The House of the Dead: Remake Review

Picture it: You’re in an arcade, surrounded by the buzz of arcade cabinets, human chatter, and flashing lights, when, suddenly, you spot it. The glowing blue SEGA logo, and next to it, a gnarly font spelling out THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD. As a kid, you’re already sold on the name itself, but then you see the gun controllers and a huge screen with badass graphics. It’s a damn zombie first-person shooter game. You can’t insert coins fast enough to play. . .

Little did I know then that something I loved as a child would crawl its way back like the undead later in life, yet here we are, with The House of the Dead: Remake gracing digital storefronts.

The House of the Dead infested North America in May 1997. I admit I was always more of a Nintendo and PlayStation fanboy, but SEGA drew me in and really slayed it with this one. I was obsessed with the arcade cabinet when it was released. I often played it in the mall and at the movie theaters before and after catching a film.

The game takes place in December 1998 and follows Thomas Rogan and “G,” two AMS agents tasked with infiltrating a mansion full of, you guessed it, undead created by the bizarre Dr. Curien. He’s clearly a mad scientist with a loose grip on reality. Amidst blasting through Curien’s horde of zeds, there are also lab workers who need saving.

The arcade game was such a success that it became a series, spawning Sega Saturn and PC ports, several sequels, and quirky spinoffs like The Typing of the Dead. On April 7, 2022, The House of the Dead: Remake was released on the Switch. Then, on April 28, 2022, it became available on Steam. So damn right, I had to get it to relive the old days.

The most obvious difference is the modernized visuals. While they are smoother, they aren't as lively as the arcade version. That’s not a complete deal breaker, though. The gaming experience obviously differs between an arcade control gun and a regular controller. Luckily, you can customize the gamepad settings for better hand control when activating different actions in the game. I want to note that the manual reload in the arcade version is not an issue in the remake. There’s an automatic reload mechanic in the remake that makes things easier, allowing for faster-paced zombie shooting.

Similar to the original arcade classic, the remake's storytelling is not fully developed (I need backstories on who these characters are, okay?), and its tone remains more campy than anything else. The same voice actors were not used, but the comedic tone remains. Having to explore a mansion with dangers at every corner is such a campy horror trope. It reminded me of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Gang running around chasing and being chased by monsters. 

The game keeps the main element it's known for: a constant change of environment. We start in the front/court area of a sprawling mansion. The outside looks engulfed in smog, with a copper-and-yellow hue reminiscent of old sodium streetlights. This color choice stands in contrast to the original game, where the colors are fresher without the sodium overcast. Back to the environments, there is no shortage of interesting locations. There are underground passages and sewers bathed in blue and green tones, long candle-lit corridors of stained stone that lead to dungeons, and a lab filled with red and green light from strange machines, where unspeakable horrors were created.

The rogue’s gallery of zombies mirrors the change of environments. We have yellow-green zombies that appear as though they have been dipped in radioactive swamp water, known as Ebitan. There are grey/green beefy zombie daddies called Simon, complete with bulging veins, as well as ax-wielding undead named Cyril. Also, expect to encounter green undead creatures known as Harris, who carry chained maces, along with bat zombies and strange mechanical spiders. 

The zombie menu is a buffet of fun and creative choices. The game's Gallery feature lets you explore various creatures and discover their weaknesses. None of these creations really make sense if you really think about it, but that’s what makes the game even campier. If you don’t have the game yet and want to see the list of creatures, you can head on to the “The House of the Dead” Wiki for a complete list of creatures.

Fighting bosses was enjoyable. The one that gave me the creeps was Hermit type 6803. It resembled a spider and a crab, and had tentacles coming out of its mouth. The mouth spits out balls of wet webbing, and its oxidized, red, bulbous abdomen seemed ready to burst at any time. It was gross and awesome. My favorite character was the final boss, Type-0, also known as "the Magician." However, he made the least sense to me. He had Frieza-like armor (Yes, from DBZ), with exposed flesh and long claws. His fireball moves were fun to dodge, as he could hurl them in various ways, including throwing them like comets falling from the sky.

RESULTS SUMMARY

The House of the Dead: Remake is similar to a roller coaster. There are many jump scares, intense music, and a rather short completion time. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still worth playing, especially at only $24.99. Considering it has several difficulty settings, there is also a built-in replay value. Plus, without revealing too much, you can unlock four weapons and a Horde Mode by completing specific accomplishments. If you ever feel like shooting at man-made horrors and saving scientists, it’s definitely worth going toe-to-toe with Curien’s monstrosities in The House of the Dead: Remake on Steam. 

Learn more about HOUSE OF THE DEAD REMAKE by visiting the official website. Screenshots captured using native Steam features.

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DEVELOPED BY: Wow Entertainment

PUBLISHED BY: Forever Entertainment

AVAILABLE ON:

PC: Steam/GOG, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S, Nintendo Switch

DEMO: No

RELEASE DATE: April 28, 2022

Do you have fond memories of playing HotD in Arcades? Share with us in the comments.

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