Written by Reiko
Some people might say that this game doesn't even really belong on this blog, as it's mostly puzzles rather than an adventure, but enough people were enthusiastic about adding it to the list, so let's see how well it stacks up on the rating scale. Personally, I had a lot of fun playing it, although some of that is certainly bolstered by nostalgia.
Showing posts with label Castle of Dr. Brain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Castle of Dr. Brain. Show all posts
Monday, 4 January 2016
Saturday, 2 January 2016
Castle of Dr. Brain - Won!
Written by Reiko
We're finished with the codes, and now the third maze of the game awaits. The walls of this third elevator are painted to look like space, apparently, while the elevator itself still looks like brown stone. The starry walls blend together so it's hard to see which way the corridors go from the visual information. In fact, it's weirder than that. Facing a wall directly displays a green sphere, but walls on the left display a bit of pink and walls on the right display a bit of yellow. An opening displays a wisp of white, like a galaxy, but of course when you get closer, there's nothing there at all. Once you see this pattern, it's easier to understand the walls, but it doesn't make any actual sense.
We're finished with the codes, and now the third maze of the game awaits. The walls of this third elevator are painted to look like space, apparently, while the elevator itself still looks like brown stone. The starry walls blend together so it's hard to see which way the corridors go from the visual information. In fact, it's weirder than that. Facing a wall directly displays a green sphere, but walls on the left display a bit of pink and walls on the right display a bit of yellow. An opening displays a wisp of white, like a galaxy, but of course when you get closer, there's nothing there at all. Once you see this pattern, it's easier to understand the walls, but it doesn't make any actual sense.
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| The wall to the left always has a pink dot, even if it looked like a white galaxy from farther away. |
Thursday, 31 December 2015
Castle of Dr. Brain - Mazes and Codes
Written by Reiko
Last time I programmed some robots and gathered some intriguing items. The wall behind the robot, which has finished its purpose, has opened, and I step through into... another elevator maze! This one's made of stone, though, which I think makes more sense, since the castle appears to be built into a mountain. At first, the stone pattern on the walls makes the corridors harder to understand visually, but I get used to it after a bit. Aside from that, the elevator interface is identical to the previous one. The maze area isn't any larger than the previous maze, but there are a lot more vertical passages linking the floors. I map carefully and soon come to the exit door, which leads out into the third floor hallway, the language hall.
Last time I programmed some robots and gathered some intriguing items. The wall behind the robot, which has finished its purpose, has opened, and I step through into... another elevator maze! This one's made of stone, though, which I think makes more sense, since the castle appears to be built into a mountain. At first, the stone pattern on the walls makes the corridors harder to understand visually, but I get used to it after a bit. Aside from that, the elevator interface is identical to the previous one. The maze area isn't any larger than the previous maze, but there are a lot more vertical passages linking the floors. I map carefully and soon come to the exit door, which leads out into the third floor hallway, the language hall.
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I had to use a lot more colors and characters to identify all the vertical passages in this maze. |
Tuesday, 29 December 2015
Castle of Dr. Brain - Robots and Logic
Written by Reiko
The second-floor corridor looks a lot like the first-floor corridor, complete with violent decorations. Below was a suit of armor; here there are some spears. Supposedly Dr. Brain is "throwing them out" because he "hates violence" but really, why leave them in a bin in a random corridor, then? Why not melt them down for the metal, or throw them into whatever gorge is being bridged by that bridge seen in the intro screen, or something?
The second-floor corridor looks a lot like the first-floor corridor, complete with violent decorations. Below was a suit of armor; here there are some spears. Supposedly Dr. Brain is "throwing them out" because he "hates violence" but really, why leave them in a bin in a random corridor, then? Why not melt them down for the metal, or throw them into whatever gorge is being bridged by that bridge seen in the intro screen, or something?
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| Second floor hallway with random spears. |
Monday, 28 December 2015
Castle of Dr. Brain - Math and Mazes
Written by Reiko
Ringing the doorbell starts a game of Memory to unlock the door as the first puzzle. The panels above the door can be triggered, and (in Expert mode) also the lamps and flamingoes. The game triggers one item, then I have to repeat it, then it triggers two items starting with the same first one, and I have to repeat it, and so on. The final sequence is ten items long. On lower difficulty levels, the lamps or flamingoes aren't involved, and the sequence is shorter, 6 items on Novice and 8 on Standard. Finishing the puzzle opens the door and yields the "Memory Puzzle Plaque" (regardless of difficulty level - I played through on all three levels for the first puzzle to see the differences).
Ringing the doorbell starts a game of Memory to unlock the door as the first puzzle. The panels above the door can be triggered, and (in Expert mode) also the lamps and flamingoes. The game triggers one item, then I have to repeat it, then it triggers two items starting with the same first one, and I have to repeat it, and so on. The final sequence is ten items long. On lower difficulty levels, the lamps or flamingoes aren't involved, and the sequence is shorter, 6 items on Novice and 8 on Standard. Finishing the puzzle opens the door and yields the "Memory Puzzle Plaque" (regardless of difficulty level - I played through on all three levels for the first puzzle to see the differences).
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| Winning a plaque doesn't mean as much on Novice level. |
Monday, 21 December 2015
Castle of Dr. Brain - Introduction
Written by Reiko
The Castle of Dr. Brain (and the other Dr. Brain games) was one of my favorites as a kid. I was into numbers and puzzles, so while the adventure elements are very light, the variety of the puzzles, plus the trademark Sierra wacky humor, made them so much fun to play.
There's not much for story here: the Castle of Dr. Brain itself is just a setting for the wide variety of puzzles you face. You're unceremoniously dumped at the front door of the castle, and one puzzle after another awaits. The documentation will tell you that the goal of the game is to win a position as Dr. Brain’s position, but the game itself doesn’t tell you that until the end.
The Castle of Dr. Brain (and the other Dr. Brain games) was one of my favorites as a kid. I was into numbers and puzzles, so while the adventure elements are very light, the variety of the puzzles, plus the trademark Sierra wacky humor, made them so much fun to play.
There's not much for story here: the Castle of Dr. Brain itself is just a setting for the wide variety of puzzles you face. You're unceremoniously dumped at the front door of the castle, and one puzzle after another awaits. The documentation will tell you that the goal of the game is to win a position as Dr. Brain’s position, but the game itself doesn’t tell you that until the end.
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