Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Review – Return to Zombie Mayhem

A Return to Willamette Mall

I’m really enjoying this period of video game releases where we, as gamers, strive to return to our roots. Gaming used to take chances; outside of the big-budget first-party releases, we saw insane news IPs pop up yearly. However, it was 2006 when Capcom decided to take a big chance on investing in gaming experiences. No, I’m not talking about God Hand or Okami. It was a strange zombie release by Mega Man Character designer Keiji Inafune called Dead Rising.

Now, unlike other Capcom IPs, Dead Rising happens to be the one I’m least familiar with. It never caught my attention growing up, but I feel like I’m in a place where I can finally understand who Frank West is. Luckily for me, Capcom is releasing Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, a modern facelift for a series that I feel is made specifically for those who haven’t played. While returning fans will likely find joy in returning to this Colorado mall, this is a game that is about discovery and imagination as it is about avoiding getting mulled by packs of zombies.

Classic Mechanics Meet Modern Upgrades

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is Dead Rising built-in RE Engine, Capcom’s in-house engine created during the development of Resident Evil 7. Now, I’ve seen discussions on whether this could be considered a Remake or a Remaster. After confirming some very specific item RNG against the original, I can only assume that this is, in fact, the original Dead Rising with updated graphics, which meets the definition of a Remaster in my book. Anyway, onto the game.

Dead Rising tells the story of photojournalist Frank West, who has just landed the scoop of the century after helicoptering into a zombie-infested city in Colorado. He jumps to the roof of Willamette Parkview Mall and is given 72 hours to do what he must and leave. From this point on, the clock is ticketing, and Frank is left to tug at the threads of breaking stories while doing his best to survive against zombie hordes and psychotic humans. Shortly after arrival, he meets up with some survivors and gets mixed up in DHS matters and something to do with Santa Cabeza. From here, every character, from Brad Garrison to the Manager, Stever, plays their role perfectly.

The roguelike elements and insane boss encounters keep every playthrough of Dead Rising unpredictable and thrilling.

Given my limited knowledge of the events in this game, it became clear that this is unlike any action game I’ve played before. Time management aside, outside of markers pointing you toward main and optional quests, you’re free to roam the zombie-infested mall to interact with items, change clothes, and discover new ways to take down zombies. This sense of discovery makes the first playthrough of Dead Rising so important. It’s going to be messy. Survivors are going to die. But every discovery will help you on the next run. For example, crucial items like keys you found on the third day can be found on the first to make traversal easier and save time, or maybe you didn’t know you could skateboard around the mall or use a weed wacker for a weapon but you can, and all it takes is some imagination.

Sandbox Creativity and Discovery

I fell in love with the sandbox nature of Dead Rising. It doesn’t become overly complicated with customization systems, and the only thing you have to pay attention to is the durability meter, so you’re free to experiment at your heart’s content. I should say that practicing with items before using them against a pack of zombies is smarter than running head-first into a horde with a bunch of gumballs and saw blades. Still, despite all these weapon possibilities, Dead Rising manages to be a challenging game of item and health management alongside route planning and time management. Interestingly, all of these systems play nicely, and I never felt overwhelmed across my three playthroughs, two being what I’d consider to be practice runs.

Frank West’s journey in Willamette Parkview Mall is an invitation to players’ creativity, where survival meets imagination.

A generous save system allows you to continue from the room you entered or choose from Auto Saves that can get you back to a more preferred place. Further, you can completely restart the 72 hours with your current level and knowledge of the Mall’s layout, which makes the experience feel more akin to a roguelike. Another quality-of-life feature is advancing time, which can quickly get you through the game if you are trying to progress the main case. There are moments when you must be at a specific place and time to trigger a story scene, but during those moments, optional quests pop up for rescue survivors.

You’d be doing yourself a disservice if you skipped these optional quests. The survivors each bring a distinct personality to the game and provide a nice boost in experience to earn levels. I failed to mention this earlier, but as Frank completes missions or takes down enemies, he’ll earn PP. Gaining levels usually unlock new abilities, which can be carried over to other modes. Further, Frank can whip out his camera any time to take pictures, with special photo opportunities sprinkled around the environment to provide even more experience. The camera can also be upgraded and customized for improved pictures. Again, all of these systems work in tandem together and feel natural while playing.

Boss Fights and Roguelike Elements

One would assume that this would all be enough, but I believe what makes Dead Rising truly stand out are the boss fights. As you roam the mall, you’ll eventually encounter a boss. These introductions are nightmare-inducing and psychotic. I was frozen when I regained control over Frank after the cinematic. How am I supposed to take down this chainsaw-wielding clown with a pipe and a can of food? Thankfully, many of these bosses can be avoided and saved for another time, which is also just another insane system of the game that works incredibly well in execution.

How did I manage to avoid this experience for so long? This is a game that matches the creativity of the player. You ultimately get what you put in, and if you’re looking for a straight zombie action experience, you could get that here. Still, you’d be missing out on the moments where you’re literally mowing down zombies or using workout equipment to try and make a path forward for survivors. I know that later installments would try and capitalize on each of these points, but Dead Rising walks such a delicate balance of system depth that I can’t see anything doing it better, and I’m glad that this Remaster exists to allow me to discover that.

New Content and Improvements

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster also allows players to unlock the Overtime and Infinite modes found in the original. Infinite Mode is pretty important to the game’s sandbox nature as it forces players to explore options they might have passed on during the game, such as making Juices for health and stat boosts. Outside of that, improvements have been made to the NPC AI, but I had issues judging the distance they need to be to enter doors. I just never seemed to get it right.

While playing, I encountered a few graphical glitches and weird zombie AI behavior, but it didn’t affect my gameplay experience. Further, some more open areas have significant pop-in issues with enemies and objects, but this wasn’t always the case as sometimes the areas loaded in perfectly. I noticed some previews mentioning the game’s difficulty, but this point seemed to be made by those who have already played the game.

For me, I died a lot—more than I’d like to admit. I had an adamant time understanding how to use items, navigation, and general survival. I didn’t turn to a guide, though. I just kept playing, and the skills to enjoy this insane concept of a game came naturally to me. While I’m not knocking those who are saying this game is too easy, they are also saying that with almost 20 years of experience with the IP under their belt. I also took a moment to look at some of the removed content and changed lines, and I agree that this didn’t need to be touched. If anything, it puts a spotlight on the lines for future generations to consume rather than a fleeting moment in the dialog or optional system players can take part in.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster delivers a nostalgic yet fresh take, perfectly balancing its chaotic sandbox gameplay with updated visuals.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster allowed me to re-write the past where I once passed on the franchise. Surprisingly, even in 2024, this insane combination of genres holds up. Discovering the various ways of using items and navigating this mall over multiple runs was consistently fun, capped off by some of the most insane psychopath bosses I’ve ever fought against. Dead Rising was released almost 20 years ago, making it a product of its time, but I feel the changes to the script were unnecessary and hurt the uncomfortable impact these characters were meant to deliver. The updated visuals and controls may entice modern players to this release, but the core systems that make Dead Rising a must-play have been here since the beginning, and I’m glad to be able to join in the hype surrounding this series.