Name: Shiryō Sensen: War of the Dead
Item: Shiryō Sensen: War of the Dead
Author: Retro Replay

Shiryō Sensen: War of the Dead

Shiryō Sensen: War of the Dead starts as a scrappy action game where every shot matters, then reveals itself as a much more deliberate RPG than its earlier counterparts. Laila needs ammunition for her guns, psychic power needs replenishing, and fights are no longer disposable roadblocks because victories feed directly into her growth.

That makes this PC Engine version the one to try if you want the series’ side-scrolling combat to have real stakes. It can be demanding when several enemies pile in and supplies run thin, but the loop of surviving a fight, collecting its rewards, and becoming stronger gives the journey a satisfying sense of forward motion.

Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first thing you feel is pressure. Guns consume ammunition, so you cannot treat every encounter like a shooting-gallery break from the adventure. When several enemies attack at once, conserving shots and staying alive matters more than simply clearing the screen as fast as possible.

This version earns its place by making combat count. Laila gains levels, improving her parameters and making future battles easier to handle. Enemies can leave colored orbs and chests behind, and these rewards may restore health, grant experience, replenish mind points for psychic abilities, or refill ammunition. That turns fighting from a nuisance into the engine of progression.

The larger side-scrolling battle areas add room to maneuver, and you can leave them by reaching an edge rather than treating every clash as a sealed-off arena. Still, the resource demands can bite if you arrive unprepared. If you enjoy action RPGs where each fight asks you to weigh immediate survival against the supplies you need for the next stretch, this is the version with the strongest hook.

Shiryō Sensen: War of the Dead — screenshot 1

Graphics

Combat takes place in side-scrolling areas with actual backgrounds rather than empty backdrops, which gives the battles more visual texture. Several enemies can share the screen at once, and the expanded battle spaces make those confrontations feel less cramped than a simple one-on-one encounter.

Shiryō Sensen: War of the Dead — screenshot 2

Story

The story’s progress is tied closely to Laila’s ability to push through hostile encounters. Since the map layout and locations follow the PC-88 version rather than the MSX release, this is not merely the MSX game with a few combat revisions attached.

What changes the rhythm most is the RPG structure. Battles now contribute to Laila’s strength, health, psychic reserves, and ammunition, so detours into danger carry a sense of narrative momentum instead of feeling like interruptions standing between you and the next location.

That does mean the journey asks for patience. You are expected to build Laila up rather than simply force your way onward, and the payoff is a more convincing connection between her survival and the path ahead.

Overall Experience

This is the more satisfying version of Shiryō Sensen: War of the Dead if you want action and role-playing progression to pull in the same direction. The blend of ammunition management, psychic resources, enemy rewards, and leveling gives the combat a purpose beyond delay.

It will frustrate you if you want a breezy action game, because a bad run of encounters can drain the very supplies that keep Laila effective. Yet that friction is also why victory feels earned: chests and colored orbs are not background clutter, but meaningful chances to recover and prepare.

Give it a chance if you enjoy older, demanding action RPGs and do not mind working for your character growth. The PC Engine release takes the familiar structure associated with the earlier versions and gives it a sturdier reason to keep fighting.