Sega is known for doing weird stuff. But The House of the Dead EX is probably the strangest project they ever greenlit for an arcade cabinet. Most people see the title and expect a gritty, blood-soaked rail shooter where you’re blowing the heads off of "The Magician" or dodging the chainsaw of a massive mutant. Instead? You get a pink-themed, comedic rhythm and mini-game collection that feels more like WarioWare than a horror game. It’s a bizarre relic of 2008 and 2009 arcade culture that many fans completely missed because it barely left the borders of Japan and select Asian markets.
Honestly, it’s hilarious. You’re playing as Zobio and Zobiko, two zombies who are—wait for it—deeply in love. They just want to go on a date. But humans and other monsters keep getting in the way. It’s a total 180-degree turn from the grim atmosphere of the mainline series.
What is The House of the Dead EX anyway?
If you walked into an arcade back in the day and saw this cabinet, you’d be confused. It used the Lindbergh hardware, just like The House of the Dead 4, but the gameplay was totally different. You weren't holding a light gun. You were using a foot pedal and a large, colorful button.
The game is a collection of mini-games. Think of it as a "zombie romantic comedy" simulator. You have to complete various tasks to help Zobio and Zobiko escape their cage and enjoy a night out. It’s structured as a series of short, frantic challenges. One second you’re trying to catch falling items, and the next you’re stomping the pedal to outrun a horde of humans. Yes, in this game, the humans are often the "antagonists" or at least the obstacles to your undead romance.
It’s fast. It’s loud. It’s very, very weird.
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The gameplay loop that broke the rules
Sega didn't just skin a regular game with zombie assets. They built specific mechanics for the EX experience. You typically choose a path on a map, which determines which mini-games you face. Each level has a specific "clear" requirement. If you fail, you lose a heart. Lose all your hearts, and the date is over.
Some of the mini-games are genuinely challenging. There’s one where you have to shake a champagne bottle by rapidly pressing buttons, and another where you have to time your stomps to dance. It’s a physical game. You’ll be sweating by the end of a round. This was Sega trying to capture the "casual arcade" crowd that was flocking to games like Love and Berry or Mushiking at the time, but using their most famous horror IP to do it.
Why nobody talks about the Lindbergh hardware
The Lindbergh board was a powerhouse. It was basically a high-end PC for 2005, running an Intel Pentium 4 and an NVIDIA GeForce 6800. This is why The House of the Dead EX looks surprisingly good even today. The character models for Zobio and Zobiko are expressive. Their animations are fluid. When Zobiko gets annoyed with Zobio, you can see it in her face.
But here’s the problem. The Lindbergh was expensive to maintain and regional. Because The House of the Dead EX relied so heavily on its specific cabinet layout—the "Ex-pedal" and the big buttons—it was almost impossible to port to consoles of that era. The Nintendo Wii was the king of light gun ports, but it couldn't handle the Lindbergh’s graphical fidelity without a massive downgrade. The PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 could have done it, but how do you replicate the foot pedal at home? You don't. So the game stayed in the arcade, mostly in Japan.
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The weird connection to House of the Dead 4 Special
If you’re a die-hard fan, you might recognize Zobio and Zobiko from somewhere else. They actually appear as the final bosses in the "True Ending" of The House of the Dead 4 Special. That’s the attraction-style arcade game where the seats rotate 360 degrees.
In that game, they aren't cute. Well, they are still stylized, but they are a legitimate threat. It creates this weird "Sega Cinematic Universe" where these two lovebirds are hopping between being comic relief and being genuine obstacles for agents G and Kate Green. It's this kind of internal lore that makes Sega fans so obsessive. They take a joke and make it canon.
The "EX" factor: Why it failed in the West
There was actually a location test for a Western version. It was often called Loving Deads: The House of the Dead EX. But it never really took off. Why?
Marketing a "funny" zombie game to a Western audience in 2008 was a tough sell. We were in the era of Gears of War and Call of Duty: World at War. Everything had to be brown, grey, and serious. A pink arcade cabinet about zombie love was a hard "no" for most American arcade distributors. They wanted the next House of the Dead 5, not a rhythm game.
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Also, the humor is very Japanese. It’s "manzai" style comedy—the straight man and the funny man (or in this case, the grumpy girl and the lovestruck guy). A lot of the charm is lost if you don't appreciate that specific vibe.
Is it playable today?
Actually, yes. But it's not easy.
- TeknoParrot: This is the go-to software for arcade preservationists. Since the Lindbergh was PC-based, clever developers figured out how to make these games run on modern Windows machines. You’ll need a decent GPU and some patience to map the controls.
- Japanese Arcades: If you visit a Round1 or a retro arcade in Akihabara, you might still find a dusty EX cabinet tucked in a corner. They are becoming rare, though.
- The Wii Port? There was never a standalone port. However, a "sequel" of sorts or a similar vibe was captured in English of the Dead on the DS, though that’s more of a typing/language game.
The legacy of Zobio and Zobiko
It’s easy to dismiss this game as a "cash-in," but the effort put into the mini-games is impressive. There are over 30 different challenges. Some require rhythm, some require speed, and some require genuine strategy. It wasn't just a low-budget spin-off; it was a high-production experiment.
It represents a time when Sega was willing to take huge risks with their biggest brands. They didn't care if it made sense to turn a horror franchise into a rom-com. They just thought it would be fun. In a world of "safe" sequels and gritty reboots, The House of the Dead EX is a reminder that gaming used to be a lot more colorful and a lot more willing to be stupid.
Actionable ways to experience House of the Dead EX now
If you want to dive into this weird piece of history, don't just watch a YouTube video.
- Check local Round1 locations: Many Round1 arcade centers in the US import Japanese cabinets. While rare, EX has been spotted in the wild as recently as 2023 in some suburban malls.
- Look into Lindbergh Emulation: Research the TeknoParrot project. You will need to source the original game files (which you should only do if you own the hardware, technically), but it’s the only way to see the game in 1080p or 4K.
- Map a Controller: If you do emulate it, don't use a keyboard. Map the "Pedal" to a trigger on an Xbox or PlayStation controller. It changes the feel of the game entirely and makes the "running" mini-games actually playable.
- Hunt for the Soundtrack: The music is a mix of remixed House of the Dead themes and bubbly J-Pop. It’s a great glimpse into the sound design of late-2000s Sega.
The game isn't just a footnote. It’s a masterclass in how to subvert expectations. Whether you love it or hate it, you have to respect the sheer audacity of a game that asks you to help two zombies fall in love by stomping on a plastic pedal. That’s arcade magic.