House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn

House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn
Developer	SEGA Interactive R&D#1
Publisher	Sega Universal Space (China)
Director(s)	Takashi Oda
Platforms	Arcade
Engine	Unreal Engine 4
Release date(s)	Arcade September 13, 2018 (Japan) November 11, 2018 (Global) 2019 (China)
Arcade System	Sega ALLS

This is state of the art horror.

Tagline

House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn (ハウス・オブ・ザ・デッド 〜スカーレット・ドーン〜, Hausu Obu za deddo 〜 sukāretto dōn 〜) is a horror-themed arcade rail shooter released by SEGA Interactive in 2018. It is the fifth installment in the House of the Dead series.

The game is an interquel between The House of the Dead 4 and The House of the Dead III. It follows AMS agents Kate Green and newcomer Ryan Taylor as they investigate the manager of Scarecrow Manor, who plans to release biologically-engineered creatures upon the world.

Sega Amusements International described Scarlet Dawn as "the most eagerly anticipated sequel in arcade game history"; its release ended a 12-year hiatus on the House of the Dead franchise. The game's Japanese release date marked the franchise's 22nd anniversary and the launch of the original 1996 game.

Plot

On December 6, 2006, AMS agents Kate Green and the late James Taylor's brother Ryan are dispatched to Scarecrow Manor for an undercover investigation of "Code R". At a dinner service, the manager unleashes hordes of biologically-engineered creatures upon guests; the agents fight to safety. Kate uses her PDA to call an unmanned helicoptor, but it crashes and the building collapses.

Escaping with no backup available, Kate and Ryan explore the manor. They battle Chariot and Hangedman, two creatures originally made by Dr. Roy Curien, as well as the squid-like Priestess. During the mission, Ryan worries that he will join his brother in death.

Throughout the manor, Kate and Ryan find evidence revealing that the manager, Thornheart -- previously thought to have died from an illness -- masterminded the outbreak. His ancestors founded the DBR Corporation, in turn linking Thornheart to Curien and Caleb Goldman. Kate explains that "Code R" is Thornheart's mysterious "Noah's Ark" project.

Kate and Ryan fight through a church to confront Thornheart, who reveals that the purpose of "Noah's Ark" is "new life to be born in a new evolution." He releases his masterpiece, the Moon, who is impervious to gunfire and constantly grows. Ryan impales the Moon's head with a metal rod, which kills the creature when struck by lightning; Kate believes this was James' divine intervention. With the threat finally neutralized, Kate and Ryan leave Scarecrow Mansion as the sun rises.

Endings

Depending on the player's performance, one of four endings will play after the credits; the words "To be continued in the next HOUSE OF THE DEAD" appear afterwards.

The criteria for getting each ending differs from Scarlet Dawn's Japanese arcade version to the US/European version; these differences are noted below.

Thornheart Ending 1: Thornheart, alive and unharmed, walks among rows of incubation tanks. He claims "It's impossible to change a predefined future."

• In Japanese version, it is earned by clearing the game in Normal Mode with continues used.

• In International versions, it is earned by clearing the game with rank 3-8 in overall rating with a continue used.

Thornheart Ending 2: In the church, Thornheart states that the ordeal has only begun. He hunches over before smiling at the camera as it glitches out.

• In the Japanese version, it is earned by clearing the game in Normal Mode without using continues.
• In International versions, it is earned by clearing the game with rank 2 in overall rating with a continue used.

Thornheart Ending 3: Thornheart stands up from his chair and leaves the church. He cryptically states that he "saw out the evolution of envy", and vows to follow up with "arrogance", before noting that "it is impossible to change a predefined future."

• In the Japanese version, it is earned by clearing the game in Master Mode with a continue used.
• In International versions, it is earned by clearing the game with rank 1 in overall rating with a continue used.

Kate and Ryan Ending: Kate and Ryan discuss James after the Moon's defeat.

• In the Japanese version, it is earned by clearing the game in Master Mode without using continues.
• In International versions, it is earned by clearing the game without using continues.

Gameplay

General

House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn is a rail shooter set from a first-person perspective. Players shoot and kill attacking enemies with a H&K MP7-like machine gun controller. Unlike previous games in the series, the guns now automatically reload once empty, though the standard "shake to reload" mechanic is still available.

Player health is measured by lives, which are red and blue flame icons; damage from an enemy or failing a certain sequence deducts one life. There are first-aid kits hidden in destructable background objects that restore one life. Performing well in a chapter (good accuracy, high headshot count, and other factors) yields bonus lives for high grades. Destroying parts of the environment may also reveal special items that award score bonuses.

The game is comprised of a prologue chapter, three middle chapters that can be selected in any order, and a final chapter once all have been completed. When the game begins, players may opt to skip the prologue. The chapters are mostly linear, save for Chariot and Hangedman's chapters, which have an alternate branching path that is triggered either by player action (failing to shoot a drawbridge, as in Hangedman's chapter) or random chance (the elevators in the Chariot's chapter).

At any point in the game, creatures may overwhelm and push a player to the ground. The surrounding creatures must be killed within a time limit, otherwise the player loses a life.

Creatures may also target one individual partner, resulting in the other having to rescue them. Failure to do so in the time limit results in a life penalty, or in a multiplayer game, a life penalty to the downed player. This is a modified version of the mechanic used in The House of the Dead III.

The scoring system for the game has also been tweaked. The ranks are based on 5 categories: Score, Enemies killed, Critical Shots, Accuracy, and Events. A minimum of 4 "Perfect" ratings and 1 "Excellent" rating are required to receive an S rank on each stage. At the end of the game, the player's final rank will be calculated based on the ranks on every stage. The better the player performs, the higher their final rating will be. Just like previous installments, the player's performance will determine the game's ending.

Game Modes

The Japanese and International versions each have different game modes:

• Normal Mode and Master Mode are included in the Japanese version. The Normal Mode is the game's default gameplay setting; the Master Mode has larger enemy spawns and health, and several weapons available in the Normal Mode are unavailable, leaving the player with only the default gun and any items they purchase with HOTD Coins.
• Story Mode and Select Path Mode are included in the International version. Story Mode allows the player to enjoy the whole game, including the prologue; Select Path Mode skips the prologue, making the middle three chapters available from the beginning.

Events

Throughout the game, there are "Events" in which the player must shoot a target reticle on a creature or object within a short time. Completion of Events is recorded in the player's end-of-stage ranking. Events include:

• Civilians: In three of the chapters (the prologue, Chariot's stage, and Hangedman's stage), party guests of the Scarecrow Mansion are being attacked by creatures; rescuing them counts as an Event "success".
• Environmental Hazards: The most common Event. Players can shoot objects like chandeliers to use against hordes of creatures. Success helps the player take out multiple members of a horde; failure means the player must battle the horde themselves.

Item Shop and HOTD Coins

Another new mechanic to the series is HOD Coins and the Item Shop. Killing the enemies with a critical shot, obtaining collectible items, saving civilians and completing the QTE will reward the player with HOD Coins. The player can use these coins to purchase items in the Item Shop in the beginning of each level. Up to two items can be bought per stage. The player can switch between items by pressing either the side buttons or the secondary trigger of the gun. The amount of uses for each item is limited and they cannot be replenished until the player completes the stage or by using a credit after losing all of their lives. The items are as follows:

• Shotgun
• Shotgun + (unavailable in International version)
• MGM700 (Insta-kill one enemy)
• Machine Gun + (unavailable in International version)
• Machine Gun EX
• Gatling Gun
• Laser Gun
• Heat Ray
• Hand Grenade
• Grenade Launcher
• Incendiary Gun
• Energy Cannon
• Rocket Launcher
• SW Cannon
• Shield
• Life (unavailable in International version)

Another new mechanic to the series is Aime Accessibility. By using Aime cards, the player can store their progress, keep their collected HOD Coins, check their highest scores, complete achievements, and partake in nationwide leaderboards. A level system was also added to the game as part of the Aime features. By beating the stages, the players will recieve XP. Once the bar filled up, the player will level up, and will be rewarded with HOD Coins. However, this feature is Japanese-exclusive, and is not available for the International release.

The International version receives major changes to the game. First the game has a single mode, though the player had the option to start anywhere after the prologue chapter, called Training Mode. Aime Accessibility and HOD Coins were removed altogether, as a result, the player will no longer worry about the purchases in the Item Shop, as the player can chose the items as they wish. In addition the criteria of the game's endings has been tweaked.

Characters

• Ryan Taylor
• Kate Green
• Thornheart

Chapters & Bosses

• Chapter 0 : Scarecrow Manor (Boss: none)
• Chapter 1 : Kate and Ryan (Boss: Chariot or Priestess or Hangedman)
• Chapter 2 : Homo Sapiens (Boss: Chariot or Priestess or Hangedman)
• Chapter 3 : Pandora's Box (Boss: Chariot or Priestess or Hangedman)
• Chapter 4 : A Glimmer of Hope (Boss: Moon)

Creatures

New

• Rogers
• Allen
• Santana
• Bryant
• Wilson
• Suzuki
• Park
• Mac
• Smoker
• Bruce
• Samson Jr.
• Janish
• Ratstar

Returning

• Kageo
• Cyril
• Ebitan
• Simon
• Bentley
• Samson
• Rubin
• Drake
• Murrer
• Devilon

Bosses

• Chariot
• Hangedman
• Priestess
• Moon

Development

House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn was announced by SEGA Interactive on January 14, 2018, with a promotional website launching shortly thereafter. The return of civilians, the "Partner Rescue" mechanic from The House of the Dead III, and the Chariot from The House of the Dead, as well as new weapons, were reported.

Preliminary location tests were held in multiple Japanese arcades, including the SEGA Akihabara Building 3 in Tokyo, Japan from January 19 to the 21st; Round One Arcade in Yokohama from March 3rd to March 5th; and Rakuichi Rakuzen Arcade in Kawaguichi from March 16th to March 18th.

During JAEPO 2018, Sega released an official trailer revealing new scenes and a glimpse at Priestess, a new boss.

On July 9th 2018, another location test with more content was held in three places: High-tech Land Sega in Shibuya, Sega Tokyo Dome City, and Sega Shinjuku Kabukicho. Kevin Bachus, the Senior Vice President of restaurant and video arcade chain Dave & Busters, announced that all locations would receive Scarlet Dawn cabinets that fall.

The House of the Dead series director Takashi Oda returned to develop Scarlet Dawn. The game was built on Unreal Engine 4 and runs on the Sega ALLS hardware, with a company named Agni Flare responsible for look of the game. The human characters were played by English motion-captured actors, with translators helping them communicate with the Japanese developers. Gore effects, in which creatures showed burn marks and skeletal framework, were prototyped but ultimately scrapped.

In September 2019, Sega and Universal Space announced an exclusive Chinese version of the game. The game, now renamed as Haunted House: Scarlet Dawn, features the same mechanics as the Global version, with several changes, such as UI changes and Chinese subtitles. A Korean version of the game was also spotted.

Trivia

• House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn is the first House of the Dead installment to be released in the 2010s (the last game being The House of the Dead: Overkill in 2009).
  • Excluding Overkill, Scarlet Dawn is also the first canon installment in the franchise to be released in the 2010s, after The House of the Dead 4 in 2005.
• The Japanese release date (September 13th) marks both the release of the original 1996 game and the franchise's 22nd anniversary.
• This is the first game in which Player 1 and 2's colors (traditionally red and blue, respectively) are switched.
• This is the first game in the main series not to feature the character G.
• The title noticeably drops the word "the", reading simply as House of the Dead.
• Scarlet Dawn's setting remains unknown but the car used by Ryan and Kate in the second chapter is a left-hand drive (driver on the left), which implies that the game takes place in North America (possibly the United States).
• This is the first game in the series to feature automatic reload (the ammunition will be automatically filled once it's emptied) as a default function. As such, the standard "Reload" sound effect and notification are removed.
• Scarlet Dawn's level structure is similar to The House of the Dead III; both open with a prologue chapter and feature 3 selectable chapters.
• With an overall total of 5 chapters, this is the shortest House of the Dead game since the original game.
• Bosses in Scarlet Dawn do not have "type numbers", unlike prior games in the main series. This is the second game in the franchise to do so, following Overkill.
• Scarlet Dawn uses the short version of the "Stage Clear" theme, previously used in the original House of the Dead. It is followed by a remix of "Ranking" from The House of the Dead 2.
• Unlike previous games, Scarlet Dawn's route map is shown regardless if the game is completed or not. In contrast, the first four entries only show route maps at game over.
• This is the first game in the entire canon series to not include a "Bad Ending".
• "House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn" has similarities to "The House of the Dead 4":
  • Both games featured a "veteran" character and a "rookie" character (James Taylor is the veteran and Kate Green is the rookie in 4, while Kate is the veteran and Ryan Taylor is the rookie in "Scarlet Dawn").
  • Both games featured "the ground shaking" during the opening cutscene.
  • Both games introduced the Player 2 character first (Kate Green in both 4 and "Scarlet Dawn").
  • Both games featured a "glass scene"; zombies breaking through the glass during the opening chapter.
  • Both games feature a similar plot: In House of the Dead 4, the AMS agents attempt to stop a project called "Pandora's Box" orchestrated by Goldman, and in House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn they attempt to stop another project called "Noah's Ark" orchestrated by Thornheart, a character who happens to have a connection to Goldman.
    • However, the motivation behind the actions of each game's antagonist is different. Goldman wants to restore "the natural harmony of the world" which "humans broke" but "were once subject to" like other organisms, and deplores how humans "came to know greed like no other species." Thornheart feels, however, "Arrogance, greed, envy, rage, lust, veracity," and "laziness" are "all great expression" and, contrasting his view of it from Goldman's, considers evolution "to be truly about the human mind." Undercutting nature's system of "biological adaptability" that Goldman valued, Thornheart also states, "We need to get rid of the dead."
  • Both games have a second chapter that begins with a flashback sequence, and the remaining chapters of both games feature the main antagonist.
  • Both games feature the same death animation in the route display (P1 laying down with one arm holding the chest, and P2 falling down with one arm extended upwards)
  • Both games utilize machine guns, however The House Of The Dead 4 uses a lightweight Uzi (ingame the model is based on a modified Steyr TMP) whereas Scarlet Dawn features a standard assault rifle-like gun based on the Heckler and Koch MP7.
• There are several differences between Scarlet Dawn's International and Japanese version:
  • The Japanese version has 2 difficulty modes: Normal Mode and Master Mode. The International version removes both.
  • The International version removes the Aime card accessibility, in turn removing the HOD coins, player levels, and achievements.
  • Three items (Lifes, Shotgun +, and Machine Gun +) are exclusive to the Japanese version's Item Shop.
  • In the Japanese version, getting S rank awards 2 bonus lives. The International version changes this to 1.
  • In the International version, boss names have the word "The" in front (e.g. The Chariot, The Hangedman). In addition, Priestess is renamed "The High Priestess".
  • The International version lacks subtitles for most of the dialogue. The exceptions to this are Hangedman and Moon's speech, Ranking monologues, and the A.I. voices used for the helicopter and laboratory doors.