Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, whilst also taking the time to include some lengthy gameplay, to give you the reader, the chance to shape your own impressions and views whilst watching and reading. In this installment, we’re covering The House of the Dead 2 Remake by developer Megapixel Studio.
The House of the Dead 2Remake: (Nintendo Switch)
Megapixel Studio and Forever Entertainment have joined forces once more to bring The House of the Dead 2 Remake to Nintendo Switch. They previously released The House of the Dead Remake on Switch back in 2022 and now three years later, the second entry in the series has been given the remake treatment. This first-person, rail shooter game was originally released in 1998 and has received a visual overhaul, as well as new audio and game modes, thanks to Megapixel Studio.
The House of the Dead 2 Remake takes place two years after the events of the first game and follows AMS agents James Taylor and Gary Stewart as they shoot their way through hordes of undead. As they do so, they must save anyone unable to defend themselves and make their way to a dastardly villain called Goldman who is behind the new uprising of the undead.
Much like with the first game, you can use both standard joystick controls to move the on-screen crosshair or Gyro controls. As these games were originally designed for the use of lightguns in the arcade. I opted to use Gyro with the help of a third-party gun accessory that can take both a left and right Joy-Con. I found it the best way to play this game, but you do have to constantly reset the gyro controls as they fall out of sync with the onscreen crosshair all too easily. You do have to fiddle around with the actual controls to find a setup that works best for you. The Gyro sensitivity can be all over the place unless you adjust the slider to a point where you are comfortable. Be sure to fiddle around with the settings to make the game fit your particular play style.
In terms of gameplay, up to two players are moved on rails through each stage, stopping every so often to shoot at waves of enemies. In earlier stages, you have slightly more time to take down enemies without them hitting you but they get more aggressive and stronger as you progress. To take down enemies, you are armed with a pistol that contains six rounds. If your gun is empty, you will need to reload and will be prompted every time when you have run out of bullets. Every now and again, you will find people in need of rescuing. If you can save them in time before they are killed, you can be gifted items that can regain health, extra credits, unlock weapons, and gain access to alternate routes.
The House of the Dead 2 Remake has multiple routes for you to take that lead to new areas and potential secrets. Speaking of secrets, there are a number of crates, boxes and other inconspicuous objects that may contain items. These can possess anything from items that will simply increase your score, weapons that you can use on your next run, or special items that will give you perks like extra credits, increase damage, big-headed zombies to make headshots easier, etc.
Boss enemies await you at the end of each stage and can only be taken down by exploiting their weakpoint. You will usually be shown what the weakpoint is before you commence combat with the boss, but it will require some skill to make sure you can hit it every time without fail. if you are unable to do so, the boss will strike you and too many hits will cause you to either use any remaining credits you have to continue or give up.
So, lets talk game controls. The ZR button, as you can imagine, is for firing your weapon and ZL is for reloading. Recentering the crosshair can be done by pressing in the right joystick or alternatively, by pressing Y. I personally found myself in the habit of recentering the crosshair at the same time as reloading so that I could keep firing at enemies without the crosshair veering away too far.
The House of the Dead 2 Remake has three different game modes: Training, Campaign, and Boss Mode. Training helps you learn the basics and hone your skills through a series of challenges. Campaign is the Story Mode and consist of six stages set in various locations like the waterways of venice, the sewers, and a scientific lab. The campaign has two play styles that include Original and Arcade mode, which can both be played in multiplayer and have the option to choose the classic or modern scoring system (with Modern being a bit more generous with points). The final mode is Boss Mode. Here, players can take on each of the game’s bosses in single bouts, or if you are feeling really adventurous, you can take them all on, one after the other.
When the first game was remade for Switch, I did take it upon myself to play The House of the Dead Remake and even reviewed it for our website, courtesy of Forever Entertainment. I will admit that it took some getting used to and plenty of fiddling about with the game’s settings to make it playable for me. I did quite enjoy it even though it was flawed due to the reworked controls. It being a Lightgun game means it worked brilliantly on the old consoles with CRT sets and arcade machines, but on modern flatscreen TVs with jittery gyro or sluggish joysticks controls that are too slow to respond, it just doesn’t quite hit the same.
Unfortunately, the same can be said for The House of the Dead 2 Remake. It may have been given a modern overhaul that I fully welcome, but it can’t quite deliver the authentic experience of the arcade originals. Even on the Wii, it was manageable with the Wii’s motion sensor bar that allowed much more precision. The gyro controls, on the other hand, seem to falter yet again for this game, and while I did find a workaround by using a peripheral and hitting the recenter button continuously to reset the gyro, I don’t think it will be good enough for other folks interested in playing this game.
If you are looking for an authentic The House of the Dead experience, The House of the Dead 2 Remake is probably not gonna cut it for you. That said, if you just want a fun romp that you aren’t fussed with taking too seriously and want to mow zombies down with an assault rifle or blast them to pieces with a grenade launcher, then perhaps you may actually enjoy playing this on Nintendo Switch. I know I do!
Game Specifications:
Developer: Mega Pixel Studio
Publisher: Forever Entertainment
Platform: Nintendo Switch (eShop)
Category: Shooting
No. of Players: up to 2 players
Release Date: August 7, 2025 (EU & NA)
Price: $24.99
File Size: 3.5 GB
Nintendo.com Listing
