There were a lot of high expectations for the Nintendo Indie World showcase that took place earlier this week, as it seems like it might have been the final gaming showcase of 2021.Rumors ofHollow Knight: Silksongalongside plenty of other “wishlist” titles were rampant in the hours leading up to the show. One rumored game, in particular, stood out as a title that’s been confirmed to be coming to the Switch but has gone relatively dark for quite some time:TheHouse of the Dead: Remake.
Although it wasn’t featured at the Indie World showcase,The House of the Dead: Remakeremake got plenty of buzz following it, as fans tweeted in dismay that it wasn’t featured and seems to have been pushed back into 2022. While the wait forThe House of the DeadSwitch port is getting longer, fans seem to be growing more excited for the game and, although excitement is surely due in some part to the thought of playing the campy fun of the originalHouse of the Dead, it seems as if it might be also for what a Switch port of the game might represent: more arcade classics coming to the Switch.
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The Arcade Potential of the Nintendo Switch
Despite the fact that it was supposed to be out at some point this year, there’s stillnot a lot known aboutThe House of the Dead: Remakeand what it will be like on the Switch. The big questions in everyone’s minds all revolve around whether the joy-cons will be serving as light guns to recreate the original arcade machine’s mechanics. The official listing on the Nintendo store says that the remake will be “true to the original gameplay,” but whether or not that’s true is still to be seen. Even if it isn’t, one major thing that’s come out of the marketing for the game has been an increased demand for arcade classics to be ported to the Switch.
Light gun gamesare some of the most popular in the arcade space and given how well the Switch’s joy-cons can emulate them, it seems like now is the perfect time for arcade light gun games to make a comeback on the Switch. Arcade classics have already been steadily ported to the device like with the recentGhosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection, so light gun classics seem like they would fit nicely into the Switch’s library next to other arcade games.
While other arcade titles are great for the Switch, light gun games in particular, are the perfect titles to break out as party games. Because of the pickup and play nature of the Switch, it’s already a great device for parties, as proven with games likeMario Party Superstarsand any of theJackbox Party Packs. However,adding light gun shooters to the mix withgames likeThe House of the DeadorTime Crisiscould open up a whole other world of co-op arcade gaming on home consoles.
There’s still so little known aboutThe House of the Dead: Remake, but hopefully, it utilizes its arcade mechanics in a way that feels faithful to the original by essentially transporting the entire experience into the player’s house, light gun and all. If properly executed,The House of the Dead: Remakecould bring on a resurgence in classic light gun gamesjust as it did with zombie media in the late 1990s. As the Switch continues evolving with its library, it doesn’t seem too farfetched that one of the console’s next big crazes could be with light gun titles that capitalize on nostalgia while also being solid new additions to the genre.
