bushes
- 20 points for bringing Hen Wen to the secret house
- 5 points for getting through the mountain maze
- 5 points for tossing rope across the cliff
- 6 points for successfully navigating the ledges
- 5 points for getting by the crocodiles (swim diagonally to fake them out)
- 18 points for climbing up the castle wall successfully (avoid the smooth grey spots and you’ll be all right. Alternative entry by henchman’s cart also gets you 18 points.)
- 20 points for rescuing Hen Wen from the castle (throw her over the railing on the far west side)
- 6 points for knocking on your prison door with the tin cup (alternatively, if you fall through the garbage chute, you get 6 points.)
- 10 points for falling through the trap door
- 10 points for searching the wall and making a hole you can walk through
- 8 points for getting the sword
- 8 points for getting the keys
- 9 points for freeing Fflewdurr
- 13 points for leaving the castle
- 10 points for giving Gurgi the apple
- 13 points for finding Eiddileg’s secret chambers (by mistake)
- 10 points for giving the lute to Eiddileg
- 10 points for giving the secret word to Eiddileg
- 15 points for finding the witches’ cottage in the Marshes of Morva (either by flying
- or jumping.)
- 18 points for offering the sword to witches
- 30 points for Ending A — You enter the Black Cauldron, not having made friends with Gurgi
- 20 points for Ending B — Jump into the cauldron yourself, but Gurgi goes in your place
- 15 points for Ending C — You ask witches to resurrect Gurgi, i.e. wait
- 25 points for Ending D — Show the mirror to the Horned King
- 15 points for Ending E — You ask witches for the magic sword back, i.e. wait
Exceed Maximum Score
When required to give a musical instrument to the king of the fair folk (and having to choose between the Harp and the Lute), if you’re quick enough you can squeeze in giving them both before the plot continues, getting 10 points for each. This way, it’s possible to end up with 240 out of 230 points at the end of the game.
Walk On Water
After successfully climbing the rope across the mountain, press the “F6” key to grasp the rope once again. Press the “END” key and Taran will simultaneously fall off the rope and land on the cliff. This will cause Taran’s feet to move continuously while standing still. You can now walk across any body of water. Without dying, this will allow you to cross the Morva Marsh, the Rapid River, and the Alligator Lake.
King’s Quest 3: To Heir Is Human Easter Egg
Walk Taran repeatedly into the eastern wall of the room where Fflewddur appears. He will discover a crack in the wall and peek through, seeing someone playing “King’s Quest 3: To Heir Is Human” on the other side.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©The box art of the Black Cauldron.