Its Spooktober and Into the Dead 2 has made its way to the Nintendo Switch in the nick of time to send shivers down our spines! Releasing at $35 USD, the originally free-to-play iOS and Android game from independent games publisher, Versus Evil, in partnership with PikPok, is one of the most acclaimed and downloaded entries in the endless runner genre.
Undoubtedly, Into the Dead 2 is the best endless runner that I’ve ever played. Looped into its core running mechanic is a gun progression system that is all threaded through a compelling narrative. The layers of finely-tuned content, spearheaded by multiple big brand DLCs, generated a desire to keep coming back for short, satisfying sessions.
Playing to its Strengths
To start, the endless runner flash games from the 90s and 00s were stripped-down, barebones versions of basic procedural generation whose gameplay objectives came down to setting new high scores. Essentially, they had thin-layers of “gameiness” painted on top of a scaled-back platformer, and they were still fun as hell! I remember sinking hours and hours to beat my friends’ high scores on Vector Runner; or trying to outsmart the game engine by holding all the way to the side the whole time.
In fact, holding to the side the whole time was my first test of Into the Dead 2, and it promptly got me eaten alive by somehow conveniently placed zombies swarming my trajectory. A small test, yes, but earthed deep within this truth is the sprouting notion of Into the Dead 2 knowing its players and knowing itself.
Leveraging self-knowledge, then, takes Into the Dead 2 from a solid endless runner to a genuinely great game within and even outside of its genre. For example, its arcade mode (survive and kill as long as possible) forced my mastery with each weapon before moving on to the next. Each level for these gun showcases proves the developers know how to make a satisfying experience–on the shotgun levels, they group zombies in big clusters for visceral effect, on sniper levels the zombies are stacked in long lines so a piercing bullet can collaterally rip through a long strand at once. Of course, there are mini-gun turrets and chainsaws too.
I had a devilishly good time completing the arcade mode, and equally as good a time with the long and short stories. The stellar voice acting for the walkie talkie scenes at the end of each stage teased just enough information to make me jump right into the next level. Into the Dead 2 just has everything and more that I could as for: the running has an entrenched immediacy, the shooting is responsive, and the gun progression system promises rewarding accomplishment.
Content, Content, … and more Content
More than just another reskinned runner with all its added features, progressions, and DLC, Into the Dead 2 is chock full content to experience. The number of different levels, cutscenes, customizable loadouts with unique guns, ammo, and companions (shoutout to my border collie, Oko, for always finding me those ammo crates) is truly impressive. But, considering the $35 price point for the Switch port, I would venture that the amount of content is fairly priced.
Also, I was able to play through both the Night of the Living Dead and Ghostbusters DLCs, each selling for $5 USD. Building these two goliath pop-culture brands into an already solid game provided for a memorable experience. The new cutscenes, acting, and custom weapons are great to play around with after completing the main narrative, and I would recommend picking them both up if you’re already feeling Into the Dead 2 as they are a nice cherry on top!
Final Verdict
By a stroke of grace, Into the Dead 2’s core gameplay tension between ammo conservation, survival, and side objectives work in harmony with each other. It’s a fantastic game where the survival atmosphere produces terror, the narrative is compelling and malleable, the gun and ammo mechanics add replayable strategy to each stage, the amount of customization gives legitimate agency within the gameplay, and the extra DLCs do exactly what they’re supposed to: add content with a few extra flairs that shine the game’s light through a new lens. Into the Dead 2 is an endless runner done right.
Score: 9.5/10
Check Out the Into the Dead 2 Trailer:
Pre-orders are available now on the Nintendo eShop and all good retailers. For more information on Into the Dead 2, visit https://versusevil.com/intothedead2
Nintendo Switch Review
Recent Michigan State University grad and current Game Studies researcher who plays fantasy RPG's to escape, Smash to compete, and Stardew to chill. Also have a +1 to rage/toxicity resistance due to the many hours sunk into WoW, R6, and LoL.
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