Having published some of the best single screen, arcade-style faux-retro games of the last few years (including the brilliant Donut Dodo), Flynn’s Arcade are back with another: Living Dead House.

A mashup of Burger Time’s gameplay and the survive-until-dawn terror of movies such as Night of the Living Dead, in this game you’ll be picking up weapons and using them against zombies who are breaking into the house, with the aim being to stay alive until the sun comes up.

The house layout and fast paced enemy avoidance really does give Living Dead House a Burger Time-esque feel, and the six different weapons allow a good number of different approaches to getting rid of the troublesome, deadly-to-the-touch zombie hordes. Collecting letters and spelling S-H-R-E-D awards you with the secret chainsaw weapon, which is a great addition to the game’s eclectic armory.

Setting bear traps, boarding up doors (or windows), using flamethrowers and axes as well as the traditional shotgun are all on the cards here, as well as certain environmental offense being available on specific levels, such as a light switch that sets off an electric shock across a big area of the house.

The chiptune soundtrack is excellent, being able to play co-operatively is cool, and even using black and white or CRT filters is great too.

It can be frustrating at times, and the level layouts, just as is the case with Burger Time, can often lead you to places where you’re easily trapped with no escape, which feels unfair and is certainly a feature we have never enjoyed in games, retro or otherwise. Inconsistent enemy behaviour, particularly when they die, can add to the annoyance too.

There’s also the fact that weapons are certainly not all created equal, and the difference between success and failure can sometimes lie in the lucky placement, type and timing of a weapon spawn.

That said, despite some frustration with the game’s level of challenge and the fact that it does feel as if you can lose through no fault of your own, I’ve had an awful lot of fun with Living Dead House. Surviving just long enough to see the dawn killing off all the bad guys never gets old. Plus, it’s responsive, smooth and looks fantastic too.

For the price, it’s well worth checking out if you’re a fan of retro arcade-style games.

Living Dead House is releasing on Switch and Steam on the 2nd of April 2026. Many thanks to Flynn’s Arcade for providing me with a Switch key for review purposes.

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