The house of the dead scarlet dawn

The House of the Dead Scarlet Dawn
The House of the Dead Scarlet Dawn

While many people believe that arcade gaming is a thing of the past, the house of the dead scarlet dawn proves that there is life in this format of gaming. This two-player co-op horror shooter puts players in a mansion crawling with the undead and other creatures. This game was developed as well as published by SEGA and is the fifth entry in their popular The House of the Dead franchise.

Plot 

Following the events of The House of the Dead 4, it’s 2006 and Ryan Taylor is joined by Kate Green on an undercover mission. Their goal is to solve the mystery surrounding Scarecrow Manor. Ryan and Kate are not strangers, they are connected by a man named James who is Kate’s old mentor and partner and Ryan’s brother. 

During the dinner event, guests notice mutant creatures roaming around and these are unleashed by the manager of Scarecrow manor. Knowing that these creatures pose a massive threat to the world, Ryan and Kate spring into action and start their quest to bring a stop to this.

As they continue looking for clues in the mansion, Kate realizes that the man behind the mutant outbreak in the mansion is called Thornheart. He is the manager of the mansion and throughout their undercover mission, Kate and Ryan will fight plenty of creatures including Hangedman, Priestess, and Chariot.

After making it out of the mansion, Ryan and Kate make their way to a church after defeating hundreds of zombies in their way. While there, they meet Thornheart who happens to be alive and tells them that he is the brains behind the operation and controlled proceedings at the mansion. He later reveals to them that the corporation he works for has one mission which is to “cleanse” the globe and build a new world.

Thornheart then unleashes a tree-like creature that can control the wind called “MOON”. This is the final boss of the game and once defeated, the game has 4 different endings depending on choices players make during their playthrough.

Gameplay 

The game features fast-paced action with players being swapped by monsters and hordes of the undead. Players have access to a variety of weapons including submachine guns, energy cannons, rocket launchers as well as shotguns. 

This game does a great job building upon the foundation of the previous titles and ramps up the level of carnage. Although the story isn’t the game’s strong point, it’s fast-paced action sets it apart from many scared shooters out there. 

Protagonists

Ryan Taylor 

Ryan is one of the lead protagonists and the brother of James Taylor. In this game, he accompanies Kate to uncover the mystery surrounding the Scarecrow Manor case.

Kate Green

Kate is the other lead protagonist in this game and is James Taylor’s old partner and together with Ryan, they are both determined to solve the case. 

Thornheart

Thornheart manages Scarecrow Manor and is the one responsible for unleashing creatures on guests.

Game graphics 

This game was developed using the Unreal Engine 4. The character models and the environments in this game looked detailed further illustrating the power of UR 4. Explosions, fire as well as smoke effects look fantastic in full HD making this entry one of the best in the series from a visual point of view.

Sound effects 

The sound effects in this game are very immersive and one can see that the developers put plenty of love and care in it. The sound of bullets flying from guns is amazing, explosions pack a punch, zombie groans and moans are crystal clear, the music is well-composed, this game ticks all the boxes in the sound department. 

The voice acting comes across a bit cheesy and there are times where the audio isn’t balanced out properly. When firing weapons, it is hard to hear the music or character voices when they speak.

Controls 

When it comes to controls, players have 2 light guns to use in the cabinet. These guns are lightweight, very sensitive, and feel good to use during gameplay. Aiming is down to the ability of the player however, unlike previous entries, this game features weapons swapping. 

The one thing many players complain about with this title is the reload mechanic. Games in the rail shooter genre like this one are at their best with automatic reload and this feature is lacking in this game. Players have to manually reload and when done at the wrong time, one can take damage.

The bosses

Moon 

Moon is the final boss in the game and players have to go through various phases of this encounter to defeat him. It is an incredible fight that ends with a quick time event. 

High priestess 

The high priestess is very well designed with tentacles that deal a lot of damage to players. While most of the time is spent shooting the tentacles, its eyes are the weak points. 

Hangedman 

The hanged man has various forms too when encountered and one of them involves throwing bats at players before diving down for an attack. Very entertaining boss fight and there is a point he does set the roof on fire which players must put out.

Chariot

This boss fight has a very good soundtrack and one of the phases requires players to be very strategic in their approach. He is heavily armored and players need to use heavy weapons like RPGs to deal some damage.

Final thoughts 

While some players may have a few issues with the scripted boss fights, cheesy voice acting, and the reload mechanic, this is a great entry in the series. The Unreal Engine 4 makes character models, zombies, and the environments look visually stunning. The controllers provide players with a recoil feel that is realistic and it’s super lightweight. The cabinet captures the essence of horror with an immersive experience thanks to a surround sound subwoofer and LED lights.

The House of the Dead: Scarlett Dawn Videos

Check out this complete play through of the house of the dead Scarlett Dawn on Master Mode!

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