Hardcore Gaming 101: War of the Dead

PC88 - January 1989

Around two years after the MSX2 release, in January 1989, a remade version of War of the Dead, subtitled Browning's Resurrection, was released for NEC's PC88 home computer. The differences between the two are extensive.

What's immediately apparent is the scale of the game: everything in relation to your character seems larger. It's also considerably faster, with improved walking speeds and no need to bother with menus when searching boxes or talking to people, just touch them to activate (this is a blessing). Although the PC88 version only displays 8 colours on-screen, compared to the MSX2's 16, it uses a much higher resolution, mixing pixels to imply more colours. With objects appearing bigger, more detailed, and much bolder in colour and style, the PC88 actually looks better in motion than the MSX2 version, which feels antiquated. It also uses some border artwork featuring two biomechanical skeletons, which we've removed from most screens here.

The one major downgrade is that battles no longer have dedicated backgrounds based on location, and instead take place in an empty black square. Also, while the MSX2 had multiple enemies on-screen, the PC88 limits you to just one, which has the advantage of making it much easier. Along with these cutbacks combat has been completely overhauled with several improvements. Enemy encounter rates have been reduced significantly, and if you aren't moving you won't get attacked, unlike the MSX2 version. The encounter rate may still prove frustrating for some, but the game only rolls a number with each step, so it's possible to quick save after walking a short distance, and reload if you encounter a battle.

Guns also now have unlimited ammunition (to our knowledge the version tested did not have a trainer enabling this). To prevent combat becoming too easy, certain enemies are only weak to specific weapons. For example the Rock Monster is impervious to attack with the gun, rifle or shotgun, but can be dispatched with the knife. Using psychic power to charge weapons is still possible, this time giving them a numerical value which decreases with each shot fired. Overall battles are a lot more fun to engage in. Having said all this though, enemies still don't drop any items and there's no levelling system, so they're entirely redundant, acting only to slow you down. There are d88 files floating around with a trainer that removes overworld encounters and some but not all interior ones, which considerably speeds up play time.

Generally the PC88 version has most of the enemies found in the MSX2 game, although you only fight them singularly. Where it differs drastically is the map, NPCs you can encounter and overall structure. The Harvard survivor is missing entirely, replaced by Whitman, while the map has undergone major changes. Gone are the fires which blocked your path and a lot of the rocky mazes, while the spaces between areas has increased, giving the world a much larger and more realistic feel. There's also the introduction of the boat shed and changing of certain objectives, which significantly alters the pacing. Additionally, the boat you later acquire is no longer an item to be carried, but is a vehicle which has to be left on the shore. This further increases the map size - previously once the boat was acquired you could ignore the rivers, whereas now you need to be aware of where you're beaching so you can later return.

Other changes include removal of the day/night cycle, which is a shame since it was a good idea. Along with it goes the ability to sleep, plus the sleeping bag, flare and goggles. The bush knife weapon is removed, in the MSX2 game it acted just like the knife but with extended range. The sub-machinegun is also gone, as is the parabola launcher. You do get a nifty flamethrower though, which is new. Areas are also dotted with more crates holding items - for example in the church there are now around half a dozen recovery items. With the addition of new event scenes, such as the massive hole in the school classroom, there are extra items such as the 'Jacob's ladder' (this is a nautical term for a specialist type of rope ladder - though ironically the film came out after the game so the two are unconnected).

Similarities in music composition between the MSX2 and PC88 vary, but the PC88's fantastic synth sounding tunes are actually an improvement over the MSX2. It's reminiscent of cyberpunk themed games, or something from the C64 or Amiga's music library. It's more foreboding, and gives the game an even greater atmosphere of oppression and hopelessness.

Playing it today

The game is well worth trying, and could be the best version of the original three. While the MSX2 release may have birthed the series, it was the PC88 remake which created the template for the subsequent PC-Engine version, and to a degree influenced the sequel. The PC88 and PCE games are even similar enough in structure and objectives that you could use the walkthrough (though not the map) for the PCE version to complete this one. Which is its biggest attraction: it's actually playable compared to its predecessor. For those emulating, here is a zip file containing two d88 files of the game, one with a trainer which reduces enemy encounters, and a standard version. The standard version comes with a pre-made save file further into the game (choose load from the title, the raft has been left some ways east and south a bit). Saving in the PC88 version has been reduced to only inside the church, which is fine, since it prevents you breaking your game by saving when close to death. Not that it matters, since the M88 emulator allows for quick-saving. There are no fan-translations available, but the PCE guide is mostly compatible (see below).

PC-Engine - March 1989

This is the version likely to interest people. Released around two months after the PC88 game, the two titles were most likely developed concurrently. Which is interesting, since the PCE version has some major differences.

Besides the obvious increase in onscreen colours, the other major improvement is the battle system which has been overhauled. Battles now take place in large, horizontally scrolling arenas, which a distinct background based on where it was randomly triggered. The scrolling is super smooth, giving the game its Zelda II vibe, and you can escape by walking off either the left or rightmost edges. There's also a levelling system now, since certain enemies drop blue orbs which give EXP, and at set points this results in a stat boost. Enemies also drop ammunition, health pick-ups, and PSI rejuvenators. To balance this there are far less recovery items on the world map compared to the PC88 release (in our PCE playthrough we found roughly 10 recovery items all in, compared to around triple this in the PC88 version). With guns now requiring ammunition, there's a communal pool of bullets, with each weapon using a different amount: the gun and rifle use one bullet per single shot, whereas the shotgun fires a 3-way shot but consumes 9 bullets (rendering it too thirsty to be useful).

Due to the levelling system and need to conserve ammunition, the PCE game starts off extremely difficult. By the time you've levelled up a couple of times you'll likely be out of ammo, at which point it's worth wandering the overworld farming ammunition boxes from the tiny orange and green crab monsters. After a few hours though the difficulty drops off and it becomes a little too easy. Interestingly, if your EXP goes over 9999 it resets all the way to zero. As Videogameden.com reveals though, this would appear intentional, as explained by a pink slip of paper included in the PCE version:

War of the Dead on PC-Engine comes with a little pink disclaimer that advises the player on five things to do to win the game. It explains that listening and talking to people is more important than getting experience points. It even states that Laila can't gain more that 9999 experience points, and if she does, her stats will go back to zero and she will die. This is rather interesting, most of the other sites on the web claim that this is a bug - all of this leaves us to wonder if the developers finally decided to turn this bug into a feature or if it was deliberately designed this way. The disclaimer also warns that there is a mistake in the instruction manual, although it mentions that the player can carry 15 items, he actually can only carry 14 in the game. They acknowledge and apologize for the annoying length of the passwords and recommend to directly contact them if you happen to be stuck in the game.

Which raises another point about the PCE version: unlike the computer versions it has no save feature, and instead relies on a 54 character password. This is both alpha-numerical and features both Japanese Kana scripts, for a total of 128 available characters. It's the worst back-up system imaginable, which is why, as many people point out, War of the Dead is best experienced now through emulation.

In a lot of ways the PCE release is less substantial than its PC88 forbearer. Clearly the HuCard medium wasn't big enough, since whereas the PC88 and MSX2 versions had at least 38 unique enemies, the PCE game has at best maybe 15 which then undergo repeated palette swaps. They're also less gruesome and weird than in earlier games. Furthermore, there is less detail in the environments, despite the improved colours. Since the map is zoomed out more, it all adds to a feeling of bareness on PCE. The ruined library on PC88 had bookshelves and strewn rocks, whereas on PCE it looks like someone's garage. As does the military base and adjacent ruins. The town's general store looks rather basic compared to its PC88 equivalent, as does the log cabin. Also, notice how in the PCE version none of the school classrooms have TVs? Other changes include not seeing the characters you rescue once on the world map; on PC88 you saw them following you all the way back to the church.

This is all a terrible shame, since while the PCE had the power to draw some exquisitely beautiful sprites, implement smoother scrolling and feature a really slick and very fun battle system, it lacked the memory to use this power to its full potential. As such battles become rather repetitive with the same boring enemies, and the environments feel a little too empty. Oh, if only it had been a PC-Engine CD-ROM2 game!

In-spite all these complaints though, it still retains a lingering charm. The first War of the Dead on PC-Engine is resplendent with numerous idiosyncrasies unique to older videogames. It mixes genres and styles (both overhead and side-on), contains mainly fetch-quests, has an obtuse levelling system, relies on passwords instead of a save system, starts off unforgivingly difficult but becomes progressively easier until you reach 9999 EXP, whereupon your level resets and you die - and yet still remains intriguing. It's also an example of a really weird, really imaginative Japanese action-RPG. In 1987 and 1989 Japan was on top of the world, and despite the archaic problems endemic with WotD, it still holds value for those willing to persevere and with the Japanese language ability to enjoy its story.

It is something the likes of which will never be made again.

Playing it today

The ROM can be found in the usual places, though sadly it has yet to be looked at by fan translators. A numbered map of the entire overworld can be found here. The corresponding walkthrough, which has been Babelfish translated from its original Japanese (complete with original author's mistakes), can be found here as a TXT file. It won't explain the backstories of the characters, but it gives just enough information in wacky Engrish to aid completion without making it too easy. Be sure to speak to every character multiple times, and investigate anything of interest. The manual is also available in PDF form from Videogameden.

According to some sources War of the Dead 2 was first released on the MSX2, in 1988. Which would put it a year before the PC88 and PCE ports of its predecessor. The WotD2 port to PC88 meanwhile came later in 1989. Given the nature of the developer and hardware, plus lack of information on the title screens, accurate information is difficult to come by. It's set some years after the incident in the first game (where Lila managed to avert a portal into hell consuming the whole world), and terrorists have targeted the industrial city of Sun Dorado.

The recently completed Keel Nuclear Power Plant has been taken over, and S-SWAT are tasked with handling the situation. Except as Lila (now promoted to Lieutenant) points out in the intro, why send in the Supernatural SWAT squad to deal with common terrorists? As the Chief reveals, they've found strange creatures in sewers - creatures not of this world, but from Hades (the other dimension in the first game), meaning whoever was behind the previous crisis is behind this one. What survivors remain are barricading themselves indoors. The city has been cordoned off and Lila is the prime candidate for the mission. So off she sets, with four fellow S-SWAT members, to regain control.

This sequel has undergone radical changes from the original, with all of the RPG trappings stripped out. There's no longer any kind of stats, menu system to navigate, day/night cycle, overworld map, or weapon recovery items. In fact the only items are drugs, which restore health to maximum and only one can be carried at a time, and key items with further the story. The biggest (and arguably best) change is the combat: there are no longer any random battles. Taking place on a series of massively sprawling maps, as opposed to shrunken JRPG-style maps which warp you to new maps when entering buildings, all enemies can be seen immediately. Furthermore you never fight more than a single enemy at a time. If there's something hostile in a new area, you can see his health bar at the bottom.

In a lot of ways it closely resembles the original Metal Gear, except more sedate and with greater emphasis on NPC dialogue. One especially nice touch though is that you meet Carrie from the previous game - she's now a journalist reporting on events, and shows up to speak with you and reveal clues. There's only one gun throughout, with a single ammunition upgrade about halfway which increases your power. Otherwise ammunition itself is infinite and enemies, restricted to a maximum of one per room, take the form of very easy minibosses. Defeating certain larger enemies results in a permanent health bar increase, much like rescuing POWs did in Metal Gear.

There aren't really any puzzles, with progress based on exploration and generally going with the flow of directions. You'll get radio messages from survivors who point you to specific buildings, defeat bosses to gain entry, and retrieve items which allow progress. None of these are easy to miss, and key things like the dynamite, medicine and bottle of gin are quickly gained simply by talking to people. Sometimes, in the case of the bridge key, you'll need to traipse back and forth several times in a single area: first to the mayor's assistant, then the gate attendant, fight a boss in his house, back to the attendant, back to his house, to the gate control room, and then you can progress.

We've not included any character profiles, since unlike the previous game there are no character portraits and, furthermore, no one besides Lila is of any great importance. Although you'll meet-up and talk with fellow S-SWAT members, help two bumbling police officers, rescue the mayor's daughter, take out terrorists, meet a radio DJ, and save nuclear power plant workers, none of them exist other than to facilitate your next goal. The police in particular appear especially stupid, since you meet them standing in an empty yard, whereupon they only show up again to take credit for your actions.

The above text, describing a mixture of easy boss fights and basic lock-and-key progress, probably sounds negative. But I want to emphasise that it shouldn't be taken that way - WotD2 succeeds even more than the first game in creating an incredible sense of atmosphere. It's more like a book or a film where you need to go through the motions of events. You have direct control over everything, unlike an FMV game, but there's little room for variation as the game shuttles you from one awesome set-piece to another - and it does a tremendous job with this. War of the Dead 2 is like an amalgamation of all your favourite 1980s action/horror/sci-fi movies, especially all of those by John Carpenter (The Thing, They Live, Prince of Darkness), wrapped up in a shell resembling Metal Gear.

Although the fan-translation obviously had to lose some of the text, there's still suspense as the intriguing plot is reveal in snippets. As it turns out the entire crisis has been orchestrated by a disfigured brother and sister who have psychic powers like Lila - the brother describing her as a gatekeeper like himself. Now head of a strange religious cult, it's revealed the siblings' mother took her life 11 years ago, and shortly thereafter the brother killed the father. Along the way you explore the city slums and end up at their house, which results in a rather sticky situation. A good word to summarise the adventure would be diversity, since the game constantly throws new situations and areas at you, helping to dismiss concerns about lack of mechanical depth or character backgrounds.

The Japanese term for a game which is more about atmosphere than play mechanics is funiki, and it's certainly applicable here. The pacing is fast, the combat simple but inoffensive, and progression more akin to a graphic adventure without puzzles, but everything it throws at you manages to remain exciting and drenched in atmosphere. Moments such as discovering the secret path behind the mayor's house, getting jailed, preventing a nuclear meltdown, donning night-vision goggles, exploring an abandoned subway, or closing a gateway to the bowels of hell, are all things which will linger in the mind.

War of the Dead 2 might not appeal to modern gamers, but for those who can appreciate older titles, it's one hell of an adventure.

Version differences

The two games are absolutely identical in terms of design. The only slight differences are cosmetic and the result of hardware variation. The PC88 game uses less colours than the MSX2 but has a higher resolution, which results in a wider field of vision, as highlighted by the cooling towers image below. Even so, by mixing pixels of disparate colour the PC88 is able to achieve an equivalent hue - shrinking the PC88 screens down in size using anti-aliasing makes them difficult to tell apart. The PC88 version also benefits from a much better soundtrack. The music has heavier bass and synth sounds to it, making it sound like an old John Carpenter film - which only enhances the horror movie atmosphere. This zip file contains a music file from the first game on PCE and second game on PC88 (boss track).

One other difference, caused by the hardware, is that the MSX2 game has speed issues. This isn't the result of badly optimised emulation though. Bullets travel at a much slower speed on the MSX2, to the point you can fire and then run after the bullet, and it will appear to be stuck to your head. On PC88 projectiles move with greater speed. Clearly the MSX2 was being pushed hard with WotD 2, and the unfortunate side effect is that movement and battles are much more lethargic. A frame-skip button will help with movement speed if you're emulating, but you should accept that combat will be a little more drawn out. Of course, since only the MSX2 game is in English, it is still the definitive version.

Playing it today

Thanks to MSX translation group Oasis, War of the Dead 2 has been available in English since 1997. You can download pre-patched MSX2 disks from Generation MSX, which run fine on BlueMSX (those with a modded Xbox are encouraged to get an MSX emulator for that, since it's great on an SD TV). It's about 98% translated, with only a handful of Japanese dialogue boxes left incomplete

Regardless of its design flaws and slow pace, WotD2 is an excellent adventure, and an essential title for retro fans. It can be completed in a weekend and there aren't any sticking points, but just in case you do get stuck, there's a comprehensive map here. To load a save file in either version, hit F1. The other controls are the arrow keys, fire and inventory.

Links and thanks:

Thanks to Trickless and Snake Plissken at Tokugawa Corp
Magweasel
Videogameden
PCE guide
PCE map and guide
MSX/PC88/PCE comparison info and screens
Generation MSX
WotD2 guide by P and P by PPPP