History VideoGame / LordsOfDoom

''Lords of Doom'' is a [[InvisibleGrid grid-based]] SurvivalHorror AdventureGame developed by Attic Entertainment Software. It was originally published by Starbyte Software around November of 1990 for the Platform/Commodore64, Platform/{{Amiga}}, Platform/AtariST, and [[Platform/DOSBox DOS]]. The latter three are the same 16-bit game, while the 8-bit Commodore 64 version was built from the ground up as [[ReformulatedGame its own thing]] by Sense of Wonder.

''Lords of Doom'' is a [[InvisibleGrid grid-based]] SurvivalHorror AdventureGame developed by Attic Entertainment Software. It was originally published by Starbyte Software around November of 1990 for the UsefulNotes/Commodore64, UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}}, UsefulNotes/AtariST, and [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]]. The latter three are the same 16-bit game, while the 8-bit Commodore 64 version was built from the ground up as [[ReformulatedGame its own thing]] by Sense of Wonder.

Hans-Jürgen Brändle and Guido Henkel are the minds behind ''Lords of Doom'' and prior forayed into the horror genre with ''Ooze — Creepy Nites''. ''Lords of Doom'' contains a reference to its predecessor, but other than that the two games have little in common. Instead, ''Lords of Doom'' seemingly takes inspiration from two 1989 releases: ''VideoGame/PersonalNightmare'' and the remake of ''VideoGame/{{Zombi}}''. The former is comparable in story and setting while the latter's gameplay mechanics are readily recognized in those of ''Lords of Doom''.

* AtopAMountainOfCorpses: In the 16-bit ending, the protagonists stand tall over the corpses of a werewolf, a zombie, and a vampire. Sharon adds the usual flair to the image by lightly clinging to Abraham's arm.

* BodyguardingABadass: All Lords have a couple of minions guarding their lair. These minions are the same as all the others except that they aren't affected by the repellents. Each Lord has five bodyguards except for the Zombie Lord, who has settled in the cemetery, uniquely can also raise the dead instead of only turning the living, and has afforded himself a small army. One character has to be sent in to serve as a distraction to get to the Zombie Lord, who is then left unguarded.

** There are many small carpets in the game and the player can look under each and every one. Not a single one hides something.

* DoomedHometown: The population of the hamlet Vertic gets near-completely murdered and turned into undead servants of the Lords. Only Sharon and Charlie escape the carnage, but rather than flee, they stay to fight back and ensure Vertic is the only place that'll suffer this unholy fate.

* EncounterRepellant: There is an item per monster type that is needed to defeat the Lord, but in the meantime the protagonist holding it won't be attacked by the minions of that type either. For vampires, it's the crucifix found in the church. For zombies, it's the holy earth. For mummies, it's the ankh found in the bank. And for werewolves, it's the wolf herb found in a knight's grave. The first catch to these items is that only one out of four available protagonists is protected from one out of four possible attacks. The second catch to these items is that they aren't readily obtained. Especially the ankh takes many steps to acquire. The third catch to these items is that they don't work on the minions serving as the Lords' bodyguards.

** In the 16-bit version, the protagonists remark upon defeating the Lords that they "can only hope that they won't come back to Earth one day!" The Mummy Lord in particular is the one Lord to get a dying speech, which is a vow that they'll return because the servants of Amun are immortal.
** In the 8-bit version, the protagonists gather in the main street and watch the gates to the villa close. The villa's shadowy silhouette changes shape into a giant bat that flies off, at which point the sky clears and every is alive again. A happy ending, but one that implies the evil has only been thwarted, not destroyed.
* EverybodyLives: In the 8-bit ending, the entire population of Vertic lives as if it all had been a bad dream after the defeat of the Lords. How this is possible when the manual is clear that the population was turned and the protagonists have been killing of monsters left and right isn't explained.

* HauntedHouse: The villa is the place the Vampire Lord has taken as his residence. It is a large building, even more so in the 8-bit version where it's still huge even when it's so far away only its silhouette is clear, and previously inhabited by someone close to Abraham van Halen. Aside from the vampires and other monster minions walking around, it's also the place with the most and the most obvious ghostly activity.
* HolyBurnsEvil: The protagonist that holds the crucifix doesn't have to worry about random vampire attacks and the protagonist that holds the holy earth doesn't have to worry about random zombie attacks. They'll be notified when one was supposed to occur, but the monster fled upon recognizing the holy object. The exception are the five vampires that protect the Vampire Lord and any of the zombies that protect the Zombie Lord, presumably because they are stronger. The Vampire Lord himself is unsettled by the crucifix, but can hold his own against it. It's only in combination with holy water and a stake through his heart that the crucifix is useful to weaken him. The Zombie Lord only suffers from the holy earth after he's already been hacked to pieces.
* HomemadeFlamethrower: Fire is needed to end the Mummy Lord's reign, but no flamethrower is readily available in Vertic. This means the protagonists have to make their own, starting with fetching the water pump and garden hose from the garden supplies store. The water pump and garden hose combine to the hose pump. Fuel is to be tapped from the parked car nearby the movie theatre with the drain hose taken from the barber shop. After this, the flamethrower works, even though for instance its construction omits an ignition source.

* LockAndKeyPuzzle: There are a handful of keys to be found in Vertic and several locked doors, chests, vaults and the like. Most can't be opened, so figuring out where what key goes is a little more difficult than by process of elimination. There is also one wall safe in the villa that requires a code the notes for which are scattered all around the building. And in one case a glass display case has to be opened with a crowbar (and none of the other heavy objects collected) to get to the loot.
* LooksLikeOrlok: In the 8-bit version, vampire minions and the Vampire Lord all look exactly like Prana's Orlok. In the 16-bit version, vampire minions also look like Orlok, but less so than their 8-bit counterparts because their head is less elongated and their teeth. The 16-bit Vampire Lord looks more like Universal's Dracula.
* {{Mummy}}: In the 8-bit version, the minion mummies and the Mummy Lord are designed in homage of Imhotep from ''[[Film/TheMummy1932 The Mummy]]''. In the 16-bit version, the minion mummies look like ash-ified humans and the Mummy Lord is unconventionally hidden inside a cloak. Amun, Isis, and Osiris are all mentioned, so they are indeed supposed to be the Egyptian variety of mummy. Mummies are held at bay by the ankh. The Mummy Lord resides in the movie theatre's basement, which has to be blown up to get to him. Defeating him requires the use of the ankh and a homemade flamethrower with lots of ammunition.
* NightOfTheLivingMooks: The Lords have converted the entire population of Vertic into their minions, which are their own monster types: vampire, werewolf, zombie, and mummy. The minions attack on sight and can themselves turn humans into more minions for their respective masters. The Zombie Lord is the most powerful in this regard, because not only can he turn humans, he can also raise the dead as more zombies to serve him. The other Lords do not display this power. Naturally, the Zombie Lord has made himself at home in the cemetery.

* OurVampiresAreDifferent: In the 8-bit version, the minion vampire and the Vampire Lord are designed in homage of Count Orlok from ''[[Film/TheMummy1932 The Mummy]]''. In the 16-bit version, the minion vampires look like well-fed Orloks and the Vampire Lord looks like Dracula from ''[[Film/Dracula1931 Dracula]]''. Vampires are held at bay by the crucifix. The Vampire Lord resides in the villa's basement and has strong mesmerizing powers that make Abraham van Halen the only one able to deal with him. Defeating the Vampire Lord requires the use of holy water, the crucifix, and a crossbow with stakes as ammunition.
* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: In the 8-bit version, the minion werewolves and the Werewolf Lord appear to be designed after the werewolf from ''Film/AnAmericanWerewolfInLondon''. In the 16-bit version, the minion werewolves have brown fur while the Werewolf Lord has grey fur and all of them are more humanoid than the 8-bit werewolves. Werewolves are held at bay by the wolf herb. The Werewolf Lord resides in what is called a moor but is a forest. He generates intense fear that only Charlie Jackson can overcome. Defeating the Werewolf Lord requires the use of the wolf herb and a gun loaded with a silver bullet.
* OurZombiesAreDifferent: In the 8-bit version, the minion zombies and the Zombie Lord appear to be designed after the deadites from ''Franchise/EvilDead''. In the 16-bit version, both the flesh and the clothes of the minion zombies and the Zombie Lord are obviously decaying. Zombies are held at bay by the holy earth. The Zombie Lord resides in a chapel at the cemetery, where he's fiercely guarded by formerly living and formerly dead zombies; the Zombie Lord is the only Lord shown to be capable of turning the long-dead. Defeating the Zombie Lord is a matter of rigorously chopping him up with an axe and covering his remains with holy earth before he gets back up.

** To kill the Mummy Lord, a lot of technological preparations have to be made a la the typical adventure game means. During combat, first the Mummy Lord needs to be kept docile with the ankh and then burned with the flamethrower six times. This latter part is trial-and-error because the text doesn't change between hits, making it look like you're supposed to do something else too or altogether.

* RaceLift: Charlie and Sharon are white-looking in the 8-bit version and black-looking in the 16-bit version. Except for the screen that pops up when all the Lords have been defeated. There, Charlie is white-looking and Sharon kind of looks East Asian.
* RandomEncounters: All four types of monster minions are fought during random encounters. It is not possible to get out of a fight, but good weapons and the rare repelling item keep the threat and annoyance down. As soon as a Lord is defeated, his minions die alongside him and won't be a bother from then on. This is all the same between both versions. One important difference, though, is that in the 16-bit version there either is or isn't a monster on the screen to fight. In the 8-bit version monsters can spawn at any time, rarely even multiple in succession, and all one gets as a warning is an eerie tune.

** In the 16-bit version, only the Vampire Lord is recognizable as a take on Universal's [[Film/Dracula1931 Dracula]]. In the 8-bit version, all vampires are modeled after Prana's Film/Nosferatu and all mummies are modeled after Universal's [[Film/TheMummy1932 Imhotep]]. The 6-bit werewolves appear to be based on the werewolf from ''Film/AnAmericanWerewolfInLondon''. And the 6-bit zombies appear to homage ''Franchise/EvilDead'' with their distorted grins, medium blue shirts, and one of the two intro animations where a zombie puts their head back on their neck not unlike Linda does in ''Film/EvilDead2''.

** In the 8-bit version, there are photos of Franchise/{{Superman}}, Doc Brown from ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'', and Franchise/IndianaJones and on the wall upstairs. The Superman photo makes fun of ''Film/SupermanIVTheQuestForPeace''. There's also a print left by a bat that crashed against the wall that resembles the ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' logo.

** There are many books to be found in either the library, the villa, and specifically the upstairs study in the villa. Aside from being helpful or entertaining, they contain various shout-outs. There's ''Vampireology Volume II'' about vampires by Jonathan Harker of ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' fame. There's ''The Curse'' about mummies by Alan Gardener, a reference to the Egyptologist Alan Gardiner. There's ''Red Plague'' about spiders under the skin by Dorian Dark, a reference to the protagonist of ''Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray''. There's ''Medieval Legends about a wolf-hunting knight by A.H. Dolkin, a reference to Creator/JRRTolkien. There's ''Zombies'' about zombies by G. Helsing (sometimes Ch. Helsing), recalling Abraham van Helsing of '"Dracula'' fame. And there are two other books, ''Rendezvous'' about vampires by Elmo Ripper, and ''The Horror'' about zombies by Alice Stranger.

* SomeoneHasToDie: There is a book by Father Goodman that states that you cannot stop evil if you aren't willing to give your life in the attempt. This relates to the means by which the Zombie Lord can be stopped. The cemetery is filled with zombies and one protagonist of the player's choosing will have to walk right into their midst to serve as their midnight snack. This way, they leave the Zombie Lord unguarded for another protagonist to deal with.

* TimedMission: In the 16-bit version, once a protagonist has been sacrificed to the zombie bodyguards at the cemetery, they'll permanently be distracted from attacking another protagonist. In the 8-bit version, the distraction is temporary and you have to hurry if you don't want to have to need to sacrifice another protagonist as a distraction.

* UnwinnableByDesign: You can save whenever you like and multiple save slots are available. But if you don't utilize them, you could end up saving the game in an unwinnable state. Only Abraham can resist the Vampire Lord's hypnosis and only Charlie does not freeze in fear when up against the Werewolf Lord. The game is therefore unwinnable if either of them dies before their respective archenemy bites the dust. There's also a chest with a poisoned needle that you can't open without garden gloves in 16-bit version, but can in the 8-bit version. The 8-bit version does not warn you that the needle is poisoned and the health drain is slow enough that it is easily missed and saved over.
* VampiresSleepInCoffins: Clicking the coffin in the carpenter shop makes a vampire jump out. In the 16-bit version, the Vampire Lord doesn't even bother to leave his coffin during the boss fight.
* WizardNeedsFoodBadly: The protagonists all have food and thirst meters which slowly dwindle to zero. When either does, the protagonist's health will slowly dwindle, but only if they're active. The game is forgiving in keeping the meters filled: there's a sustainable amount of food and drink to be found around the game and would the player run out of the limited supplies still, then there are also an apple tree for unlimited food and a kitchen for unlimited water. There's some distance between these locations, so for the full meal travel is necessary. Then again, eating and drinking restores health too, so random encounters during travel should not be a problem.

[[caption-width-right:350:It was a directional discussion whether they'd first attack Vertic, Horizont, or Diagon.]]

The premise of ''Lords of Doom'' is the unusual alliance between four powerful monsters -- the Lords of the title: a vampire, a zombie, a mummy, and a werewolf. They have their eyes set on grand-scale conquest and picked Vertic, a hamlet bordering on a desert, as the place they'll get started. They convert the entire population to be their monstrous servants except for two survivors: Sharon [=McGillis=] and Charlie Jackson (also spelled as Charly). Rather than flee, they take it upon themselves to end the four-fold menace, but call in some experienced monster hunters to help them: Abraham Van Halen and Susan Leicester. Their mission objectives are to stay alive themselves, figure out the methods to destroy the Lords, obtain the means to destroy the Lords, and finally destroy the Lords one by one.

The player is presented with a first-person view in a grid-based townscape. Despite there being four protagonists, the player controls them individually rather than as a team. Protagonists cannot interact except for leaving items on the ground for another to pick up. Aside from the usual adventure game fare of finding clues, objects, and ways to combine objects, the active protagonist also has to fend off attacks by the Lords' monstrous minions by whatever weapon is at hand. There are few actual healing items, as most healing is done by drinking and eating, which also keep the thirst and hunger meters up. The protagonists do not have separate skill sets and are mostly interchangeable. This means that one or more may die; as long as at least one protagonist is alive, the adventure keeps going.

''Ooze — Creepy Nites'' precedes ''Lords of Doom'' as a horror game designed by Hans-Jürgen Brändle and Guido Henkel, but the two games have little in common. Instead, ''Lords of Doom'' appears to take inspiration from two 1989 releases: ''VideoGame/PersonalNightmare'' and the remake of ''VideoGame/{{Zombi}}''. The former is comparable in story and setting while the latter's gameplay mechanics are readily recognized in those of ''Lords of Doom''.

* HyperactiveMetabolism: Other than the medkits that Abraham brings with him, there are no direct healing items, but the protagonists can improve their health by eating and drinking. Even water does wonders for the health meter. Incidentally, those four medkits also improve hunger, so presumably the medical contents are medicine.

* LifeMeter: The four protagonists each have three meters: hunger, thirst, and health. Hunger and thirst drain over time for all, but only the protagonist actively being played with can lose health because only they can be on the receiving end of an attack or experience the effects of an empty stomach. Other than the medkits that Abraham brings with him, there are no direct healing items, but the protagonists can improve their health by eating and drinking.

* TodayXTomorrowTheWorld: The Lords of Doom have their eyes on, if not world domination, at least a good chunk of global control. Because they have to build up their forces, they start their plan by attacking a hamlet in the middle of nowhere where there is little resistance and limited means for survivors to reach out for help.

''Lords of Doom'' is a [[InvisibleGrid grid-based]] SurvivalHorror AdventureGame developed and published by Creator/{{Ubisoft}} developed by Attic Entertainment Software. It was originally published by Starbyte Software around November of 1990 for the UsefulNotes/Commodore64, UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}}, UsefulNotes/AtariST, and [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]]. The latter three are the same 16-bit game, while the 8-bit Commodore 64 version was built from the ground up as [[ReformulatedGame its own thing]] by Sense of Wonder.

''Lords of Doom'' is a {{horror}} AdventureGame in Dungeon Crawler form developed by Attic Entertainment Software. It was originally published by Starbyte Software around November of 1990 for the UsefulNotes/Commodore64, UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}}, UsefulNotes/AtariST, and [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]]. The latter three are the same 16-bit game, while the 8-bit Commodore 64 version was built from the ground up as [[ReformulatedGame its own thing]] by Sense of Wonder.

''Lords of Doom'' is a {{horror}} AdventureGame in Dungeon Crawler form developed by Attic Entertainment Software. It was originally published by Starbyte Software around November of 1990 for the UsefulNotes/Commodore64, UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}}, UsefulNotes/AtariST, and [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]]. The latter three are the same 16-bit game, while the 8-bit Commodore 64 version was built from the ground up as [[VideoGameDemake its own thing]] by Sense of Wonder.

** There's a billboard along a wall that promotes ''Ooze''. ''Ooze: Creepy Nights'' is the game Hans-Jürgen Brändle, Guido Henkel, and Markus Henrich worked on the year prior to ''Lords of Doom''. The flavor text also urges the audience to look out for their upcoming game, ''Drachen von Laas''.

* SilverBullet: Minion werewolved can be killed off with whatever is at hand, but the Werewolf Lord needs to be finished with a silver bullet through the heart. To get some, the protagonists collect silver jewelry from the villa and a bullet mold from the weapon shop. They melt the jewelry into bullets at the metalworker's.

Despite there being four protagonists, the player controls them individually rather than as a team. Each protagonist has their own inventory and stuff can only be exchanged by leaving an item on the ground for another to pick up.

* GeniusLoci: In the 8-bit version's ending, the villa's silhouette changes into a bat and flies off, which also allows the weather to go back to normal. Up to this point, no reason was given to assume the villa was anything but a normal building.

* HolyBurnsEvil: The protagonist that holds the crucifix doesn't have to worry about random vampire attacks. They'll be notified when one was supposed to occur, but the vampire fled upon recognizing the holy object. The exception are the five vampires that protect the Vampire Lord, presumably because they are stronger. The Vampire Lord himself is unsettled by the crucifix, but can hold his own against it. It's only in combination with holy water and a stake through his heart that the crucifix is useful to weaken him.

%%* Mummy:

%%* OurVampiresAreDifferent:
%%* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent:
%%* OurZombiesAreDifferent:

** In the 16-bit version, only the Vampire Lord is recognizable as a take on Universal's [[Film/Dracula1931 Dracula]]. In the 8-bit version, all vampires are modeled after Prana's Film/Nosferatu and all mummies are modeled after Universal's [[Film/TheMummy1932 Imhotep]]. The 6-bit zombies appear to homage ''Franchise/EvilDead'' with their distorted grins, medium blue shirts, and one of the two intro animations where a zombie puts their head back on their neck not unlike Linda does in ''Film/EvilDead2''.

''Lords of Doom'' is a {{horror}} AdventureGame in Dungeon Crawler formst developed by Attic Entertainment Software. It was originally published by Starbyte Software around November of 1990 for the UsefulNotes/Commodore64, UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}}, UsefulNotes/AtariST, and [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]]. The latter three are the same 16-bit game, while the 8-bit Commodore 64 version was built from the ground up as [[VideoGameDemake its own thing]] by Sense of Wonder.

Although monsters tend to work alone, four that would become known as the Lords of Doom team up and attack Vertic, a hamlet bordering on a desert. They convert the entire population to be their monstrous servants except for two survivors: Sharon [=McGillis=] and Charlie Jackson (also spelled as Charly). Rather than flee, they take it upon themselves to end the four-fold menace, but call in some experienced monster hunters to help them: Abraham Van Halen and Susan Leicester.

** The description of a painting in the villa in the 16-bit version quips that "there really is no lack of paintings in this game."

* EvilTaintedThePlace: In the 16-bit version, there are several encounters with ghosts that seem to be a side-effect of the violence the Lords inflicted on Vertic. There's a hand that slides down the window of the villa next to the front door. A shadow walks off behind the counter in the post office. Examining a mirror in the villa causes the protagonist to notice someone behind them, but upon turning around nobody is there. A figure leaves the restaurant through an otherwise locked door when a protagonist enters. A shadow disappears into a room in the villa. And a head looks up from the basement stairs in the villa without doing anything. Truthfully, none of these have to be ghosts, but if they're minions it's curious why they don't attack, especially the one on the stairs, and ghostly activity is confirmed. There's a painting of a ship in the villa upstairs that moves and prompts the protagonist to comment that this is the first time they've ever seen a haunted painting.

** One of the lines minions can utter in the 16-bit version is "Tell me, have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?". This line is said by the Joker in ''[[Film/Batman1989 Batman]]''.
** One of the lines minions can utter in the 16-bit version is "Are you able to beam yourself away? Do it now!" This references key technology in ''Franchise/StarTrek''.
** One of the lines minions can utter in the 16-bit version is "I am the beast, where the hell is the beauty?" This is a play on the fairy tale ''Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast''.
** One of the lines minions can utter in the 16-bit version is "I am no nightmare. I am not Freddy either," invoking ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet''.
** When killed in the 8-bit version, minions will utter the line "My only friend, the end," quoting from "The End" by Music/TheDoors.

** There's a book in the library titled ''Vampireology Volume II'' about vampires. It is written by Jonathan Harker of ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' fame.
** There's a book in the library titled ''The Curse'' about mummies. It is written by Alan Gardener, a reference to the Egyptologist Alan Gardiner.
** There's a book in the upstairs study of the villa in the 16-bit version and in the library in the 8-bit version titled ''Red Plague''. It is written by Dorian Dark, a reference to the protagonist of ''Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray''.
** There's a book in the upstairs study of the villa titled ''Medieval Legends. It is written by A.H. Dolkin, a reference to Creator/JRRTolkien.

* StoppedClock: A grandfather clock in a hallway of the villa has come to stop right at midnight. Implicitly, this was when the Lords struck, but the clock itself is fine and there's no obvious reason as to why it stopped.

%%* TrialAndErrorGameplay:
* UnwinnableByDesign: You can save whenever you like and multiple save slots are available. But if you don't utilize them, you could end up saving the game in an unwinnable state. Only Abraham can resist the Vampire Lord's hypnosis and only Charlie does not freeze in fear when up against the Werewolf Lord. The game is therefore unwinnable if either of them dies before their respective archenemy bites the dust. There's also a chest with a poisoned needle that you can't open without gloves in 16-bit version, but can in the 8-bit version. The 8-bit version does not warn you that the needle is poisoned and the health drain is slow enough that it is easily missed and saved over.

''Lords of Doom'' is a {{horror}} AdventureGame in Dungeon Crawler formst developed by Attic Entertainment Software. It was originally published by Starbyte Software around November of 1990 for the UsefulNotes/Commodore64, UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}}, UsefulNotes/AtariST, and [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]]. The latter three are the same 16-bit game, while the 8-bit Commodore 64 version was built from the ground up as its own thing by Sense of Wonder.

Although monsters tend to work alone, four that would become known as the Lords of Doom team up and attack Vertic, a hamlet bordering on a desert. They convert the entire population to be their monstrous servants except for two survivors: Sharon [=McGillis=] (Susan in the 8-bit version) and Charlie Jackson (also spelled as Charly). Rather than flee, they take it upon themselves to end the four-fold menace, but call in some experienced monster hunters to help them: Abraham Van Halen and Susan Leicester.

* FateWorseThanDeath: The manual ominously describes the fate of the people of Vertic as worse than death: "Yet it was no death to give their souls peace. Whoever died became one of them, and that was worst of all..."

* PixelHunt: The scenery in the game is rich, but between all that visual feedback the player has to find those areas on a give screen that matter for the gameplay. This can be tricky, also because sometimes items are located in drawers and thus don't stand out. There are also a few traps, like a coffin in a carpenter shop early on. It's worth clicking around the entire shop but click that particular object and a vampire will jump out.

** To kill the Vampire Lord, only Abraham van Halen is an option because only he can resist his hypnosis. This
* RaceLift: Charlie and Sharon are white-looking in the 8-bit version and black-looking in the 16-bit version.
* RandomEncounters: All four types of monster minions are fought during random encounters. It is not possible to get out of a fight, but there is an item for each type of minion to prevent them from attacking in the first place. Of course, there are four protagonists, so those four items to go around don't do all that much. As soon as a Lord is defeated, his minions dies alongside him and won't be a bother from then on. So far, this is all the same between both versions. One important difference, though, is that in the 16-bit version there either is or isn't a monster on the screen to fight. In the 8-bit version monsters can spawn at any time, rarely even multiple per screen in succession, and all one gets as a warning is an eerie tune.

* EvilTaintedThePlace: In the 16-bit version, there are several encounters with ghosts that seem to be a side-effect of the violence the Lords inflicted on Vertic. There's a hand that slides down the window of the villa next to the front door. A shadow walks off behind the counter in the post office. Examining a mirror in the villa causes the protagonist to notice someone behind them, but upon turning around nobody is there. A figure leaves the restaurant through an otherwise locked door when a protagonist enters. A shadow disappears into a room in the villa. And a head looks up from the basement stairs in the villa without doing anything. Truthfully, none of these have to be ghosts, but if they're minions it's curious why they don't attack, especially the one on the stairs, and ghostly activity is confirmed. There's a painting of a ship in the villa that moves and prompts the protagonist to comment that this is the first time they've ever seen a haunted painting.

* LifeMeter: The four protagonists each have three meters: hunger, thirst, and health. Hunger and thirst drain over time for all, but only the protagonist actively being played with can lose health because only they can be on the receiving end of an attack. The single exception is when either hunger or thirst run out, because this will cause health to go down regardless if a protagonist is active or theoretically twiddling their thumbs. Other than the medkits that Abraham brings with him, there are no direct healing items, but the protagonists can improve their health by eating and drinking.

** In the 8-bit version, some of gravestones in the graveyard have readable text. Accordingly, the graveyard is the final resting place of [[Literature/{{Frankenstein}} Victor Frankenstein]], Creator/HPLovecraft, Thomas Kovacs, [[Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde Henry Jekyll]], and [[Creator/EdgarAllanPoe Ligeia]].

** When killed, minions will utter the line "My only friend, the end," quoting from "The End" by Music/TheDoors.
** Series/{{ALF}} is on the screen of the movie theatre in the 16-bit version.
** Franchise/{{Batman}} is on the screen of the movie theatre in the 8-bit version.
** The movie theatre has a marquee announcing ''Franchise/KingKong'' in the 8-bit version. Elsewhere, a fence holds up a poster promoting a film titled ''Ping Pong'', about a monster with table tennis ball eyes.
** Left of the entrance to the movie theatre is a poster announcing ''Franchise/TheMummy'' in the 8-bit version.
** Right of the entrance to the movie theatre in the 16-bit version is a poster for ''Film/{{Morocco}}''.
** There's a book in the library titled ''Vampireology Volume II'' about vampires. It is written by Jonathan Harker of ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' fame.
** There's a book in the library titled ''The Curse'' about mummies. It is written by Alan Gardener, a reference to the Egyptologist Alan Gardiner.

** In a bedroom in the villa in the 16-bit version and in the library in the 8-bit version, there's an unnamed document by Father Goodman about the necessity of being willing to sacrifice yourself if you want to stand a chance against evil. This relates to how to deal with the Zombie Lord and thus is a likely reference to Jack Goodman from ''Film/AnAmericanWerewolfInLondon''.

* UnwinnableByDesign: Only Abraham has the know-how on how to defeat the Vampire Lord and only Charlie does not freeze in fear when up against the Werewolf Lord. The game is therefore unwinnable if either of them dies before their respective archenemy bites the dust.

* WizardNeedsFoodBadly: The protagonists all have food and thirst meters which slowly dwindle to zero. When either does, the protagonist's health will slowly dwindle. The game is forgiving in keeping the meters filled: there's a sustainable amount of food and drink to be found around the game and would the player run out of the limited supplies still, then there are also an apple tree for unlimited food and a kitchen for unlimited water. There's some distance between these locations, so there remains the challenge of having to travel between them with minimal injuries. Then again, eating and drinking restores health too.

Although monsters tend to work alone, four that would become known as the Lords of Doom team up and attack Vertic, a hamlet bordering on a desert. They convert the entire population to be their monstrous servants except for two survivors: Sharon [=McGillis=] and Charlie Jackson (also spelled as Charly Jackson). Rather than flee, they take it upon themselves to end the four-fold menace, but call in some experienced monster hunters to help them: Abraham Van Halen and Susan Leicester.

* RandomEncounters: All four types of monster minions are fought during random encounters. It is not possible to get out of a fight, but there is an item for each type of minion to prevent them from attacking in the first place. Of course, there are four protagonists, so those four items to go around don't do all that much. As soon as a Lord is defeated, his minions dies alongside him and won't be a bother from then on. So far, this is all the same between both versions. One important difference, though, is that in the 16-bit version there either is or isn't a monster on the screen to fight. In the 8-bit version monsters can spawn at any time, even multiple per screen, and all one gets as a warning is an eerie tune.

** In the 8-bit version, some of gravestones in the graveyard have readable text. Accordingly, the graveyard is the final resting place of [[Literature/{{Frankenstein}} Victor Frankenstein]], Creator/HPLovecraft, and [[Creator/EdgarAllanPoe Ligeia]].

** The movie theatre has a marquee announcing ''Franchise/KingKong'' in the 8-bit version.

* UnwinnableByDesign: Only Abraham has the know-how on how to defeat the Vampire Lord and only Charlie has the courage to go up against the Werewolf Lord. The game is therefore unwinnable if either of them dies before their respective archenemy bites the dust.

* DoomedHometown: The population of the hamlet Vertic gets near-completely murdered and turned into undead servants of the Lords of Doom. Only Sharon and Charlie escape the carnage, but rather than flee, they stay to fight back and ensure Vertic is the only place that'll suffer this unholy fate.

* LooksLikeOrlok: In the 8-bit version, vampire minions and the Vampire Lord all look exactly like Prana's Orlok and it can be argued that the Vampire Lord ''is'' Orlok. In the 16-bit version, vampire minions also look like Orlok, but less so than their 8-bit counterparts because their head is less elongated and their teeth. The 16-bit Vampire Lord looks more like Universal's Dracula.
* NotAlwaysEvil: At least in the 16-bit version, there are many almost-encounters with monsters that make one wonder why they don't attack the protagonist. There's a hand that slides down the window of the villa next to the front door. A shadow walks off behind the counter in the post office. Examining a mirror in the villa causes the protagonist to notice someone behind them, but upon turning around nobody is there. A figure leaves the restaurant through an otherwise locked door when a protagonist enters. And a vampire looks up from the basement stairs in the villa without doing anything. It is possible that some retain enough humanity not to attack a human on sight.

** The description of a painting (that looks like a vase with flowers) in the living room in the villa in the 16-bit version notes that it's the cover art of ''VideoGame/RingsOfMedusa''.

* SlainInTheirSleep: The Lords of Doom attack Vertic in the dead of night when most of the desert hamlet is asleep. Therefore, by far most of their victims died unaware of their slaughter.

* StoppedClock: A grandfather clock in a hallway of the villa has come to stop right at midnight. Implicitly, this was when the Lords of Doom struck, but the clock itself is fine and there's no obvious reason as to why it stopped.

* LifeMeter: The four protagonists each have three meters: hunger, thirst, and health. Hunger and thirst drain over time for all, but only the protagonist actively being played with can lose health because only they can be on the receiving end of an attack. The single exception is when either hunger or thirst run out, because this will cause health to go down regardless if a protagonist is active or theoretically twiddling their thumbs.

%%* PixelHunt:

''Lords of Doom'' is a {{horror}} AdventureGame in Dungeon Crawler form by Attic Entertainment Software. It was originally published by Starbyte Software around November of 1990 for the UsefulNotes/Commodore64, UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}}, UsefulNotes/AtariST, and [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]]. The latter three are the same 16-bit game, while the 8-bit Commodore 64 version was built from the ground up as its own thing by Sense of Wonder.

Although monsters tend to work alone, four that would become known as the Lords of Doom team up and attack Vertic, a hamlet bordering on a desert. They convert the entire population to be their monstrous servants except for two survivors: Sharon [=McGillis=] and Charlie Jackson (also rendered as Charly Jackson). Rather than flee, they take it upon themselves to end the four-fold menace, but call in some experienced monster hunters to help them: Abraham Van Halen and Susan Leicester.