![War of the Dead Part 2 (MSX2) Playthrough [English] - NintendoComplete](/images/yt/9x/war-of-the-dead-part-2-msx2-playthrough-english-nintendocomplete-68hq2.jpg)
War of the Dead Part 2 (MSX2) Playthrough [English] - NintendoComplete
163A playthrough of Victor's 1988 horror adventure game for the MSX2, War of the Dead Part 2 (死霊戦線2).
War of the Dead Part 2 was a Japanese-exclusive release, so I am playing it using Oasis's English translation patch. If you're interested in playing it yourself, you can find the patch here: https://www.romhacking.net/translations/2284/ There were a few spots that weren't translated in the patch, so I translated those myself for the video. I also edited the video to cut some of the load times. Since the game came on a floppy disk, being forced to stare at a black screen for 30-40 seconds as it loads is a fairly common occurrence, so I thought I'd spare everyone a bit of aggravation.
As you'd expect from the title, this is the sequel to Shiryou Sensen: War of the Dead, a horror RPG released in 1987 for MSX2 computers that was subsequently remade for the PC88 and the PC Engine in 1989.
The sequel's storyline does follow from that of the original's, so if you aren't familiar, you can find my playthough of the PC Engine version of War of the Dead here: https://youtu.be/YNwYMXnUJoU
Halloween is nearly here, and I love the opportunity it provides to play some of gaming's more macabre retro favorites for you guys.
In War of the Dead Part 2, we again take control of the green haired Lila, a member of a SWAT team that specializes in supernatural threats. Having saved Chaney's Hill from being consumed by the minions of Hell in the original game, Lila now arrives in the city of Sun Dorado. Terrorists have taken over the recently completed nuclear power plant, and mutants similar to those seen in Chaney's Hill have recently appeared.
WotD2 plays very differently from its predecessor. While it is still an action-RPG, the side-scrolling action segments have been axed. The entire thing is now played from the top-down JRPG-style perspective and battles occur without cutting away to a separate screen. It feels a lot like the first couple of Metal Gear games, actually.
Lila doesn't level up by grinding experience this time, but her maximum health increases after certain important fights, and she's equipped with a gun with unlimited ammo from the outset. The battle system is janky and slow, but the generous number of healing items and save points helps to ease progress quite a bit.
The story is much better focused than it was in the first game, and the game's focus on its atmosphere makes it a better experience in my opinion. Being ambushed by some gross monster as your explore a destroyed subway tunnel, or being set upon by a kraken while trying to cross an expressway - there are several cool moments like this throughout, and they are easily the most memorable bits of the whole game.
It makes good use of its modern, urban setting, the boss designs are appropriately creepy and gross, and the graphics and sound are excellent by MSX2 standards. The environments are surprisingly well detailed, the music is good at sounding ominous, and the translation, though heavily condensed, is pretty good at getting the general idea across.
I loved War of the Dead, but the changes made for this sequel make it more successful at pulling off the horror vibe. The "gameplay" feels clunkier in WotD2, but the rest of the package makes up for that shortcoming.
If you're looking for an effective retro horror game that isn't Sweet Home, either War of the Dead game is a great choice.
For more Halloween/horror games, check out my playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3gSj_kh1fHuN8U3j4lnYxDOPIpgoQNv3
_____________
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
NintendoComplete (http://www.nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!