MegaPixel Studio and Forever Entertainment has released the first demo for its upcoming House of the Dead 2: Remake, as part of the February 2025 Steam Next Fest.
Forever Entertainment first announced it was making a remake of the 1998 Sega light gun shooter back in 2019, at the same time that it revealed that it was developing a remake of the first game in the series.
However, after the release of the first House of the Dead: Remake back in 2022 (which garnered average to poor reviews), both MegaPixel Studio and Forever Entertainment went quiet about the project, with the game mostly appearing in its investor relations reports on slides boasting about the amazing licenses the teams were working on behind the scenes.
That is, until earlier this year, when the two companies ended up re-revealing the project, publishing the first trailer for the game online that stated it was scheduled to be released in Spring 2025, for PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
This new Steam demo will represent the first opportunity for players to get some hands-on time with the new remake and features the first level of the game recreated with modern visuals, the ability to choose between the remastered and original soundtracks, and the option to play cooperatively.
Here's a description of the game's story, provided by the developers:
In February 2000, a small city was suddenly overrun by hostile creatures. Two AMS agents, James Taylor and Gary Stewart, were sent to investigate. Upon arrival, they noticed that the situation resembled the Curien Mansion incident from 1998. Determined to uncover the source of the infestation, they began shooting their way through hordes of creatures.
You can grab the demo here for free, if you fancy putting it through its paces ahead of its actual release later this year.