The iconic arcade horror returns in a modern guise, balancing nostalgia and questionable choices, between faithful tributes and less convincing updates.
The House of the Dead saga has long been the symbol of arcade light gun horror shooters.
Since 1996, the series has seen five main installments, along with some intriguing spin-offs such as Typing of the Dead for Dreamcast and PC, and the controversial yet brilliant House of the Dead: Overkill, a Grindhouse-inspired prequel.
Among the most beloved entries stands out the second chapter, which expanded the player’s possibilities with hidden secrets, civilians to rescue (opening alternative paths), extra lives, and multiple endings unlocked through scores and choices made.
One of the franchise’s strongest aspects, since its debut, has been the attention to character design, lighting, enemies, the impact of shots, and above all, the atmospheric settings crafted with remarkable detail.
A remake of the second chapter could therefore have been the perfect opportunity to revitalize the series, especially after the uncertainties of the fifth entry. The latter, in fact, introduced a key character already foreshadowed in the fourth game, but handled him disappointingly—squandering his potential and leaving fans with broken expectations.
With such premises, what could possibly go wrong?
Red-Tinged Venice
House of the Dead 2 Remake immediately makes itself noticed through its heavy use of red lighting. While a bold stylistic choice, it often flattens environments and details, stripping away much of the eerie, mysterious atmosphere that defined the original.
This effect impacts not only the settings, but also some enemies and bosses, who lose part of their stage presence.
Voice Acting – The Faded Echo of a Classic
One unforgettable feature of the original was its voice acting: intense performances, impactful dialogue (especially from Goldman), and voices perfectly matched to tense situations.
In the remake, however, the new dubbing feels unpolished and often mismatched with the tone of the characters. Goldman in particular has shifted from a calm, authoritative voice to something more caricature-like, with exaggerated delivery that dilutes the emotional weight of the scenes.
Already in the opening dialogue with the first boss, the tension feels flat and lacks the fear-inducing edge of the original.
A Shower of Censorship and Toned-Down Violence
The remake reflects a more modern sensibility: some sequences have been toned down, and the visceral violence reduced.
Hits, bites, and slashes are far less graphic than in the original, and in certain sections civilians to rescue (including children chased by zombies) have been replaced by adults. Enemy destruction is also less striking: instead of grotesquely disintegrating and melting into mysterious pools of liquid (as in the original), many foes now simply vanish into ash.
Small details, but when added up, they shift the overall tone.
Limited Accessibility and Missing Core Features
The original offered several options tied to difficulty and credits, essential for replayability. In the remake, however, key elements are missing: there’s no way to adjust the number of available “credits” or to select individual chapters, forcing players to restart from the very beginning every time.
On PC, the mouse provides a reliable level of precision, but the lack of official light gun support is a glaring omission. Even more concerning are the Switch players’ reports of major aiming and responsiveness issues.
Technical Performance
After a few patches, the PC version has improved, but at launch it suffered from frequent crashes during level transitions, slow texture loading, and even cases where the game failed to start.
Boss fights also remain problematic: while the shooting system is generally precise, their weak points are so small and narrow that hitting them becomes frustrating—an issue absent from the original.
Conclusions
House of the Dead 2 Remake fails to establish itself as the triumphant return fans had hoped for. Stylistic choices, toned-down violence, limited accessibility, and technical problems weigh down what could have been a great revival of a classic.
Even so, it remains an experience that can entertain those who want to rediscover the arcade flavor of the series—though in a different, less faithful form.
House of the Dead 2: Remake
PRO
- Overall graphical overhaul that modernizes the experience, despite some limits
- Remastered soundtrack preserves the spirit of the original
- Immediate, straightforward arcade gameplay
- Solid reinterpretations of iconic settings like Venice and the cathedral
CON
- Underwhelming voice acting
- Stylistic choices (excessive lighting, censorship) that weaken the atmosphere
- Lack of accessibility options and credit management
- Technical issues at launch, with bugs and crashes
- Frustrating boss fights due to poor balancing
- Character models not faithful to the original
4/10
