Shiryou Sensen: War of the Dead, Flawed but Important Early Horror

[@denNESdanMAKU]

The Artwork of these games are ultra cool! Also pretty refreshing to see a female hero instead of a buffed dude with a bandana.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Always a fan of female protagonists from this era! Buff dudes with bandanas aren't too bad, though.

[@Devilman6066]

Thank you for taking the time to beat this. I know how arduous it can be to complete something that falls short of promising.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Well, it's my pleasure...well, it wasn't really that much of a pleasure at points, but you know what I mean. Thanks for watching!

[@LanEXHikari]

Fantastic, it is amazing that there are titles like this that still go unappreciated, it truly shared most elements that contemporary survival horror games are notorious for. Thank very much for the video ✌🏼

[@ImportGamingFTW]

You're welcome, thank you for watching!

[@orenges]

this game is so underrated and has the BEST main theme

[@barry-allenthe-flash8396]

Oh, very cool to see some coverage on this! I knew about this because of HardcoreGaming101, but yeah, it's super obscure even compared to Sweet Home... I bet it would be more well respected if it was on more platforms, oh well. At least you're fighting the good fight to get recognition for a deserving retro title! Seriously, very cool to see a vid on this for Halloween. It's also nice to see the return of a Chibisode! 😄

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Thanks! I'll probably do another "chibisode" right after I do a couple of videos about Tactics Ogre.

[@slopesgameroom]

Always got time for videos like this :D

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Why, thank you. Fancy seeing you here, Mr. Ibbertson!

[@Chickenrio]

Nice video Jimmy! It's always great to see videos on PC Engine games.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Thanks for watching! I don't talk about the PC Engine much, but it's always a pleasure when I get the chance.

[@BakiX]

Thanks to you and this awesome video, not only was I able to discover this game for the first time, but even play it all the way until completion, finishing it today! Thanks! 👍

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Oh wow, you ended up beating it, too? Thank you for watching, and I hope you enjoyed the game. Dated, of course, but it has its charms!

[@BakiX]

@@ImportGamingFTW Sure did! It deeefintely has its weaknesses, getting lost and trying to figure out "what to do next" in junction with random encounters can be...hair pulling, to say the least lol. But its story and constant introduction to new characters helps keep things fresh, as does that addictive world map music~. Its rough around the edges, but for me at least, theres such a genuine charm to how much scope this title tries to give off at a time where, on a technical level, scope and capabilities were just so limited. Despite its frustrations, you can see the passion behind it. And I just cant help but find that admirable and appreciate it for that.

[@goatbone]

I love discovering new games, thank you for exposing us to new games. That password system is by far the scariest part of the whole game. The protagonist reminds me of the WURM protagonist.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Thank you for watching, beware of awful password systems. And I was wondering who Lyla reminded me of with her green hair, I think I too was getting WURM vibes.

[@RiderWithTheScarf]

I swear, every time I dive into the old japanese PC and PC-E games there's always some kind of treasure to discover that is sadly not iterated upon as much as their more mainstream counterparts. It is funny to see the Zelda 2 formula though working far better for these games rather than Link's own adventure. And hey, if Project Z, Thexder and many such classics can get faithful remakes that completely iron out the flaws, maybe this has a chance too. We're getting some Jaleco love this days after all. Here's hoping.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

True, there are some remakes coming out that I would have never thought publishers would revisit...I saw a bunch of Demon Crystal games were on the Switch e-shop and I had to do a double take. I'd love for War of the Dead to get the (proper) remake treatment!

[@user-dd6on5cr3u]

Damn I know there is already Amelie Doree’s channel but it’d be awesome to see you cover anything from the PC-98 someday. Awesome Chibisode!

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Thank you--I hope to find a working PC-98 for a good deal someday, there are a few games for the computer I'd really like to try out--and of course talk about on the channel.

[@Johnnygrafx]

Went I went searching for info on this game I had no idea I'd come across such a high quality review for it! Well done sir. Subbed! 🙂

[@novelezra]

Damn that WAR OF THE DEAD guide has some wonderful art in it. Do you know if it's the same artist who did the Howard and Nestor stuff? They look really similiar. Also that PC88 cover is wonderful. I love how Alien inspired an entire generation of Japanese gaming companies to play female protags. EDIT also if you have a link to the scans of the guide I'd love to see them!

[@ImportGamingFTW]

I'm pretty certain it's Shuji Imai's art, the guy who did Howard & Nester. I can check the guide later though to confirm, assuming he's credited properly. Yeah, the MSX2/PC-88 cover is one of my favorite box art designs--I might do a short/casual video talking about some of my other favorites. I have the scans that I made, if I had a website or something, I'd post them there. Maybe I'll use the community tab.

[@novelezra]

@@ImportGamingFTW If I was you I'd just upload it to the internet archive!

[@primokarma9841]

looks so cool

[@thebestchatman1578]

Great Work As Always Jimmy!!!

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Thanks, Chatman!

[@st1ka]

damn, I had actually never heard of either the MSX OR the Pc engine versions. Though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised both of those systems have most of their libraries exclusive to Japan. P.S. Great to see you post another video my dude! ^^

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Thanks, Mr. St1ka--I need to watch you 8-bit spoopy games video!

[@st1ka]

@@ImportGamingFTW thank you good sir ^^

[@Darkbeatdk]

Great review. I picked this up a few years ago after hearing about how early of a survival horror game it was and because I like action RPGs in this style and of this time period, but I've never gotten very far in it, so thank you for letting me know what to expect from this one. Gotta avoid those bugs!

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Thank you--hope you get back into the game and can avoid some of the many pitfalls found within!

[@quietmind0zero]

I was lost playing this three decades ago. It has its charms. Yeah the language barrier made it super hard enjoyable.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Thanks, you know I think I heard about it from RetroRGB, but it slipped my mind. That's awesome there's a patch for that version, it's really good.

[@quietmind0zero]

@@ImportGamingFTW Cool I will check it out then. Thanks

[@ImportGamingFTW]

@@quietmind0zero My apologies, my previous reply was meant for someone else's comment! What I meant to say to you is that I'm all about games with charm, even if they may not be all that great! Anyway, thanks for watching and for the reply.

[@NIGH11]

New Jimmy ! Huzzah ! Weirdly i saw no alert for this channel and only knew to check here directly after seeing it on the Happy Console Gamer ! Susan should know by now i need to know when there's a new IGFTW post haste !

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Thanks, Kev--actually, this time Susan has been sharing the video out more than ever, which is why this video has decent views. Not getting to my subscribers, as usual, but I appreciate the bone thrown my way for once.

[@noneofyourbusiness4616]

This is the kind of game the Happy Console Gamer would be TOO SCARED to feature on his channel.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

I know, that guy's such a coward.

[@jq908]

😎

[@tufrabza]

Green haired, pony tailed protagonist woman... @1:47 she looks like Lyn from Fire Emblem (I'm sure its just a coincidence, and Lyn came out like 15 years later)

[@doublestarships646]

This game can definitely get a remake and be a hit.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

100%, and I hope it happens someday.

[@otaking3582]

This definitely seems like the type of game that would benefit from a fan-made remake. Keep the basic elements and gameplay, combine elements of the MSX and PCE versions, and maybe add some modern conveniences.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

That would be something I'd get excited about!

[@andlopez18]

Jimmy, excellent video. I didn't know this game existed. The concept and art of the game are very interesting, but it shows that it has aged. However, it is still an innovative game for the time.

[@mariusamber3237]

You mentioned the bugs - funnily, the fan-translators fixed them, apparently there were some simple coding errors involved that they hadn't managed to fix before the release (absence of overflow checks or something). As for the game - yeah, it has its issues, some seriously significant, but the theme was interesting at the very least back in the day.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

That's cool that the patch fixed those bugs, I figured it was something that was just overlooked and it was too late to go back and fix when discovered. Yeah, despite the frustration and flaws with this game, the theme and overall odd charm to it makes it a winner in my book.

[@tiagokang639]

0:32 is that Daigo Umehara on the cover?

[@rockymitsu]

Probably! but the original character died in the film

[@WeWillAlwaysHaveVALIS]

Cool video, a remake/remaster of this would be a great idea. I'd certainly be interested in playing it at least.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Fingers crossed, all the elements are already in place to make a great game...just needs to be rearranged a bit and polished up some more.

[@WeWillAlwaysHaveVALIS]

@@ImportGamingFTW I do have vague memories of playing a game that was similar in presentation (horror RPG featuring the undead) for the Commodore 64 I had as a child, though this was the early 90s, I'm just wondering what on earth it could have been (I had a lot of pirated tapes that were compilations of games and were also unlabeled).

[@lancem6755]

Ditto Slope, thanks for sharing Jimmy! Ouch, that password screen is brutal. I wouldn't play it due to that alone. (without save states)

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Thanks for watching early, Lance! I thought about cutting together a horror movie like scene for the password screen, but figured it would be too much. There were several times where I had to reset due to glitches... the nightmare of having to input those passwords each time...

[@darktetsuya]

can't believe I missed this one but definitely considering looking it up one way or the other ... hopefully the MSX original doesn't have any of those game-breaking issues present on PCE? but one I'm gonna have to look up for sure.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

I don't think the MSX2 game nor the PC-98 versions have such bugs. The MSX2 game and the PCE version have a very different feel and quite a few different scenarios. I may try to record a full playthrough of the original and do a video on it sometime.

[@jebibones4282]

The MSX2 version is worth playing still, despite being very cryptic in what i wants the player to do. It has a day and night cycle, and better artwork than the PCE version, among other things. If anyone wants to play it, I highly recommend checking the map I made a while ago (because apparently nobody on the internet bothered to make one for the msx2 version), as it's overworld changes quite a bit in every edition. I donated it to the Grid Cartographer site, but if you want the exported png version of it, let me know and I'll send you a link. I also translated the games manual, as a bonus.

[@blindcrow849]

Cool video. But there is also a quite interesting point about it. The artist who made the illustrations for the guide book you showed is definitely the same that made the Nintendo Power's Howard and Nester comics, who is still a mistery today. If you could check who draw in this guide book, you might help solve it one and for all.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

I'm fairly certain it's Shuji Imai's artwork, but I'll see if there are any credits the next time I take a look at the guide. Thank you for watching!

[@blindcrow849]

@@ImportGamingFTW Thanks! Someone confirmed he was credited for this guide, so no need for to check anymore. I always loved this artist but was unable to find his name, as many others as it seems.

[@seanhardy5340]

There is no question. Whoever did that manual art (or strategy guide) IS the artist who did the early Howard and Nester comics in Nintendo Power. If you have his name, let it be known.

[@seanhardy5340]

I stand corrected. Shuji Imai drew Howard and Nester. We can only assume Nintendo/Tokuma Shoten must have paid well at the time.

[@practicallyneutral]

...so THAT'S what MF stands for...

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Heeeeeey, long time! Also, thank you for becoming a member! You're the first (and only at the moment). Hope you're doing well, I think about you and the family often. I'm surprised we haven't had a catch up in a while.

[@aliceinmansonland448]

All right! There's an English patch!

[@ImportGamingFTW]

I love it when there's an English patch for these old Japanese games.

[@vectrex28]

This is one HuCard I didn't give much thought about despite owning it. Might pop it in again and see how it goes despite the flaws you pointed out

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Did you end up giving it another go?

[@Zeithri]

Those character designs for the S-SWAT team.. One looks like the inspiration for Chris and the other Barry! But there's no WESKERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Nice observation!

[@Novapoid]

What a great, entertaining video. Never heard of this game before; I 100% agree this is the kind of title that should get a modern remake, fixing every crucial area that prevented it from achieving true cult status. I love the concept and the atmosphere, just not the execution (mainly referring to gameplay variety & bugs).

[@briteboy6131]

This is a title I've been interested in for a while, and I had just recently decided to try it out again through emulation. (I love it when things are timed like this, lol). This game definitely isn't perfect, but something about it makes me want to actually finish it

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Good luck making it through--at least with emulation, you won't have to worry about passwords!

[@briteboy6131]

Yeah, there are some valid arguments against emulation, but I can't complain about save states for difficult parts, and the convenience of having all kinds of fun obscure stuff I've been meaning to play through or finish available on a modded switch. Having a screen for handhelds and the dock for everything else is more handy than I thought it would be too. I'd recommend it, especially for travelling.

[@fazares]

Cool game...i already knew it but wasnt aware of the computer versions

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Yeah, I might do a video at some point about the MSX2 version.

[@BelleDelphin]

A PC-88 version is the best for me. It has some strange infernal vibe. Also, the 8 colors graphics looks very original, like an art object.

[@automaticspaz]

anywhere I can read the manual or find scans/art?

[@Alexandre-rt7xk]

The tragedy is that even if by some miracle they decided to remake the game, they would change the charming awesomeness of its 80s anime art to something more modern.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Very true, which is why I'm usually a bit trepidatious when it comes to remakes...more so for movies or anime than games, but there have been a lot of letdowns, for sure.

[@tamerkoh]

@@ImportGamingFTW How do you feel about ones that update the graphics to be more detailed, but stay faithful to the original style? For example, the PSP Final Fantasy remakes look really amazing to me. They retained the overall chibi style that existed since the NES/sNES original versions, except it's higher res, more detailed, and the worlds look beautiful. Especially Final Fantasy II's locations, like Bafsk. I love how the PSP version turns it into a gorgeous sunset, Paris-looking town with the high res pixel art ^^

[@Gorilla_Jones]

Wow cool.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Thanks, Mr. Jones.

[@tiagopereirasantossilva556]

@importGAmingFTW! I love video about Dr. Hauzer !

[@ImportGamingFTW]

And I loved making it--I appreciate you requesting it way back when!

[@chrispierceall3627]

Man not sure what it is but there's something extra gross/horrific about 16bit era monster graphics, that title screen with the rooted skulls is extra grim looking as well. Splatter House is a really prime example of it, probably cause we get to fill in the gaps a bit with our imagination. Also the artist for the manual looks like the same one who did the art for the Resident Evil 1 manga renditions of the characters. Thanks for this quick one Jimmy.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

You're welcome--yeah, I love the graphics for the game, especially the MSX2 original. Quite gritty and unsettling.

[@DubiousGamingOnline]

splatterhouse, startropics, mega man. got it.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

What are you doing here, good sir?

[@BENULTIMAN2000]

When I first saw the Title of this Video, I thought it was gonna be a Japanese Exclusive Game based off of the Dawn of The Dead Franchise but I guess I was wrong about that considering that I had just watched a Video about Japanese Exclusive Games based off of Western Properties

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Not related to Dawn of the Dead, but I thought about mentioning that the game has some Dead Rising vibes.

[@yes.6892]

I'd like a sequel than a remake personally

[@carlosaugustodinizgarcia3526]

I know they are unrelated but somehow this game gives me strong Parasite Eve vibes.RPG with modern weapons,a female swat member/Police officer with pyschic powers ,various mutated creatures... The same year War of the Dead was released (1987) Enix had JESUS,a horror adventure game inspired by Alien.Would it be considered a survival horror ?

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Any link or resemblance to Parasite Eve is a good one, I love that game. You know...I KNOW about Jesus, but have never played it and never looked into it too much. Could be a candidate for early survival horror!

[@AvalancheReviews]

If avalanche Jared was here, he'd tell you sweet home isn't survival horror.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Well, it's a good thing he's not welcome here--that guy's full of it! Worst Resident Evil channel ever!

[@AvalancheReviews]

@@ImportGamingFTW Ooooo I'm about to snitch to himmmmmm

[@ImportGamingFTW]

@@AvalancheReviews You do that--and also let him know I'mma beat his ass...in Street Fighter III and Dead or Alive 6.

[@ggbetz]

Man, i used to get excited by old games like this, but then the rigid system and brutal difficulty comes with the territory. Did the pce have a cheat device in japan so some of us can enjoy more of the game?

[@mageofjapanbackup]

See this why I always try avoid saying "the first" always seems ever few years ppl be like "Oh I know this title called 1st but I found one even older" And cheap ;o *sees few for like 25ish bucks on ebay* ooo can also request a copy this title Jimmy? Looks like fun retro title bugs aside always enjoy oddball stuff like this from Japan hehe ;p

[@chasonlapointe]

Fix the bugs and I'd buy a copy of that for my Switch in a heartbeat....

[@ImportGamingFTW]

I'd love to see that...along with a bit of an overhaul of the game progression, more enemy variety...

[@Zionfarm]

And just like that I picked up a copy from eBay for $28.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

I'm happy you found it for so cheap!

[@hfric]

You should post more videos about Japan Horror games, that where not imported to other regions ... like its many PS1 Horror Games

[@or3con]

I tried to play this, I think i got to the school and gave up. As you said, it's pretty tedious.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Very much tedious, more so toward the middle and end of the game. Starts off really fun, though.

[@KingofCrusher]

I worked on hacking and translating this like 15 years ago, lol. It's such a bad yet wonky fun game.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Thank you for your work--also, I love your username and profile pic. Another bad yet wonky fun game.

[@KingofCrusher]

@@ImportGamingFTW lol so true!

[@Dr.W.Krueger]

I like how with every release the cover artwork get worse and worse

[@ImportGamingFTW]

Truth!

[@Randalftown]

The sequel is way better and actually fun to play. It’s the Resident Evil 2 of the franchise

[@ImportGamingFTW]

I've heard it's really good, it's something I've wanted to try out for a while now! I'm kicking myself for not picking it up a few years back when I saw it pop up often. I think I was too cautious/weary since it was a FD game.

[@Mr_x_19922]

This is not real survival horror bruh, just an early horror title, the first REAL survival horror game was Alone in the Dark (1992)

[@willmistretta]

Oh, man, this one drove me up the wall. I've beaten almost 50 PCE games since I got the system in 2018 and this was by far my least favorite. Kind of hypothetically interesting in a "maybe someone who worked on RE played this once" way, but a boring, buggy slog from start to finish.

[@ImportGamingFTW]

If I had more time to go into it, I could have gone off on the game. I had to backtrack several times at the end of the game because I couldn't trigger an event for some reason...it was super frustrating.

[@willmistretta]

@@ImportGamingFTW I definitely did in my own review, which is actually pretty unusual for me. I'm not at all an angry reviewer type by inclination and tend to look for the bright side in most things.

[@mariusamber3237]

Yeah, the idea/setting for the game are really good on paper, but this game is sadly the king of weird triggers that you have no way of knowing without a guide... many games from the 80s had that kind of design. The developer is also really obscure.

[@TheVampirePredator]

Oh god, this looks bad.