An on-rails spin-off of the brilliant Enter the Gungeon, built for the arcade cabinet. The shooting stays snappy and full of nods, but without a light gun or a partner it loses much of its bite on Switch.
Your verdict
Category
Roguelike2 players12+
Co-op
Description
A light-gun take on the bullet-soaked dungeon, blasting bullets and bosses with precise shots. Published by Devolver Digital, released worldwide in 2019 and playable in pairs. On-rails enemy waves, zany guns drawn from the original, dodging, pixel aesthetics and ballistic humor.
Enter the Gungeon: House of the Gundead review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
This spinoff transposes the armory-dungeon's world into a light-gun shooting game, built for the arcade cabinet. Gone is the top-down exploration: the action rolls on rails, and you blast waves of living bullets that surge into the foreground, mixing the series' visual gags with the frame of a shooting gallery. The art keeps the hammy ammunition-creatures but stages them head-on, in a flashy arcade-hall aesthetic.
Unlike the original dungeon, this arcade game's soundtrack aims for immediacy: shorter, punchier tracks cut for nervous rounds at the shooting gallery. Electronic bass and supercharged surges mark the arrival of enemy waves, driving you to reload and fire without a lull. The music trades the roguelite's long-haul progression for a cabinet energy, brief and galvanizing, locked onto the tempo of the light gun.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Built first for the arcade cabinet and its light gun, this spin-off swaps dungeon crawling for on-rails waves, keeping the original's zany arsenal and ballistic humor. In co-op the shooting stays punchy for a few sessions. But without a light gun or partner at home, the formula tires fast and the source game's depth is sorely missed. A likeable nod, and little more.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Grabbing a plastic gun to riddle waves of foes in an arcade cabinet awakens a raw, immediate thrill. The deranged arsenal drawn from the Gungeon universe and the deluge of on-screen projectiles create jubilant chaos. With two players, frantic teamwork and shared laughter turn every session into a memorable blast.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Built as a light-gun arcade game, this spin-off transposes the dungeon-crawler's universe into a frantic shooting gallery where you blast bullets and bosses at a breakneck pace. Racking up score, surviving the next wave and sharpening your reflexes mechanically pushes you to feed in another credit. The zany weapons and patterns to memorize refresh interest from one round to the next, and the instant joy of shooting still lands. Its cabinet roots make it rare, but at home it's that short-run spirit that grips. Worth watching: the high-score chase can multiply the credits you sink.
Difficulty
"Easy"
Lifespan
"Long"
Technical info
💾0,5 GB📅17/12/2019
Published by Devolver Digital
Enter the Gungeon: House of the Gundead (Nintendo Switch) price, value & rarity
A rail-shooter spin-off of Gungeon, this title turns the original bullet-hell bosses into targets to blast in pairs. The projectile walls you once dodged become frantic firing patterns against giant bullet creatures. Absurd humor, an arsenal-bristling bestiary and arcade tension make every boss wave a jubilant parade.
Better with friends
This rail-shooter spin-off recasts the roguelite universe as a frantic shooting gallery: as a pair, you blast waves of projectiles in unison, cover each other's blind spots and yell as the screen drowns in bullets. The cooperation is total, each of you counting on your partner's precise aim to survive. Twitchy and good-natured, it's perfect for a shared adrenaline rush, round after round.
Is Enter the Gungeon: House of the Gundead still worth playing in 2026?
Enter the Gungeon: House of the Gundead is a light-gun rail-shooter spin-off of the superb bullet-hell roguelike, and it should be taken for what it is. Built first for arcade cabinets, it swaps dungeon crawling for waves of enemies on rails, keeping the original's wacky arsenal and ballistic humor. In two-player it is snappy and fun for a few sessions. But the source game's depth is missing, and the formula tires quickly at home. A pleasant nod for Gungeon fans, no more. Approach it as a side dish, not the main course.
