Castle of Dr. Brain
Encyclopedia
Castle of Dr. Brain is a video game of the educational
genre released in 1991 by Sierra Online
. It is a puzzle adventure game
.
between and among different floors.
Many of the puzzles require skill in mathematics
and logic
, but the game requires knowledge in a broad range of subjects. One puzzle requires the player to solve a cryptogram
, and the penultimate level deals primarily with astronomy
. In a rather surreal level, the player must put together a jigsaw puzzle
which, when completed, becomes a room through which the player passes to go to the next level.
The Castle of Dr. Brain features a point-and-click mode of gameplay and three levels of difficulty, which the player can change at any time. The player can also change the pointer from a hand, which will interact with puzzles, to an eye, which will give information about an object (occasionally leading to clues to help solve puzzles). Typically, pointing the hand or the eye at an object that isn't a puzzle will give a joke about it. The game also features Hint Coins, which the player earns by solving puzzles and can use for assistance on puzzles they are having difficulty with.
's Toccata and Fugue
plays, a reference to the piece's use in classic horror movies. The castle is then hit by lightning
and the scene lights up to show that the castle has several odd features to it, such as a dripping faucet sticking out of a wall and a rotating wind up key. The music becomes more upbeat at this part.
On completion of the game, Dr. Brain congratulates you, introduces the people who had a part in making the game, and states that more challenges will await you on The Island of Dr. Brain
(the next game in the series).
#180 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
Educational game
Educational games are games that have been designed to teach people about a certain subject, expand concepts, reinforce development, understand an historical event or culture, or assist them in learning a skill as they play...
genre released in 1991 by Sierra Online
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
. It is a puzzle adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
.
Gameplay
The object of the game is to successfully navigate the puzzles Dr. Brain has set up in order to become the mad scientist's assistant (a position Dr. Brain had advertised in the local classified section). To enter the castle, the player must play a game of memory at the front gate. Inside, the player must solve puzzles within the hallways and rooms of the castle. There are also three mazes in which the player must guide an elevatorElevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
between and among different floors.
Many of the puzzles require skill in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
, but the game requires knowledge in a broad range of subjects. One puzzle requires the player to solve a cryptogram
Cryptogram
A cryptogram is a type of puzzle which consists of a short piece of encrypted text. Generally the cipher used to encrypt the text is simple enough that cryptogram can be solved by hand. Frequently used are substitution ciphers where each letter is replaced by a different letter or number. To solve...
, and the penultimate level deals primarily with astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
. In a rather surreal level, the player must put together a jigsaw puzzle
Jigsaw puzzle
A jigsaw puzzle is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of numerous small, often oddly shaped, interlocking and tessellating pieces.Each piece usually has a small part of a picture on it; when complete, a jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture...
which, when completed, becomes a room through which the player passes to go to the next level.
The Castle of Dr. Brain features a point-and-click mode of gameplay and three levels of difficulty, which the player can change at any time. The player can also change the pointer from a hand, which will interact with puzzles, to an eye, which will give information about an object (occasionally leading to clues to help solve puzzles). Typically, pointing the hand or the eye at an object that isn't a puzzle will give a joke about it. The game also features Hint Coins, which the player earns by solving puzzles and can use for assistance on puzzles they are having difficulty with.
Beginning and ending
The game opens with a shot of a silhouette of Dr. Brain's castle on top of a cliff in the middle of a thunderstorm as BachBạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
's Toccata and Fugue
Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
The Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, is a piece of organ music attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach. It is one of the most famous works in the organ repertoire, and has been used in a variety of popular media ranging from film, video games, to rock music, and ringtones...
plays, a reference to the piece's use in classic horror movies. The castle is then hit by lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
and the scene lights up to show that the castle has several odd features to it, such as a dripping faucet sticking out of a wall and a rotating wind up key. The music becomes more upbeat at this part.
On completion of the game, Dr. Brain congratulates you, introduces the people who had a part in making the game, and states that more challenges will await you on The Island of Dr. Brain
The Island of Dr. Brain
The Island of Dr. Brain is the second game in the Dr. Brain series by Sierra Online. It was released in 1992 and was only available to play in DOS.-Summary:...
(the next game in the series).
Reception
The game was reviewed in 1992 in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#180 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
Trivia
- The most abstract puzzle in The Castle of Dr. Brain is present in the beginning. The game's copy protection mechanism can be bypassed and, indeed, completely nullified entirely by the use of legal game play elements.