- Enjoyable, fun gameplay despite issues
- Improved graphics and visual fidelity
- Excellent soundtrack options available
- Overall degraded game quality reported
- Excessively dark lighting, missing textures
- Critical menu and launch issues
Emotions
Players expressed significant disappointment due to the game's perceived regression from the original, citing numerous graphical issues such as missing textures, poor lighting, and low-quality character models. The replacement of iconic voice acting with generic versions and the overall unpolished, rushed state of the game, coupled with a high price for a short experience, contributed heavily to this negative sentiment. Many felt the developers failed to deliver on promised changes and did not learn from previous remake issues, leading to a product that lacked the original's charm and quality.
Frustration stemmed primarily from the game's pervasive technical issues, including frequent crashes, long loading times, and unplayable bugs. Players also reported significant problems with dark environments, making it difficult to see enemies, and unresponsive controls or hitboxes. The overall unpolished state of the game, with missing textures and broken UI elements, made the experience unplayable for many, leading to requests for refunds.
Players expressed satisfaction when the game performed well, especially after patches addressed initial issues. The game's faithfulness to the original's core elements and the quick resolution of early problems contributed to a positive experience. When the game 'just worked' and delivered an enjoyable experience without microtransactions, players felt content.
Nostalgia was a strong emotion, driven by the game's ability to evoke memories of the original arcade classic. Players enjoyed revisiting a beloved childhood game, and the preservation of the original's atmosphere contributed to this feeling. However, some nostalgia was unfulfilled due to changes like new voice acting or a perceived degradation of the original's quality.
Anger was directed at the game's extremely poor quality, which many considered an insult to the original IP. Players felt the game was a 'cash grab' and a 'horrific train wreck,' expressing outrage that such an unpolished and buggy product was released for sale. The perceived disrespect to the classic game and its fans fueled this strong negative emotion.
Verdict
Mostly negative
Summary
Positive 30% · Negative 70%. Score: 70 / 100
Positives:
- Players generally find the game to be a fun, addictive, and enjoyable rail shooter. Many appreciate its fast-paced action, lack of microtransactions, and overall faithfulness to the original, especially after initial patches.
- The graphical updates and redesigns, including those for enemies and bosses, are largely well-received. Players appreciate the new visuals and quality-of-life improvements like auto-reload.
- The game's soundtrack, both the remade version and the option to play the original, is highly praised. Players find the music catchy and well-integrated with the action, enhancing the overall experience.
- The remake is considered faithful to the original, preserving its core elements, atmosphere, and level designs. This allows players to enjoy the game while experiencing a sense of nostalgia.
- Updates significantly improved the game's tempo and speed, making enemy movements sharper and increasing overall game speed. This also led to a decrease in graphics card usage.
Negatives:
- Players widely report that the game is a significant downgrade from the original, citing poor optimization, numerous bugs, and a general lack of polish. Many feel it was rushed and released in an unfinished state, leading to a disappointing and often unplayable experience.
- A pervasive issue is the excessively dark lighting across many levels, making it difficult to see enemies and navigate. This problem persists even after adjusting in-game brightness settings, significantly impacting gameplay visibility.
- Players frequently encounter missing or improperly loaded textures, leading to visual glitches, purple error textures, and even the ability to see through parts of the game world. This issue is particularly prevalent from the second stage onwards.
- Many players experience critical issues with the game's menus, including unresponsiveness, freezing, and an inability to start the game or access options. This problem is exacerbated for those who previously played the demo, as it can prevent progression from the title screen.
- The voice acting is consistently criticized for being poor, monotonous, and lacking emotion. Many voices are deemed unfitting for their characters, and the overall quality is described as rough, with some sounding like they were recorded in a fishbowl.
Gameplay:
- Player feedback is mixed regarding the game's faithfulness to the original story. While some players appreciate the adherence to the source material, others note deviations.
- Many players report that the game's campaign is very short, often concluding within 40 minutes. This brevity impacts the overall perceived value and enjoyment, with some finding it fun but too brief.
- The game is consistently described as a rail shooter, where players advance the narrative by engaging in combat, primarily against zombies. This core gameplay mechanic is a defining feature.
- The game offers flexible control options, supporting both mouse and controller input. This broad accessibility for controls is a positive point for player preference.
- Players note the absence of light gun support, such as Sinden guns. This is a specific feature many players might expect or desire for a rail shooter experience.
Performance:
- Players experienced frequent crashes and freezes, especially on the main menu, often linked to conflicts with demo save files. While some initial menu bugs were hotfixed, underlying optimization issues persist, leading to a generally unstable experience.
- Players reported significant graphical glitches, including disappearing or purple textures and severe FPS drops, even on systems that should easily handle the game. Resolution issues also led to system crashes.
- Initial releases had minor bugs such as non-functional submenus and overly dark visuals. These issues, while not game-breaking, detracted from the early player experience.
- Players noted that the game suffers from excessively long loading times, which disrupts the flow of gameplay and negatively impacts the overall user experience.
Recommendations:
- Many players are recommending against purchasing the game at full price, with a significant number requesting refunds due to its current state. They suggest waiting for substantial discounts or fixes.
- A strong sentiment among players is that the original game is superior to the remake. Many advise playing the original version for a better experience, especially for nostalgia.
- Several reviews indicate that the game is currently unplayable for them, citing issues that prevent them from even getting past the menu or experiencing core gameplay.
- One specific piece of advice is to avoid using a controller, suggesting that the mouse provides a better or more functional gameplay experience.
- Some players recommend the game to fans of rail shooters, the Resident Evil series, or the game's original series, implying that specific fanbases might find enjoyment despite issues.
Miscellaneous:
- Many players experienced critical launch and save file issues, particularly related to demo saves and Steam Cloud. The developers quickly released a patch and provided manual workarounds, which improved the initial unplayable state. Players are hopeful for continued updates to address remaining bugs and improve overall quality.
- A significant portion of the player base consists of long-time fans of The House of the Dead series, especially the second installment. Many purchased the game purely for nostalgia, having played the original extensively in arcades or on the Dreamcast. There's a strong sentiment that the original remains unbeatable.
- Players expressed interest in seeing other classic light gun games, like Vampire Night, receive similar remakes. There's also curiosity about SEGA's involvement and licensing decisions for these remakes, and some relief that the current developers might be moving on from this specific license.
- Some players expressed strong negative opinions about the game's development quality, suggesting a lack of thought or proper playtesting. One reviewer even speculated about a conspiracy against Polish creators, indicating a highly polarized reception.
- A specific suggestion was made to add a camera zoom feature to the 'Secret Lab' gallery, allowing players to get a closer look at the monsters.
