Capcom has been firing on all cylinders lately, with bold sequels (Dragon’s Dogma 2), awe-inspiring remakes (Resident Evil 4), and acclaimed compilations (Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection). That success allows the Japanese publisher to reach into its prolific catalog and dust off Dead Rising, a fan favorite. Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster ($49.99, reviewed on PlayStation 5 but also available on PC and Xbox) is a top-to-bottom visual remake with many improvements that make the game more accessible to modern audiences. The result is a much easier title than you might remember, but the unique gameplay loop is still as fun as it was in 2006.
What Is Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster?
The first Dead Rising is one of my favorite games of all time. That's a hot take to some, but it was one of the Xbox 360's most impressive releases. The game trapped you in a shopping mall full of the undead and challenged you to survive (and rescue other people) using wits and creativity. With dozens of zombies on screen at once and dozens of weapons at your disposal, Dead Rising featured graphics and interactivity that looked and felt next-gen.
Dead Rising enjoyed a handful of sequels, each leaning further into the absurdity and satire that built the original game’s foundation. However, none matched the first title's challenging gameplay or the schlubby, everyman charm oozing from photojournalist Frank West. Inspired by George A. Romero's 1978 horror classic Dawn of the Dead, the original Dead Rising captured the wit and humor of a B-movie horror flick while giving you many zombie-slaying weapons.
Fast forward 18 years, and the original Dead Rising shuffles back into the limelight as Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster—and it looks much better. Courtesy of Capcom’s RE Engine—the same engine that has powered almost every major Capcom release since Resident Evil 7—Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster gives the game a complete graphical overhaul. It's a more substantial graphical update than The Last of Us Part II Remastered.
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Capcom made it clear that Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is a remaster, not a remake, and that’s apparent from the moment Frank West touches down on the Willamette Parkview Mall's rooftop. In fact, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster has more in common with Metroid Prime Remastered than with any of the Resident Evil remakes. That is to say, the gameplay and, more importantly, the game design remain almost identical to the 2006 original.
Notable Changes
Major and minor quality-of-life changes make the game easier for newcomers. The original employed a layer of friction in its design that demanded you play by its rules. A three-day time limit, limited saves, and failures that locked you out of story elements forced you to explore the mall for optimized playthroughs. Chances are, you wouldn't complete Dead Rising on your first go.
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster changes that by easing you into its world. The new features include autosaves that make death far palatable and map markers for easier mall navigation. In addition, you can now speed up the time between cases (the main missions) to keep the story moving. Similarly, the weapons you find around the mall now have visualized durability values, so you know when they're about to break. And yes, you can finally shoot a gun while moving.
Besides the graphics, the survivors might be the biggest improvement. Survivor AI was notoriously clunky in the original game, as the fragile characters often wandered into danger and got stuck on objects. They were like human-sized Pikmin. In Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, the survivors have visualized values and weapon preferences, and can even spot items for Frank. Keep your survivors safe and happy, and they’ll come to Frank’s aid.
Dead Rising isn't an action-RPG, but it has RPG elements. Those elements return in the remaster. Experience is measured in Prestige Points (PP), and you earn PP by killing zombies, saving survivors, and taking pictures. PP lets you level up Frank to improve his stats and unlock new abilities. Frank is pretty useless initially, but leveling up unlocks cool and often ridiculous moves. It's always funny to watch Frank disembowel or suplex a zombie. It never gets too complicated. You don’t have to worry about building out skill trees or deciding what unlocks next; the game handles that for you so that you can fully focus on killing as many zombies as possible.
Everything Dead Is New Again
Dead Rising’s gameplay still revolves around surviving a dangerous zombie-infested mall, saving survivors, and uncovering the dark secret that caused the outbreak, all while keeping track of the time. Dead Rising is as much an action game as it is about time management. Its interactivity might not wow players like it did in 2006, but there’s still a lot to explore.
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster doesn’t smooth out every wrinkle in its design, though. The controls, while modernized, still feel clunky, especially during combat with the game’s Psychopaths (human characters who act as the game’s boss fights). Plus, the Psychopaths still get stuck behind objects or stop moving entirely, making it easy for you to go to town on them.
Shooting is just as poor as it was before. There’s a distinct lack of weight or impact when firing a gun that rivals the empty gunplay in Fallout and Starfield. Likewise, photography still feels like an afterthought despite being Frank’s livelihood.
Dead Rising can be overwhelming and difficult, especially for first-time players. But the catharsis of mowing down a zombie crowd with a potted plant, park bench, or shopping cart outweighs the cons. These perceived flaws also define the game. In some ways, Dead Rising reminds me of Monster Hunter and Dragon’s Dogma, two series with historically dense and divisive gameplay that you either love or hate.
Dead Rising's Visual Overhaul
Frank’s redesign and voice inspired controversy upon the game’s reveal, but I love them. He has Leisure Suit Larry's face and Ray Liotta's voice. Some people still can’t move beyond the original voice actor, but the changes aren't deal-breakers, considering Frank’s voice and appearance have been inconsistent over the last 18 years.
Every character now has voiced dialogue, and it sounds great. The script is barely changed, if at all, so you can rest easy if you were worried about altered character personalities.
Most of the other changes are minor. An updated character model removes a “yellow face” racial stereotype. Capcom also removed the Erotic photo category and tweaked certain NPC outfits to make the game modern. This starkly contrasts with the recent remaster of another zombie-slaying action game, Lollipop Chainsaw, which keeps most of its early 2010 cringe intact (for better or worse).
However, the visual overhaul reveals several minor issues. Character models constantly clip through hair and outfits, zombies occasionally fly through walls, and low-res imagery is hidden among the hi-res assets. The remaster suffers noticeable graphics pop-in, too. Unrelated, the game occasionally crashed, though the autosave prevented me from losing too much progress.
Why You Should Game on a PC
Verdict: Dead Rising Deluxe Is a Faithful Remaster
Dead Rising is meant to be replayed as you learn from your mistakes and optimize runs. The longer you stick with the game, the more interesting it becomes, which remains true in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster. The edges may have been shaved for new audiences, but it feels like a homecoming for longtime fans. Hopefully, new players will enjoy Dead Rising’s quirks and prove there’s enough room in the market for a zombie-slaying game that isn't Resident Evil.
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Dead Rising is back from the dead with a remaster that completely overhauls the visuals and brings other improvements to the 2006 classic.
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