The House of the Dead 2: Remake

The lack of rail shooters in today's gaming landscape is a real shame. Clunky storytelling, unexpected twists, cheesy characters, and relentless gunfire... what's not to love? That's why MegaPixel Studio's remake of the classic The House of the Dead 2 feels like a cultural service.

One year after the events of the first game, a zombie outbreak erupts in Italy. AMS agents are dispatched to investigate and uncover what happened to their missing colleague. If you haven't played the original The House of the Dead, the sequel's plot might fly right past you. Names and events are tossed around as if everyone's already familiar with the most bizarre twists and characters. Then again, once the game kicks off, the pace is so frantic that the story barely matters. The soap-opera-level drama and narrative detours are easy to shrug off when the screen floods with grotesque monsters begging to be perforated with an arsenal of weapons in a glorious frenzy of violence. While the story always ends in the same place, the path there changes based on player choices and targets shot, giving the roughly hour-long campaign decent replay value.

The core concept is refreshingly straightforward. The player is automatically guided through various areas, stopping at moments when monsters attack. In first-person view, you control a crosshair to aim and shoot. To progress, you must clear each encounter of enemies, where things get more interesting when helpless civilians appear. Saving these poor souls can unlock alternate routes or grant helpful bonuses like better weapons or extra lives, where rescue usually hinges on split-second reactions, before the monsters chow down on them, unless your trigger finger seals their fate prematurely. That happened to me more often than I'd like to admit...

The gameplay mechanics feel a bit rough around the edges. Stick aiming is unreliable, though the settings offer surprisingly detailed customisation. The game shines brightest with gyro controls, which add a more authentic arcade feel to the shooting. Unfortunately, the Joy-Con gyro suffers from imprecision and, more annoyingly, drift and connection hiccups. After just a short session, the crosshair starts veering off-centre, forcing you to play with a skewed controller, unless you shake it to reset. Sometimes the gyro even freezes or loses track of the crosshair entirely, which is far from ideal in the middle of a firefight.

Despite its simple premise, The House of the Dead 2: Remake is a tough game. Even on the easiest difficulty, the relentless waves of fast-moving monsters and surprise attacks will make you sweat. Ammo may be unlimited, but you still need to reload between bursts, where the game's iconic "Reload!" prompt becomes a near-constant mantra, echoing every few seconds during the chaos.

You can ease the difficulty by activating co-op mode. The story campaign is playable with a friend locally, which cranks up the fun factor. You can tackle the story together or compete for points. The campaign is available in both original and updated arcade versions, though the differences are minimal. There's also a training mode where you can sharpen your aim by rescuing hostages or battling bosses. These modes offer a few hours of solid blasting.

Visually and audibly, The House of the Dead 2: Remake is a time capsule from the golden age of arcades. The original moody aesthetic is preserved, right down to the angular character models. Textures are sharp, and the action is clear, and the world is packed with details, from bonus-filled crates and barrels to generous splashes of blood. It's also great that bullet holes remain visible on walls. Enemy designs are amusingly creative, though variety is only moderate, with some recycled models. The soundtrack is a predictable mix of rock riffs and gothic vibes, which fits the monster-blasting chaos like a cliché glove. The sound effects are mostly high-pitched fizzles, but the weapons pack some punch, and the voice acting is delightfully stiff and awkward, adding a layer of charm to all the carnage. One flying monster's helium-infused screech is so absurd it pushes the game into full-on comedy territory. But overall, the game runs smoothly on the Nintendo Switch OLED, even if browsing the enemy and treasure gallery causes major lag that only a restart can fix.

The House of the Dead 2: Remake is a refreshing blast from the past. It proves that old-school game design still has bite and that rail shooters deserve a comeback. The remake could've used more polish, and there are definite issues, but especially in co-op, it's still a fun ride worth trying even for those who didn't experience it the first time around.