Into the Dead 2 first launched on iOS and Android in 2017 and has been a major success. On the Google Play Store alone, it has brought in over 10 million downloads. Now it has made its way over to the Switch just recently with a premium price tag. But is it the best fit for the platform?

There is a story in Into the Dead 2, but it didn’t really grab my attention and I found myself skipping the cutscenes often because I just couldn’t care. The story is basically a man looking for his sister in the zombie apocalypse by running in  a straight line. At the end of each mission, a cutscene plays where they interact with each other over the radio.

Into the Dead is an auto-runner game. Meaning that running is automatic as you move through hordes of zombies who are trying to eat you. Aiming is also automatic, usually aiming for the zombie closest to the character. The only thing you really have control over is what direction you run and shooting your weapon. There’s not a lot of depth here and the repetitive nature of the gameplay shows after the first dozen missions, after that it just becomes tedious. Having downloaded the game on a phone for the sake of this review I found the game to be a much better fit there, suiting the mobile format much better.

Avoiding zombies should be your go to method. Ammo is limited and you will often need to keep it for tricky situations where you might not be able to slip through unscathed. If you do get grabbed you get one free kill with your knife per level. Other than that, there’s not much to know, as you progress through the weapons you will unlock a vast arsenal of new guns that can then be purchased with the in-game currency. There are also some boosters to increase your ammo count, grenades, as well as other modifiers. There are also dogs that you can unlock and they will help you on your missions, which is nice. 

Beyond the campaign mode, there are a few others I should note. Side stories expand the plot a little, whilst the endless modes and challenges are exactly what they sound like. There’s a decent amount of content, but at it’s all the same and gets dull very fast. It also contains two DLC packs: A Ghostbusters and Night of the Living Dead crossover, if you buy the bundle.

Visually, there’s nothing interesting in Into the Dead. Zombies all look very similar and the environments are dull. Environments are covered in a mist, so you can’t see what’s too far ahead of you. However, when zombies do appear they just sort of pop-in rather than fade into view as you get closer. Thankfully the game runs well with no drops, but with how the game looks normally, that is to be expected.

The sound design is probably the thing I can praise the most in this game and I’m sorry to say it’s just decent. Weapon sounds are impactful, but the voice acting simply isn’t that great.

Into the Dead 2 converted to the Switch nicely with no issues to speak of. Though the gameplay experience gets boring fast and the insane asking price of £31.99/$34.99 (£34.99/$39.99 with the DLC bundle) is just way too much for a free to play mobile game.

 

Graphics: 4.5 Nothing visually interesting here. Runs well on Switch.	Gameplay: 6.0 Decent auto-runner game that gets boring after a few runs.
Sound: 6.5 Half decent sound design. The weapon effects are solid, but the voice acting leaves little to be desired.	Fun Factor: 3.5 Into the Dead 2 fits much better on a phone than it does on the Switch.
Final Verdict: 4.5

Into the Dead 2 is available now on Nintendo Switch.

Reviewed on Switch.

A copy of Into the Dead 2 was provided by the publisher.