(Overkill, EX, Zombie Revenge, and others)
- For the slot machine, see The House of the Dead EX.
Two zombies fall in love! Escape with the power of love!
Promotional Tagline
I'd Rather Love Than Be Loved: The House of the Dead EX (Ai Sareruyori Ai Shitai: The House of the Dead EX, 愛されるより愛シタイ ～THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD EX～), also known in Europe as Loving Deads: The House of the Dead EX, is a spin-off to the House of the Dead series released by Sega. It was released exclusively to Japanese arcades in December 2008.[1][2]
The game concerns a young zombie couple, Zobio and Zobiko, who seek to escape from captivity.
The game deviates from the mainline House of the Dead series by consisting of minigames with boss battles in between. The minigames are played with a light gun in addition to foot pedals present on the arcade cabinet.
EX runs on the Sega Lindbergh, the same system that runs The House of the Dead 4 and The House of the Dead 4 Special. Unlike 4 and 4 Special, which run on Lindbergh Yellow, EX runs on Lindbergh Red.
The game borrows heavily from 4, including specific set pieces, characters and even the stylisation of "The House of the Dead EX" portion of the game's logo. Stylisticly, however, EX differs from The House of the Dead 4, and has a more light hearted, comedic tone in comparison to its mainline predecessor. As well as the tonal differences, the game also forgoes the machine guns introduced in 4, and instead features more traditional handguns.
The game was never released outside of Japan; however, the English language version on the BIOS of the ROM can be selected in addition to the original Japanese language.
Gameplay[]
Each stage consists of minigames which utilize the cabinet's light guns (e.g. shooting apples) and/or foot pedals (e.g. stomping spiders). The player goes through stages by choosing between two or three pairs of minigames before fighting a boss at the end. The goal of each minigame is to fulfill a score quota within the minigame's time limit. Failing to do so will cost the player a life.
Plot[]
Main story[]
Within his home, Dr. Curien successfully creates a female creature, Zobiko, but she disobeys the doctor. Enraged, Dr. Curien has her imprisoned, with a lonely guardsman named Zobio keeping watch. During their time together, Zobio and Zobiko fall in love, and decide to escape from Dr. Curien.
The duo are pursued by hordes of creatures into the city ruins. They escape through the sewers, but are pursued by one of Dr. Curien's creations, Justice, who is suffering from toothache. Zobio and Zobiko calm the behemoth by healing his teeth, allowing them safe passage.
Infuriated, Dr. Curien dispatches another one of his creations, a masked man known as The Star. Zobio and Zobiko seek refuge in an abandoned theatre and disguise themselves to fool the horde. Shortly after, they are confronted by The Star, but defeat him. The Star confesses his love for Zobiko, but the two ignore him and continue on their journey.
Zobio and Zobiko arrive at a subway station, planning to restore power to the train and use it to reach the countryside. The Star pursues them, hoping to gain Zobiko's affection, but is knocked away by The Empress. The two outrun her and safely board the moving train, but are surrounded by a horde of creatures. The Star appears again to save Zobiko, but she rejects his offer. Dr. Curien's final creation, The World, appears and battles the duo. After being defeated the creature initiates its self-destruction sequence. Unable to escape in time, Zobio and Zobiko embrace each other as they are engulfed in the explosion, destroying everything nearby.
The Star returns to Dr. Curien to report on Zobio and Zobiko's apparent demise. The doctor laments this news, as Zobiko was modeled after his late wife Zobiette. Unbeknownst to him, Zobio and Zobiko were rescued from the explosion by The Star. Realizing that the two are truly happy together, The Star lets them go, leaving Zobio and Zobiko with their newfound freedom.
Additional ending images[]
Depending on how the player performs during the game, they may be shown a unique secret ending image.[3]
- If the player attains an S rank, an image of The Star unmasked will be shown, revealing that he is a younger version of Dr. Curien.ing their playthrough, they will be shown an image of Zobiko and Zobio eating numerous bowls of noodles.
- If two players achieve a compatability score of 90% or higher, an image of Zobiko and Zobio kissing will be displayed.
- If the player completes the game without using any continues, an image of Zobiko and Zobio dressed as Kate Green and James Taylor will be shown.
Chapters[]
- Chapter 1: Escape
- Chapter 2: Rival in love
- Missions
- 1st set
– Zombie Catcher [Gun used]
– Zombie D.I.Y. [Gun used] - 2nd set
– Hop, Step, Zombie! [Pedal used]
– Initial Z [Pedal used] - 3rd set
– ZomB'z [Gun used]
– Tap Dance Zombie [Pedal used] - The masked Star [Gun used] (Star boss fight)
- 1st set
- Missions
- Chapter 3: Love & hate
- Missions
- 1st set
– Apple Hunter [Gun used]
– Detective Zobiko [Gun used] - 2nd set
– Agent Zombie [Pedal used]
– Zombie Paparazzi [Gun used] - 3rd set
– Zombie Bowling [Gun used] (Temperance)
– Zombie juggling [Pedal used] - Z Train [Pedal used] (Empress boss fight)
- 1st set
- Missions
- Chapter 4: Come alive
- Missions
- 1st set
– Zombie Catcher [Gun used]
– Flying Zone B [Pedal used] - 2nd set
– Zombie Paparazzi [Gun used]
– Zombilliard [Gun used] - The World boss fight [Gun used for 1st phase, pedal used for 2nd phase, both gun and pedal used for 3rd phase]
- 1st set
- Missions
Release[]
The game debuted in 2008 at the Sega Private Show, an annual press-only event held in Tokyo, Japan.[4]
It was later released nationally in Japan on December 17, 2008.[1] Despite having a full English localisation, the game would never be given a proper international release.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 ""I'd Rather Love Than Be Loved ~THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD EX~" will be available from December 17th. "The House of the Dead" is transformed into a comical variety game!?" (Japanese). Sega. Archived from the original on May 13, 2012. Retrieved on October 10, 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "The House of the Dead spinoff! Two zombies fall in love! A great escape with the power of love!" (Japanese). Sega. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved on October 10, 2025.
- ↑ "The Website of the Dead's Post". Facebook (March 30, 2018). Archived from the original on October 10, 2025. Retrieved on October 10, 2025.
- ↑ "夏より熱いゾンビの愛！？ SEGA PRIVATE SHOW 2008 -SUMMER-が開催" (Japanese). Famitsu.com (July 4, 2008). Archived from the original on December 30, 2015.
v • e content
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| v • eThe House of the Dead games | |
|---|---|
| Main series | The House of the Dead (Remake) • 2 (Remake) • III • 4 (Special) • Scarlet Dawn |
| Spin-offs | Zombie Revenge • The Typing of the Dead (2 • Overkill) • The Pinball of the Dead • English of the Dead • EX slot machine • The House of the Dead: Overkill (Extended Cut) • Loving Deads • Darts of the Dead • Scarlet Dawn (Battle Genesis • On Reels • THE ATTRACTION) • Reels |
| Prototypes | The House of the Dead (arcade prototype • Sega Saturn prototype) • 2 (Original Sin prototype) • Scarlet Dawn (prototypes) |
| Compilations | 2 & 3 Return |
| Mobile games | Mobile • Nightmare • Zombie Da: Flick of the Dead • Overkill: The Lost Reels |
| Non-HOD games | Sega Golden Gun • Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing • Vampire Night |
| Gameplay mechanics | Bonus items • Branching paths • Civilians • Health • Weak points |
| Developers | Sega • Sega AM1 • Namco |
| Staff | Rikiya Nakagawa • Takashi Oda |
| Other content | Hiiro Sumomo • References in popular culture • Unused content |