Dead of the Brain
A Japanese horror adventure about a zombie outbreak.
FairyTale, a developer of erotic games, released the horror adventure game Dead of the Brain in March 1992. Players control Cole as he survives a zombie outbreak triggered by his friend's botched resurrection experiment. This title launched FairyTale's Nightmare Collection series, which also includes Dead of the Brain 2 and Marine Philt. A bundle of the first game and its sequel was released for the PC Engine CD in 1999, becoming the system's final official game.
Quick Facts
- Platforms
- PC-98
- FM Towns
- MSX2
- X68000
- PC Engine Super CD-ROM²
- Developer
- FairyTale
- ja
- フェアリーテール (ブランド)
- Genre
- Adventure
- Released
- April 1992
Facts from the source article.
Plot and gameplay
The player controls Cole, who becomes caught in a zombie outbreak after his friend Doctor Cooger's experiment to revive the dead goes wrong. The game uses command verbs and screen-clicking to navigate. The goal is to survive and rescue friends, with occasional timed action sequences requiring quick correct actions.
Development and release
Following a scandal over their erotic game Saori (1991), FairyTale's president was arrested, prompting the company to pivot to horror with the Nightmare Collection, starting with Dead of the Brain. The game was influenced by Western zombie films, though some noted it lacked Romero's philosophy and was closer to splatter films like The Evil Dead and Re-Animator. It was first released in Japan in April 1992, with ports for MSX2 and X68000 scheduled for July 1992. An official English release was announced for July 2026.
Reception
Technopolis praised the production quality, graphics, and story. OLD!Gamer noted the X68000 version had better graphics than the original. Retrospective reviews described the game as schlocky but effective at being creepy, with manga-styled artwork by Ryuichi Makino. It was considered an important cult title in Japanese horror games, though its high second-hand price and lack of re-release hindered re-evaluation.
Aftermath
The Nightmare Collection also includes Dead of the Brain 2 (1993) and Marine Philt (1993). After these releases, FairyTale resumed eroge. Dead of the Brain and its sequel were bundled for the PC Engine CD, released on June 3, 1999 (originally planned for January 1996), becoming the final official PC Engine game in Japan. Fan translations appeared in 2019, 2023, and 2025, with official English releases planned.
More in Point-and-Click Adventure Games of the 1990s
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