​Into the Dead 2 Review

By Kevin Mitchell  |  Posted: October 21, 2019

Originally an iOS and Android free-to-play title, Into the Dead 2 has made its way to the Nintendo Switch, just in time for the Halloween season. As an arcade-style shooter, you're thrust into dangerous conditions as you must survive against hordes of the undead, conserving ammunition while running, always running. All of the game's 60 narrative levels spread across seven chapters are included in the Nintendo Switch release, along with dozens of side story missions (plus downloadable content) and an endless arcade mode. Although all microtransactions have been removed and elements have been redesigned to work without them, the core gameplay remains the same.

Unlike most (if not all) endless runners, Into the Dead 2 has clearly defined narrative-based missions. James, our protagonist, crashes his truck on the way back to his sister and daughter. Between each mission, you learn of their struggle, fleeing from invading zombies and the battle to keep Maggie (the daughter) alive. It's not breathtaking but has enough substance to keep you moving forward. The side stories are locked until you complete specific levels, so if you have the Ghostbusters downloadable content, you'll need to play through all 60 levels of the story first. The physical edition includes the Night of the Living Dead and Ghostbusters add-on content, while those who purchase the game digitally can buy the bundle or the base game and DLC separately.

Every level sees you run towards the endpoint automatically, but you need to strafe left or right, avoiding obstacles, burning wreckage, and groups of zombies. Ammunition is quite scarce and resets at the start of each level. Caches can be located by looking for green smoke off in the distance, and generally, you'll be able to maneuver yourself to run through them. The view distance isn't too great, so things have a habit of appearing right before your eyes, leaving you without enough time to react to an ammo crate on the far side of the screen. These crates randomly provide a small number of bullets for either your primary or secondary weapon. It's common to only get three or four rounds for your handgun, which doesn't help much. For this reason, avoiding zombies is key to survival, along with saving your shots for those pesky runners that get too close.

The core gameplay mechanics have stayed the same in Into the Dead 2, but almost everything else about the game has been redesigned. Instead of collecting weapon parts, you'll unlock new weapons by collecting enough stars and then purchasing them with gold. Besides the two weapons that you bring with you, you'll have a trusty companion in almost every level. It's not long before you rescue the first dog that loyally follows you across fields, towns, through forests, junkyards, and rail yards all teeming with the undead. Your new best friend will even take down an enemy every so often, but it seems so random that it's hard to predict when it will occur. As you progress through the narrative, you'll unlock new companions, purchasable with gold. Each one has a different use, such as being more aggressive when attacking, or even collecting additional ammo. At times you'll have another human soldier running beside you, along with a triggerable special ability to mow down anything in your path.

After every level, you'll rummage through a backpack for loot, yielding three different options (the mobile version had three packs with one item in each). You can either select a handful of gold or temporary weapon boosts. These boosts can yield faster firing rates, increased starting ammo, or special ammo types, such as piercing or explosive rounds. Gold (and some weapons) can be unlocked by earning enough stars by completing objectives. These objectives include getting a specific number of kills with a particular gun, hopping over multiple barricades, and more. The game also has various endings tied to the number of stars you have by the time you reach the final mission. Replaying previous levels for gold is a slow grind. Arcade mode and the side stories are the best way to earn gold; however, gold earned from the arcade mode is a one-time reward based on the chosen difficulty. It can help you upgrade or unlock a few items, but eventually, you'll have to grind out missions.

The side stories provide variation on the game's formula by changing the setting. You'll take control of 3rd Platoon Corporal Garcia venturing through treacherous swamps, or guide James through a frozen and unforgiving mountain, and more. The side stories provide an excellent source of gold, weapons, and companions. The two licensed content packs are available at launch. Content unlocked, such as the proton packs and Slimer from Ghostbusters, can be used in any level in the game.

Simply Put

Into the Dead 2's transition from a heavily microtransaction-laden mobile game to the Nintendo Switch is not without issues. First and foremost, the game's price tag may be hard to swallow for what was a free-to-play mobile game. Yes, it plays better without the despicable mobile game philosophy of nickel-and-diming the player, but its cost is far more than expected. The view distance isn't great, so zombies frequently appear right in front of you, slowdown occurs both during runs and in menus, and the gold grind is very slow. Even so, it's a decent experience when played in short bursts. It's just disappointing that licensed DLC is locked until you progress deep into the main story.