The House of The Dead 4 - Story

Story

The story is set three years after the events of The House of the Dead 2. Former AMS agent James Taylor and a new agent named Kate Green are gathering intelligence at the fifth basement floor of the AMS European branch office. James still has the events of the 2000 "Goldman Case" on his mind, and believes that the ordeal has not yet ended. A sudden earthquake rocks the room while they talk, collapsing the basement walls and leaving the agents trapped.

Several days later, as the two await a rescue team, James' PDA goes off, and a group of undead are seen on the security cameras. Realizing that they are in danger, James has Kate gather all the weaponry they can find to defend themselves. Soon after, the two travel through the sewers to an information room where they uncover a plot to fire nuclear missiles worldwide within 24 hours' time, facing the four armed Justice and a pair of mutant tarantulas known as The Lovers along the way. Taking the subway into zombie-infested streets from an underground shopping district, the agents narrowly avoid attacks by The Empress, a double-ended chainsaw-wielding assassin, and the massive, obese, nearly impervious Temperance.

James and Kate then learn that the late one-time CEO of the now-defunct DBR Corporation, Goldman, is responsible for the resurgence of undead. Upon reaching the surface, they find the city completely obliterated. Goldman sends them a PDA message indicating that the launch will occur in one hour. The agents reach the abandoned Goldman Building but upon entering the main foyer, a levitating humanoid named The Star, prevents their advance. After the Star is defeated, the duo continue onward. Ultimately, they arrive in time to halt Goldman's plans, though it is revealed that his true intention is to revert humankind to its original state in order to prevent them from harming the planet further. As such, his final legacy, The World, an insect-like humanoid made of ice is released in the opening of "Pandora's Box" to fulfill its role as the successor to his original Emperor project in 2000, having developed underground since his death. As the AMS agents fight it, the World continuously evolves to become larger and more powerful. Following the World's second defeat, James sets his PDA to self-destruct and, telling Kate not to give up hope, sacrifices himself to destroy the World in the ensuing explosion.

The game has four endings available depending on the player's performance during the game. The "standard" ending has the view returns to Goldman's computer and him instructing the player to travel north. The "bad" ending is essentially the same, though the camera pans on Goldman's face showing him changing into zombie. Another ending has G appearing outside the building and talks about the zombie crisis has not yet ended, tells James to rest in peace, and he will assist the player to face it, setting off the events of The House of the Dead 4 Special. The fourth ending has the player confronts the mysterious man previously seen in one of The House of the Dead III's ending where he says that there is more than one Pandora's Box. At the end of either endings, the screen displays "The story continues in The House of the Dead III".