Don’t let Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster’s name fool you; this is essentially a full-on remake of Capcom’s classic zombie game. While the narrative and core gameplay loop are the same, Dead Rising has seen a complete visual overhaul, as well as a few gameplay tweaks to make it more enjoyable to play. It’s the same great game you remember, but it now just feels like something that could be released in 2024 rather than 2006. After going hands-on with Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, it’s clear that this game is less like the remake treatment Capcom gave Resident Evil 4 last year and more like the one EA gave Dead Space. It’s an extremely faithful modern upgrade for a horror classic that still holds up today.
For those unfamiliar with Dead Rising, it follows a photojournalist named Frank West, who sneaks into the town of Willamette, which the U.S. government has cordoned off. It turns out that most of the residents of this small town have turned into zombies, and Frank intentionally strands himself at the zombie-infested Parkview Mall for 72 hours. During that time, he uncovers the truth of this zombie outbreak and works with government agents stuck in the mall with him. Despite its grave subject matter, Dead Rising is also a very funny game with a bumbling protagonist.
It’s a comedic commentary on American consumerism, government overreach, and the scumminess of tabloid journalism. Still, there is heart at the core of this adventure, as you see Frank start to actually care about people over time and understand how this small-town zombie apocalypse truly broke the minds of many of Willamette’s residents. Dead Rising also thrives because of all the emergent moments this premise enables.
The events of Dead Rising take place over 72 hours, and a clock is constantly ticking down in the background of the game. Time passes each time players enter a new area, and for the best ending, players have to complete all the main cases within that time frame.
Add in dynamic systems gameplay systems that see Frank rescuing survivors in the mall and finding objects that he can improvise to be weapons, and no two playthroughs of Dead Rising feel the same. That’s one of the main reasons Dead Rising remains so endearing to many fans 18 years later, and it’s something Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster retains in full. If you enjoyed the emergent nature of Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma 2 earlier this year, then you’ll adore Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster if you haven’t played the original.
As a remake — or Deluxe Remaster, as Capcom puts it — of Dead Rising, it’s also very good. The core of Dead Rising is exactly how you remember it, with a ticking clock and all the emergent gameplay systems I’ve mentioned. But it’s the small tweaks Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster brings that matter the most. Frank’s new look takes some getting used to, but there are tons of costumes to make him wear if you don’t like it. Otherwise, the visual overhaul is fantastic and affirms Willamette Mall as one of the all-time great video game settings. Even after just playing the first day and a half of Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, I already felt familiar with many of its nooks and crannies.
There are also some helpful gameplay tweaks. The game will now autosave, and you can move while shooting. Although some of the most hardcore fans might scoff at the fact that these make the game a bit easier, I also think they make Dead Rising more fun to play. It’s helpful not to lose a day of progress due to forgetting to save and to be able to shoot the heads off a couple of zombies without having to completely stop them in their tracks.
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster isn’t as thorough of a reimagining as Resident Evil 4’s remake was, but I don’t think Dead Rising needed that. Capcom just needed a way to get a whole new generation of players to appreciate this classic zombie game. And if you enjoyed the original Dead Rising, my time playing Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster indicates that it’ll give you the perfect excuse to revisit this excellent game, just like the Dead Space remake did for that series’ fans in January 2023.
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster will be released on September 19 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. A physical version of the game for consoles will follow on November 8.
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