Microids sent me on a trip down memory lane with The House of the Dead 2 Remake on Nintendo Switch.
The House of the Dead 2 was an arcade favourite of mine in the mid-nineties. It represented the evolution of the new wave of light gun shooters that started with Sega’s Virtua Cop and refined by Namco’s Time Crisis. These rail shooters placed players in the middle of their own action movie and gave arcades a much needed shot in the arm in the face of the growing threat of home console gaming.
I found The House of the Dead and its 1996 sequel, The House of the Dead 2, offered a more mature experience with some genuine scares. Shooting crooks and villains is one thing; fending off an advancing army of the dead is a different level entirely.
Over the years, the series has undergone numerous ports and reissues and is now available on Nintendo’s Switch handheld console, with Switch 2 compatibility. We were sent the physical Infect’Edition to review. In addition to the Switch game cartridge and regular packaging, this special edition features a cardboard sleeve and three character cards.
Set in 2000, The House of the Dead 2 Remake has players choose from either Gary Stewart or James Taylor as they journey to Italy and face an undead horde. As a rail shooter, players do not control their movement, just the aim of their gun and reloads. Torches in the lower left of the screen represent health, which can be increased by rescuing civilians and finding health kits.
Reflecting the gameplay of the genre, players are whisked through different areas, each with a variety of approaching undead. The duck shoot-style game mechanics give you a limited amount of time to shoot the approaching enemy before it attacks. Some will throw items or require more hits to take down.
The game levels branch, allowing for a bit of variety, and there are several endings. Unlike the arcade original, it was good to hit continue without pumping more coins in the machine.
The Switch version allows players to revisit the classic rail shooter solo using both Joy-Cons, or two-player using the Joy-Cons detached and either the Switch screen or TV.
The closest way to play the game like with the original light guns is by using a Joy-Con in gyro mode. Unfortunately, this proved next to impossible. The game allows players to adjust the sensitivity, but I just could not get it to work with the level of precision needed to accurately shoot the approaching zombies.
Playing the game solo, in handheld, mode worked pretty well, but for most, two-player on a TV, each player with a Joy-Con is the best way to play. Each player can cover the other during reloads, and bosses are less of a battle with the help of a friend.
As remakes go, don’t get your hopes up for next-gen visuals. Even on the Switch 2, the game doesn’t look that much different to how I remember it back in the 1990s. I didn’t mind this, to be honest, as it added to the nostalgia, but I’m not sure that younger players will give it the same pass.
For me, playing House of the Dead 2 Remake was more about revisiting a game that I fondly remember from my misspent youth than a serious gameplay experience. This version of the game brings very little more to the table, being more of a reasonably well-executed museum piece than a AAA title. It provided a decent afternoon’s entertainment, whilst bringing back some good memories. It would have been nice to see a version of the game that took better advantage of modern consoles.