*Thank you to Goemonsama for his incredible fan art of the game – check out his site here**
Shiryõ Sensen War of the Dead is a classic horror game for the PC Engine, MSX, and PC-98 computers that will test your ability to survive in a demon-infested world. With scarce resources and hordes of undead constantly on your heels, you’ll need to make every move count if you want to make it out alive. War of the Dead is one of the first early concepts of video game survival horror, and it’s a title that should not be missed by fans of the genre.
To help other people experience this classic retro video game, I have compiled this walk-through guide for the PC-88 release. In it, I will go over all of the important points that you need to know in order to make your way through War of the Dead. I’ll also provide some tips and tricks on how to survive in this hostile environment.
The Guide:
Shiryõ Sensen War of the Dead is an action RPG game from 1987 published by Fun Factory for the MSX2, PC-88 and PC Engine. This guide looks at the 1988 release of War of the Dead: The Resurrection of Browning, which was intended to be a HD upgrade to the original MSX2 version. This guide will only be useful for those who want to play the PC-88 version, as all three games have their own unique strategies, characters, and flag points.
Things to note:
This game works via conversation/event flags. You can only advance in the game by triggering flags in the game. If you get stuck, the best advice is to go back to the church and talk to everyone several times to trigger new conversations that will open/activate a new flag.
Sometimes you might need to check a location or talk to people at a location until their conversations or points of interest stop revealing new conversations or information. Check things twice. Talk to people. Talk to many people. Keep talking to people. Eventually, one of them will say yes.
Fighting enemies will NOT give you experience points, ammo, heals, or drugs. Enemies just get in your way, and there is no way to avoid enemies in this game. You need to brute force your way through every encounter you gain. Think about it. You are fighting hell itself. Hell doesn’t get breaks, so don’t expect Hell to give you any.
It is important early in the game to fuse your weapons using your PSY powers. If you don’t do this prior to fights, you will have a terrible time. Some enemies are only weak to certain weapons. Learn which enemies are weak to which weapons, and switch to those in battle as needed.
Save every time you go to the church. If you are emulating this game, use save states at the church as a backup. Often things don’t work out as great as they should with emulators and older games. This is a stressful game. Enjoy it. No one will think less of you for wanting to play it safe.
There is no way to escape from battles unless you are in a boss fight. The game throws you a bone here with boss fights that if you are not fully healed or forgot to level up your weapons, you simply need to move Lila to the left, and you will exit the boss fight to get yourself in order.
THIS IS A VERY LONG, PUNISHING GAME.
Don’t try to do this all in one night. The RNG in this game is turned up to insanity. You will get frustrated. It will wear on you. Fighting Hell isn’t easy, like your taxes, breaking up with your ex or finishing med school. Fighting Hell is HELL. That’s the idea here. Saying this, if you finish this game, the feeling of total accomplishment is all yours, and no one can take that away from you. That’s why you love punishing games.
Don’t feel bad about using this guide. It is here to help you. I have written this guide with the least spoilers possible, so that you can still enjoy this game. I have tried to make this guide simple and in segments to be easy for anyone to use. If one step doesn’t work, bounce to the next step, go back to the church, or try skipping ahead a few steps to see if those actions trigger a flag. Sometimes we all get confused or lost, and having a general idea of what should come next or 3 steps ahead is what you need to keep your sanity in check playing this game.
Act 1: Let’s go to Church
01: Go into the Church. Every time you enter a holy area, you will be fully healed. Make sure you talk to everyone in the church several times until you stop getting new information from people. You can save your game by reading the Bible.
02: Go to City Hall. At city hall, you will find your first person to rescue, Mayor Wells. Wells is never happy to see you. Take Wells back to the church. When you rescue them, you cannot talk to anyone else on the over-world map.
03: Go to the School. On the first level, you will find Janet, the school teacher, and Franklin, an army officer. Jannet worries about her student Carol, who is lost on the third level.
04: Boss Fight: Skeleton. Make sure your weapons are levelled up and you have full health. Kill the skeleton and save Carol. Take Carol back to the church. You will get your first level up in the game. Talk to everyone in the church and save.
Act 2: The East Bank Army Camp
01: Go back to the School. Help Janet on the first floor and take her back to the church. Talk to everyone at the church.
02: Go back to the School. Talk to Franklin on the first floor. He will refuse to go with you but will say he will keep fighting and mention his army base on the East Bank in the southeast of the lake.
03: Go to the Hospital. It’s located by going up and left from the church and down into that mountain area. Enter the hospital and talk to Wes on the first floor. Grab drugs and tranquillizers in the boxes around him. Don’t go anywhere else in the hospital at this point.
04: Go back to the Church and talk to everyone. Carrie will first mention her studies of the occult and her archeological research for the university with her teacher, Dr. Whitman, who is still missing. Talking to the Priest will bring up the boat house.
05: Go to the boat house. The door in the back of the boat house will now open. Be ready for a boss fight. You now will have the crappy raft. Always remember where you leave your crappy raft when you use it. Go back to the church and talk to everyone.
06: Take the raft to the East Bank Army camp. Talk to the military soldier Gordon, who is hiding in the center. Talking to Gordon, you find out he will not come with you. Instead, he will tell you about the ruins on the island in the middle of the lake and give you his rifle.
11: Go to the Ruins, located on the island in the center of the world map. You will find Dr. Whitman there. Take him back to the church. Talk to everyone at the church. Find out about Peter, who works at the drugstore.
12: Go back to the school and talk to Franklin on the first floor. He will say he will make his way to the hospital.
13: Go back to the Church and talk to everyone. Talking to Carpenter will make him mention that you are the light of hope, and you will get a level up: Max MF increases by 50.
Act 3: The Cabin in the Woods
01: Retalk to everyone in the church, and Janet will first mention Peter, who works in the drugstore. Talking to Carrie will have her ask about the two people at the hospital.
02: Go to the drugstore and meet Peter for the first time. He looks like Action Jackson! Peter is a cool guy, but refuses to go with you. Stock up on supplies if you need them.
03: Go to the Library. Examine the stairs by the area that looks like a huge cross. You might have to look at the stars several times.
04: Got to the cabin in the woods. There you will meet Fran, who is waiting for her boyfriend Stephen. Talk to Fran. If you look at one of the boxes in that room, you will find a staircase to the basement. Go into the basement and talk to the old woman, Omadawn. Go back to the church.
05: Go to the Hospital, go to the second floor, and talk to Franklin, who is now upstairs guarding a door. Talking to him will activate the hospital basement flag.
06: Go to the hospital’s basement and find Doctor Bus. Talk to him and get the key. Keep talking to Doctor Bus until he is 200% dead.
07: Return to the hospital’s second floor and talk to Franklin upstairs.
05: Power up your weapons and heal. Open the door and enter the room for a boss fight with a Melting Man. This fight is very hard at this stage, so ensure your full health and your weapons are powered up. After this fight, you will find this boss is a regular overworld enemy, so be ready for more Melting Men in the hospital and on the map. If you don’t have your weapons upgraded and have high health, these enemies will take you out quickly. Beat the boss, talk to Sandra, and look at Patrick. Sandra will not go with you but will take your shotgun.
06: Go back to the Church and talk to everyone. Talking to Janet reveals information about the library. Look at the stairs, then return to the church and talk to Dr. Whitman, who will discuss the Indian artifact found at the library’s ruins. Talk to Carrie afterward, and she will mention the Research Lab.
07: On the way to the cabin, go into the library and look at the stairs. Go to the cabin in the woods and talk to Fran and Ommadawn. She should mention a bunch of lore, and you’ll get a level-up: Max MF 65.
Act 4: The Medallions
01: Go into the Manson, further north of the cabin. Check the first floor and find Cameron. Take Cameron to the church. Talk to everyone at the church, and you will get Cameron’s shotgun.
02: It is time to return to the Hospital. Talk to Franklin on the second floor, Sandra, and check with Patrick again. Talk to Franklin until he talks about Gordon.
03: Go to the dig site next to the army base. Go to the basement and find the corpse of Gordon. Check the corpse a few times until you get a medallion.
04: Go back to the church, talk to everyone, and save. Cameron will mention your missing teammate Cronenberg, and Janet will talk about the Browning family’s mansion.
05: Return to the Hospital and talk to Franklin, Sandra and Patrick. They still don’t return with you, but Franklin asks about Gordon at the Army Camp.
06: At the church, talk to everyone, and Wells will tell more stories about the Brownings and their development around the Libary. Since our only clue is to go check on Gordon, we’re off to the army camp.
07: Go to the Army Camp, where Gordon is missing. Go looking for him in the nearby ruin site in the basement. You will find Gordon’s corpse holding a medallion. You will take the medallion and head back to the church.
08: Talk to Carrie and Dr. Whitman at the Church. Keep talking to them, and they will remark about the medallion you found. They will suggest that you look at the one on display at the laboratory.
09: Go to the Laboratory and check the broken shelf. You won’t find anything. Return to the church.
10: Go back to the Church. Talk to everyone. Talking to the Priest will have him mention Peter at the store, so go talk to Peter at the store. Peter will tell you to do your best, so stock up on supplies and return to the church.
11: Go to the Hospital and talk to Franklin. He will be shocked at the news of Gordon. Go back to the church and talk to Janet. She will talk about Roger, who was in the military with Peter. The Priest will also ask if Roger is okay.
12: Go to the Drugstore and talk to Peter. He will say that Roger saw a woman dressed like us near the cemetery.
13: Go to the cemetery and walk around the left edge to find Roger’s corpse. Move his body to find a staircase. Go down.
14: Be ready for a boss fight with the Death Inscet. After the fight, navigate in the tunnels to find Croneburg. She will talk about Captain Romero, and you will get a level up: Max MF 60.
Act 5: Rescue at the Hospital
01: Go back to the drugstore and talk to Peter about Roger
02: Go back to the Church. Talk to everyone.
03: Time to save everyone at the Hospital. Go there and take Patrick back to the church.
04: Go back to the Hospital. Take Sandra to the church.
05: When at the church, talk to everyone, especially Cameron.
06: Go to the Hospital. Talk to Franklin. He will ask about the walkie-talkie.
07: Go back to the Church. Talk to everyone, especially Cameron again. You might need to check on Cornenburg at the cemetery, but I am suspicious that you don’t need to, as her conversation doesn’t trigger anything new.
08: Return to the Army camp and take the walkie-talkie from the shelf. Go back to the church, talk to everyone and save. Stock up on supplies! Talking to Janet will activate the next flag at the school.
09: Return to the School. When you try to enter the classroom on the northwest corner of the first floor, a message appears mentioning a large hole has opened up.
10: Go back to the Church. Talk to the priest, and he will mention the rope ladder at the drugstore.
11: Go to the Drug Store and get the rope ladder from Peter.
12: Go back to the School. When you enter the classroom northwest of the first floor, the rope ladder will be automatically applied.
13: Level up your weapons, heal and defeat the boss in the basement, and get another Medallion. You will level up here.
Act 6: Patrick’s Dream
01: Go back to the Church. Talk to everyone until Patrick remembers his dream.
02: Go back to the Hospital. Take Franklin to the church. If the first time he fails, keep talking to him until he does. You might need to return to the church, talk to everyone, and get him. Franklin will take your radio when you get back to the church.
03: Going back to the drug store and talking to Peter will now give you free food.
04: Go to the cabin in the woods and talk to Omadawn and Fran. Fran will go with you back to the Church.
05: Time to find Romeo in the Ruins. The ruins have poison gas and no lights, and everything hits hard as hell. Make sure you have lots of medications, as every step you take will take off 1 HP of health. Romero is in the second level far left. Talk to him, and he will turn into a zombie. Defeat Romero in the basement and get a machine gun.
06: Checking the spring water here will activate a message. Check it twice, but you will not continue as the water blocks your way. This will activate the flag for this area.
07: Go back to the Church and talk to everyone until you learn about the flashlight.
*** Keep in mind now who is still not in the church: Steven, Peter, Konenburg, Ommadawn, Wes and Castle (who we have not met yet). Romero’s corpse is still in the ruins ***
08: Go to the drugstore. There you will find Stephen shopping. Take him to the church, and Fran will be happy. Talking to Franklin now or after you get the flashlight will trigger a flag.
09: Go back to the drug store and get the flashlight. Stock up and return to the church. Franklin will say the army has dropped some supplies at the cemetery.
10: Go to the Cemetery and you will find several boxes with armor, a gas mask, but the explosives are missing.
11: Go back to the Church and talk to everyone.
12: Go back to the cabin in the woods. Talk to Ommadawn.
13: Continue to the mansion from here. Don’t go into the mansion, but hug the right side exterior and find the basement steps. Enter the basement and be ready for rotten fights with high encounter rates with Melting Men. There will be a room where every step will trigger a fight with them. Stay strong and get yourself to Wes. Talking to him will get you a medallion.
14: Go back to the cabin in the woods. Talk to Omadawn.
15: Go back to the church, talk to everyone, and learn about the ruins and the water there. This is a great time to take a break and stock up on supplies.
Act 7: Get Ruined
1: Now that you have the armour and the gas mask, the Ruins are much easier to explore. You will notice red blocks that prevent you from going to some staircases, but get comfortable on where the locations of the two springs are. Examine the springs and rivers underground twice to activate the next flags.
2: Return to the Church. Talk to everyone. The priest asks about what Wes is doing.
3: Visit Wes in the mansion’s basement, but he’s not there. Go into the mansion, go to the second floor, and find a room with a door. Get ready for an easy boss fight. Look in an empty box and take the photgraph.
4: Return to the Church. Corneburg should be back with Cameron. Talk to everyone several times until everyone says the same thing, and no new conversations open up.
5: Time to get Peter! Go to the drug store and take Peter to the church.
6: Get a flamethrower from Peter and talk to the priest and everyone. The priest will talk about Browning’s grave.
7: Go to the Cemetery. Browning’s grave has a slight green colouring. Checking it will open up a passage to the underground cemetery.
8: Search the underground cemetery and get a medallion.
9: Return to the Ruins. Examine the red stone monument on the first basement floor to trigger a new flag.
10: Returning to the Mansion, you will find the corpse of Wess. Oh shucks. Pour one out for our homeboy.
11: Talk to Ommadawn at the cabin in the woods, and she will accompany you. Take her to the first basement of the ruins, and she will read them. We are ready to set up the end game when you get Ommadawn back at the church.
Act 8: End Game
1: Talk to everyone at the church, and Peter will discuss the explosives. You will find that Sandra will give you free medical supplies, and Cameron will eventually give you free drugs. Use them to stock up. You need more medical supplies vs drugs.
2: Return to the Drug store. Find explosives on the back left shelves.
3: Return to the Ruins. Examine the fountain and river to activate a flag.
4: Talk to everyone at the church. Learn about the Mayor’s desire to get documents at the Town Hall. Talk to everyone to get more information about the springs in the ruins.
5: Time to blow stuff up. Go to the Ruins. When you examine the springs, you will use explosives on them.
6: Go to the far left spring. Here, you will find the corpse of Castle, and checking him will get you the bazooka. The bazooka is the strongest gun in the game, but you cannot move or jump when you use it. I suggest you use the flamethrower and the grenade launcher as your two go-to weapons. Make sure you look at the springs down here, and then go back to the church.
7: Talk to everyone at the church, and you will find out the mayor is missing.
8: Go to Town Hall and get the mayor. Take him back to the church and talk to everyone there to learn about the back room there.
9: Go back to the town hall, open the door in the back to fight a boss there. Check the box in this room and get a mediation.
10: Return to the Church. Talk to everyone. THIS PART GETS TRICKY. Talk to everyone until all the conversations loop. Then, check the left side of the cross near Carol. Talk to Carol and then check the cross again. You will find the final mediation here (which is why this area is protected).
11: TALK TO EVERYONE, Especially Whittman and Carrie. This part gets tricky, as talking to everyone unlocks new conversations, but keep talking to everyone until Whittman and Ommadawn mention sealing the gates to hell. SAVE here. If you go to the ruins and the doors to Hell do not open, reload your save at the church and keep talking to everyone, as the biggest challenge is ensuring you have talked to everyone to unlock the final flag.
12: Go to the Ruins. Take the path where the Castle’s corpse is to get on the right path to the doors to hell. Check the door twice to unlock the doors. Fight the boss by going to the lower area and then straight up to open up a bridge. Defeat the boss. I suggest healing, leaving up the Bazooka, and going to town until it’s dead.
13:???
14: Congratulations, you have saved the world but for how long……?