Historical Context & Trivia

Vampire is a legendary **lost prototype** from **1983** that vanished during the video game industry crash, only to be confirmed as playable decades later after a rare PCB was finally dumped for **MAME** in March 2024. Released by the short-lived outfit **Entertainment Enterprises, Ltd.** (often cited as a “fake ass company name” due to its obscurity), the game was developed by **Brass International** and represents one of the few non-gambling arcade titles the company attempted before disappearing. Unlike typical horror games where the player hunts monsters, this title features **shock value** by making the player control the vampire stalking a **European village** to bite women, a controversial premise that led to its disappearance after only **location testing**.

The game was briefly reviewed in **Video Games Magazine** (August 1983) before the board “disappeared like vampire mist into the ether,” leaving it undumped for over 40 years. Former **Twin Galaxies Chief Referee Robert Mruczek** is one of the few verified individuals who played the physical board at an arcade on **Broadway and 51st Street in Manhattan** during the 1980s, confirming its existence beyond magazine descriptions. While some sources initially suggested a 1982 release, the game carries a definitive **1983 copyright**, aligning with the “purge times” of the industry crash.

Gameplay & Technical Features

This **Action** game is an **isometric platformer** that blends mechanics reminiscent of **Zaxxon**, requiring the player to bite **six women** before sunrise while avoiding **priests**, **nuns**, and **holy water fountains**. Contact with any sacred object instantly kills the vampire, transforming him into a **skeleton**, and the player must avoid thrown **wooden stakes** and **garlic**. A unique mechanic allows the vampire to touch a **coffin** to transform into a **bat** for faster travel, during which he can still kill holy men and nuns but must remain vigilant against stakes. The game features four screens, including a bonus stage where the vampire must position himself at a **bride’s neck** after ascending stairs.

Technically, the game utilizes a unique **multi-dimensional movement** system on custom hardware that combines full graphic movement with object animation realism, creating a pseudo-**3D computer augmented animation** effect. The visual perspective is strictly **isometric**, offering a “platformer meets Zaxxon” experience across three main screens and a bonus area. Audio and visual elements were designed to support the horror theme, with the game emphasizing the tension of the approaching **sunrise** and the threat of **holy men** wielding hammers and stakes.

Collector’s Value & Rarity

Vampire holds extreme **collector’s value** as one of the most famous **lost arcade prototypes** in history, having been officially added to **MAME version 264** on March 26, 2024, after a single PCB was finally dumped. Prior to this dump, the game was considered effectively lost, with no other known boards existing and the original PCB’s operational status unknown. Its rarity is compounded by the fact that it never received a full commercial release, surviving only through **location testing** and a single magazine review, making any physical artifact of the game virtually priceless.

Physical preservation is limited to a single known **PCB picture** and a **flyer** that describes the game’s shock-value premise of drinking blood or dying surrounded by threats. Regional differences are minimal as the game was never mass-produced, but the **Japanese version** was simply titled **Vampire** (distinct from the later *Darkstalkers* franchise which also used the name in Japan). Essential collateral includes the rare **Video Games Magazine** August 1983 issue containing the only pre-dump description of the gameplay, which remains a critical historical document for this obscure title.