The House of the Dead Remake - The good and the bad from remaking a beloved light gun shooter from scratch [ENG/ESP]
Published on HivePostify by @acstriker · Mon Aug 03 2026
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The good is that it is basically one of the few light-gun games that are available in modern platforms to this day. Although unfortunately it might also be a case for some to make about why they are no longer any common like they were in the 90s, 2000s and 2010s.
The last time a home console had received a port of a SEGA light gun game that didn't have an official SEGA peripheral for it was House of the Dead 3 on Xbox, which at least somehow supports unofficial light guns made for it, but that aside, the last home HOTD release before Remake was The House of the Dead 4 on PS3, which had support for the PS Move controllers.
So House of the Dead Remake, released on Switch first and then other platforms without light-gun peripherals (besides PC, technically due to custom light-guns made for it, but that's an exception) like the PS5 and Xbox Series X, basically contends with how do you play a light gun game without a lightgun or a mouse.
And the answer for all of those (except PC) is...gyro aiming. Because all current controllers happen to have gyroscopes, so its an option to play with if you would rather not use the joystick to move the crosshair everywhere. From when I tried it on Switch once, it was functional but very sensitive, and I've seen other reports having sensitivity or drift issues, so those definitely need adjusting on the menu instead of sticking to default to make sure they are somewhat reliable.
Although Wikipedia does mention that Xbox can use USB mouse if you have one to plug in, and PS4/PS5 owners can use their PS Move controllers if they happen to have one, if you dont want to shell out for a Sinden Lightgun, a Wiimote with DolphinBar or the sort for PC.
That's...basically foreshadowing to how HOTD Remake doesn't have things be the easiest by design, sometimes intentionally more difficult on the actual game side of things, but also how it unfortuantely exists in this anachronistic state of being a light gun game in platforms that long left them behind...ignoring how some of the flaws in this remake come from itself (including those control drift issues, apparently) rather than just trying to exist today.
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Heads off? No problem! Wait...no, that's a BIG problem.
HOTD Remake can mostly pass off as a recreation of the original with most of the zombies appearing where they did in the original, the alternate paths, bosses, all that. But the devil in the details is where this remake loses some points, whether you noticed them from casual play or because you've already played the original enough in some form.
Most notably, common zombies and even bats and slugs sometimes are way more durable than expected, being possible to leave them headless but they still walk and slam you with damage, which contrasts not just "basic zombie logic" of how shooting the head off is always the good plan, but also with the ORIGINAL House of the Dead, which would at most have bigger zombies (muscular or fat) take two headshots to do the deed, or how even common zombies might only have a face chunk if your headshot isn't well placed.
But in HOTD1, if your aim was dead on the zombie's forehead, it was a certain kill. A special sound effect, the zombie immediately falling with their head blown off, very satisfying to do and particularly important for high scoring and surviving in general.
So...having inconsistency with headshots in this game, whether they take more than one sometimes, the sweetspot is slightly off or even in a completely different area for certain special enemies, goes against the muscle memory from playing the original AND the simplicity of it regarding headshots being the solution. Sometimes though it also feels like zombies might just eat two or three bullets to hit you before dying because they felt like it, especially in higher difficulties.
And the weakspot change for certain enemies like the fat guys is confirmed through the Creature Library option, which lets you see the model for each enemies AND has an option to display their specific weakspot. But it does mean that now you have to memorize those just to not eat a cheap shot every time just because you THOUGHT they had died from losing their stupid head.
Like this one, Simon, who can appear in this area throwing barrels from above, but even if you blow his head off clean, he might still pose, unlike the original where he's DEAD for good if you get a headshot.
For newcomers (and people that just want to revisit this once every now and then though), this does feel more like you have to spread bullets all the time just to TRY making sure a zombie actually dies after being shot, which might even be encouraged to a degree by the game itself with an auto reload option (which is QOL in a way, but also feels like it is there just for people to concern mashing the button anytime they are on a room with zombies) and an aim assist option (likely intended for controller players).
inhales
Okay, so let's move on to a different elephant in the room - the one most people might notice at first glance.
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This mansion looks a bit like how I remember it...but it doesn't sound the same at all
As the remake was outsourced to Forever Entertainment, it isn't exactly a high-budget looking remake like people usually expect (and beg for) when they mean they "want a remake" of a game. Some areas might look a bit too bright with bloom, some areas might look too dark for some reason, and there's an argument to be made that maybe the lightning in some areas makes it harder to tell the zombies from the background unless they are already uncomfortably close to you.
And that's assuming you're playing it on anything other than Nintendo Switch, where the performance does have quite a few chugs here and there.
The most egregious difference presentation wise though is in the sound department. All sounds are different, voice lines are re-recorded, and regrettably, the music was also redone entirely. Not remixed, replaced with different compositions altogether that try to evoke a similar feel to the old songs.
Whether this was just SEGA failing to get the permissions for the original compositions of HOTD1 (or not bothering to try at all in the first place) or not, the end result is that the classic songs aren't there anymore (HOTD2 Remake would repeat mistakes from HOTD1 Remake and make a few new ones, but SOMEHOW got a classic OST option in that release, yet HOTD1R never got updated to add one).
Another thing is how, for a 24.99 dollar game as the base price (there's sometimes sales that have it at 2.49), there are barely any gameplay extras to speak of. There's an armory and the spawning of new weapons to unlock if you complete a run saving all scientists you run into (which in the original would only give you a very handy bonus room in the final stage - the room is still present here), but besides that, the only other addition is Horde Mode, which is just adding even more zombies to the otherwise same game so that you mash even more bullets.
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Lamenting what it isn't more than what it is
A small side tangent, but you know that sometimes companies might decide to neglect or even delist original version of games if they happen to make new ones, whether ports (GTA Definitive Edition, Sonic X Shadow Generations) or remakes (Yakuza Kiwami 3 replacing Yakuza 3, Silent Hill 2 Remake being the only "version" of Silent Hill 2 available digitally), and most importantly, regardless of the quality of these new versions, or if the old versions had any benefits.
One example would be how the classic Resident Evil trilogy didn't even have straight ports to Steam, but for a time they were only on GOG only because they insisted Capcom that the old games were worth bringing back, as Capcom assumed that the remakes would be enough.
And naming the Yakuza 3 case of it being delisted just because Yakuza Kiwami 3 was released (unless you buy a bundle of several Yakuza games with it) as it also happens to be SEGA, the state of this remake and its changes also has the painful consequence that THIS version of House of the Dead is the only one that anyone unfamiliar with the series that glances over storefronts and runs into it will be able to access.
It isn't just about what the remake is (which to be fair there's definitely a lot of oddities with it), but what the remake ISN'T yet acts as a replacement for: A proper port of the original The House of the Dead 1, a game that has been trapped on old Sega Saturn and Windows ports since the 90s, as it has NEVER got a new port since those, unlike HOTD2+3 which had the Xbox and Wii ports, although those are also not officially available digitally.
So if you believe that a remake that makes changes willy nilly to certain aspects and/or doesn't get to reach the same highs as the original is a disservice to its existence, then now you might see why HOTD Remake's reception is so mixed and leaning towards the negative side, as effectively, this is SEGA's answer to people wanting to play HOTD1 again: Give the people an outsourced remake that tries for sure making most of it be like the original, but sometimes its down to differences in recreation (some zombies appear in slightly off positions, others might attack you faster than they should in the OG), and other its straight up an intentional change by the devs at Forever Entertainment (the weak spot changes).
And it's funny to think that both Nintendo and Konami of all companies have "avoided" completely replacing games with remakes, as Nintendo does offer Star Fox 64 on NSO (even if you can't buy it standalone) while the Star Fox remake still exists, while Konami had released the MGS Master Collection Vol.1 before releasing Metal Gear Solid Delta, meaning that a version of the old MGS3 is still obtainable in digital stores.
But then SEGA nowadays neglects arcade ports in general beyond throwing them in Yakuza games as part of their in-game arcades (with their most recent games having a slew of previously officially unported arcade games), but House of the Dead 1 in its original form so far hasn't ever been one of those titles, meaning that what SEGA offers you to play is exclusively this remake of the first game, which is not quite it.
And of course, SEGA hasn't exactly stopped trusting Forever Entertainment with some of their old legacy IPs (for some reason), which is why they made a HOTD2 Remake, but that one being far more known (and also having more faithful ports) and iconic was most definitely lambasted for doing even more mistakes when remaking it, which is telling when that one on its original form had more visual and soudn details to recreate (unsuccesfully, it seems).
Forever Entertainment also made a remake of Panzer Dragoon from the SEGA Saturn, apparently to slightly more positive reviews but still mixed, and their demo of the sequel was much, MUCH more criticized by gameplay oddities and far more downgrades on the artistic design side. It still hasn't released yet, so whether that will get cleaned up or will stay a let down is to be seen...which is up to you to decide with their track record.
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I didn't think you could make it this far. However, this is it.
This is a strange game to discuss due to the way it exists.
If you ignore, or again, straight up don't know/remember anything from the original, then the most you might find to complain about is maybe the damage spongey nature of certain zombies, the pace for boss fights, whatever way the controls feel, and particularly the performance if you did got it on Nintendo Switch.
Or more importantly, how short the game is to complete (around 25 minutes) despite the whopping price tag of 24.99 without a sale (Contra Operation Galuga's base 40$ makes this look less of a robbery, but it's STILL a robbery). Yet it might seem inoffensive or at least fun if you get it on sale, accept that you'll take hits because "its an arcade remake" and get to give it a spin with a friend.
But anyone that had the privilege to play the original House of the Dead 1 (or sailed the seas to get it running on PC in any form, like I've had to) enough to get quite the enjoyment of that game will start to see the cracks on this game's attempt to recreate the original at a gameplay level, or more frustratingly, alter the rules (weakspots) against your muscle memory.
And on that sense, not only HOTD Remake can be seen as a disappointment from the things it messes up (intentionally or not), but also by how it is the ONLY option SEGA has given to people at home to try anything from the franchise so far, with HOTD2 Remake being more insulting due to how that one also missed the mark in a lot of ways of being the remake some wished it would have been.
You can lessen the impact of certain enemies being like damage sponges by playing on Easy, but it is something that the remake's designed for you to keep firing and firing repeatedly specifically by making some enemies still chase you even when headless.
I'm worn out from typing all of this, so...until next time.
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Spanish translation with [DeepL](https://www.deepl.com/translator). All screenshots were captured by myself.
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Tags: #gaming#lightgun#hgc#sega#houseofthedead#hotd#remake#steam#spanish#switch