It appears that a remake of the light-gun arcade zombie shooter game The House of the Dead 2 is imminent because it just got an ESRB listing for Nintendo Switch.
The House of the Dead 2 from Sega first hit arcades in 1998, and, like its predecessor, became one of the last arcade hits thanks to its corny yet memorable dialogue and voice acting as well as its simple yet utterly satisfying light-gun gameplay. Its predecessor, The House of the Dead, received a remake from MegaPixel Studio and Forever Entertainment in 2022. Now, it looks like this sequel is joining the horde.
Forever Entertainment indicated that The House of the Dead 2: Remake would happen in 2019, but it has only gotten the occasional tease since then as MegaPixel and Forever Entertainment focused on remaking the first game. The official The House of the Dead account on X (formerly Twitter) reaffirmed that a remake of The House of the Dead 2 was still in the works earlier this year, and now entries for The House of the Dead 2: Remake are being spotted on the website of video game rating boards like Europe’s PEGI and the ESRB in the U.S.
“This is a rail shooter light gun game in which players assume the role of an agent in search of a missing colleague in Venice, Italy. From a first-person perspective, navigate through the city while using pistols to shoot and kill zombies and mutant creatures,” the ESRB summary of The House of The Dead 2: Remake’s Mature rating reads. “Killing creatures often results in decapitation and/or dismemberment, with large blood-splatter effects. Combat is often fast paced, accompanied by gunfire, screams of pain, and large explosions. A handful of sequences depict civilians attacked and killed by enemy creatures.”
I’ve contacted Microids, who was listed on The House of the Dead 2: Remake’s ESRB rating, and Forever Entertainment for comment. Forever Entertainment responded, with a spokesperson telling Digital Trends, “Any announcements will be published on our Social Media; work is still in progress.”
