But soon, people inevitably delve deeper into the planet. While taming the
   land and the mountains, there occurs a series of macabre discoveries. The
   people are finding bones...tons of them...their ancestors' bones...by the
   millions. What sort of pestilence had wrought the devastation? Was it the hand
   of man -- past citizens of Arkos -- or was it some foreign-born force?

   The questions weigh heavily on everyone and soon the entire planet is
   wrapped in cynicism, mistrust, and disappointment. The planet fractures and
   countries withdraw into isolation the way their elders did years ago, "The
   Masters of the Guild," fade into obscurity.

   But simple technology still has a place in the people's hearts, largely due to
   the Mech Smiths, or "Gadgeteers." No one knows where they hail from, but the
   Mech Smiths are NOT from the planet Arkos. Out of boredom, the Mech Smiths
   peddle peculiar technologies upon the street, but dwell in relative obscurity.

   Then, on a gentle spring evening, it all hits the fan. Chaos descends, a coastal
   town is silently crushed, and every last citizen is reduced to a smoldering pile
   of ashes. It is a plague that cares not who it attacks, reducing each victim to
   blubbering, raving, infantile lunatics. The Gadgeteers have disappeared,
   hysteria reigns, and death lurks in every shadow. Towns erect fatal barriers,
   and let no one pass, as the disease starts to breed dreadful, bloodthirsty
   monsters.

   Stinger, our hero, has seen his entire family, community, and church social
   reduced to dusty powder. He has nothing to do, nowhere to turn, so he heads
   for Karillon, the seat of power for the entire planet. Surely they must have a
   cure? On the road to Karillon, Stinger witnesses a path of destruction beyond
   his comprehension. But there! at a fork in the road, stands another human
   being. It is Windleaf, who relates to Stinger her tale of a terrible creature, a
   phantasm, scooping up and treasuring each dust pile, each former person.
   Stinger had seen the creature too, and together they set off, aware of the ever
   growing danger.

   And such is the backstory of Shadow Madness, Crave Entertainment's new
   RPG for the Sony PlayStation. With pre-rendered backdrops reminiscent of
   Final Fantasy VII, classic RPG battle structure, a well-constructed story, and a
   blend of mech and magic (FF III anyone?), Shadow Madness looks to be
   1998's benchmark for U.S. produced RPGs.