THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD: Remake Reviews
The House of the Dead: Remake can be an enjoyable return to the classic arcade rail shooter, but performance hiccups and frustrating controls are scarier enemies than the zombies themselves.
The House of the Dead: Remake had a lot working in its favor going in that didn't pan out in the end.
When it all works like it should, The House of the Dead: Remake is a fun update of a Sega arcade classic. The performance can be janky and the controls clunky on its default settings, but if you're willing to put the time in to tweak them you should get something you're happier with. You shouldn't have to do that with a light gun shooter, though, and the fact you do has to go down as a failing on the game's part.
The House of the Dead: Remake doesn't reinvent the wheel, is brief in length, and does have some niggly control issues, but this is a welcome addition to the library of any Switch owner who enjoys on-rails lightgun shooters.
Overall, this is an accurate and faithful remake of the original The House of the Dead but lacks the bespoke light gun controls to really make it work. While games like Virtual On have had their TwinStick peripherals over the years, it’s a shame to see The House of the Dead denied a proper light gun.
The House of the Dead: Remake is a lukewarm game that lives on reflected light and has several glitches in the control system. Only for those who sleep with a light gun under their pillow.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A bad idea poorly realised and while the original coin-op retains its campy charm this remake is rendered pointless by the unsatisfying controls and glitchy performance.
The visual facelift and extras added to The House of the Dead are spoiled because of the control system. Playing with a pointer is not funny, and the joy-con motion sensor aiming system is inaccurate and requires us to constantly calibrate it. The experience is a far cry from Sega's legendary arcade.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The same studio that made The House of the Dead: Remake is also working on a remake of its sequel. It would have been better if the team had held off and included the two games in one package, as this would have alleviated the content issues. The issues with the control scheme are harder to solve, as the lack of a lightgun on the Nintendo Switch dampens the experience as a whole. The House of the Dead is an arcade series and any remake or console port needs a decent lightgun to truly emulate the feeling that made the original so special. The House of the Dead: Remake can be fun, but that lack of a decent controller is a problem that holds the whole experience back.
It’s a valiant effort, and an impressively authentic recreation all-in-all, but it just doesn’t hold up from a modern perspective – especially without a lightgun in-hand.
The House of the Dead Remake is everything you'd expect from a revamp of an old-school 90s zombie rail shooter. It's fun, all too brief, but still provides enough entertainment solo or with a mate in tow. However, it still feels like a missed opportunity to stuff it full of some worthwhile new content.
The House of the Dead Remake is a game rooted on nostalgia and zombies, but fails to bring an entertaining experience on Nintendo Switch due to the many issues with its control scheme. A pity, since the juicy arcade gameplay and extras would have deserved all of your love.
Review in Italian | Read full review
It's not the best remake in the world, but at least it still respects the fun of the original.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
At the end of the day, The House of the Dead: Remake is a modern version of the arcade classic that is serviceable enough for fans looking to play at home. It brings added replayability with its difficulty, the scoring systems, and the new Horde mode, but is held back by poor performance, frustrating controls, and a lack of new content. Unless you are a big fan, The House of the Dead: Remake is not the best way to experience this classic for the first time, and it would have probably been better off dead than revived in this form.
The House of the Dead: Remake gives the classic zombie-shooting game a frightfully fresh coat of paint, but its arcade roots create new problems as a home console release.
A result that is not very convincing, especially on the gameplay.
Review in French | Read full review
House of the Dead Remake is a fun, quick romp perfect for a night in with a friend, but will most likely wear out its welcome after a couple of hours. The HD graphics help update the game to the modern era while the addition of unlockable weapons, a horde mode, and multiple difficulties help to extend a rather short campaign, but still doesn't offer much reason to continue playing after you've completed the game a few times. The thing I was excited for the most, the motion controls, ultimately became my biggest disappointment and I can't help but feel that there was a huge missed opportunity to not package the game with a gun peripheral. Still, the core game remains fun despite being released over 25 years ago.
The House of the Dead: Remake successfully moves to the Switch everything you loved about the on-rails shooting arcade game…except the controls. It's fun to play with a friend provided you both understand that the very act of aiming and shooting will be an exercise in frustration.
The House of the Dead: Remake is a lovingly crafted remake of an arcade classic that unfortunately fails on a fundamental level with its subpar control scheme. Without true lightgun support, it’s a difficult recommendation.