Dead Rising Deluxe Remastered review: A mixed bag of changes to this zombie classic

Since its debut in 2006, Dead Rising has been known for being a zany zombie sandbox game that requires players to constantly increase the kill counter while using everything and the kitchen sink to crush rotting brains. But as players begin to rob the zombies of their rotting abilities, it quickly becomes clear that Dead Rising is more than just another silly action game, as it tackles themes and issues of American consumerism in a clever and serious way.

As you’d expect, Dead Rising Deluxe continues in this vein. When cocky photojournalist Frank West flies into Willamette Park Mall to investigate why the military has locked down the town, the game congratulates you with “Perfect!” and “Awesome!” stickers for snapping a photo of a man being eaten alive or a gas station exploding—and that’s before we get to meet the eponymous undead, now made even more disgusting by their 2024 graphical polish, who are the physical embodiment of this immortal, destructive, occasionally cartoonish need for consumption, swarming what might be the greatest monument to 2006 capitalism: the shopping mall. (Though if Capcom does make a new Dead Rising, they might have to update the setting to an Amazon warehouse.)

Still, the Willamette Mall remains a strong canvas for Capcom’s zombie adventures to this day, because it gives Frank the freedom to add everything (and the kitchen sink) to his cart. Everything is free, and everything can be turned into a zombie-killing machine. A shiny new TV? That’ll definitely crush some skulls. Some CDs? I’d probably use them to perform a Shaun of the Dead gimmick. An actual shopping cart? Sure. There’s so much choice here that even Ichiban and Kiryu from Like a Dragon would balk and salivate at the prospect of such potential violence.

All of that irony is preserved in the new version, but I also realize that Dead Rising Deluxe is also technically the second Dead Rising remake Capcom has put out in less than a decade – the first was 2016’s 10th anniversary remake for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. This “deluxe remake” updates it for modern consoles (including the PS5 and Xbox Series X and S) with improved 4K visuals and 60fps, but it still might not be the most epic game ever. Determined How to play this classic zombie smasher. “But he complained that his stomach was not full” Indeed.

First things first. Despite the name, this version of Dead Rising sits in an awkward middle ground between a straight visual remake and a full-blown remake. Willamette has been perfectly rebuilt from the ground up in Capcom’s RE Engine, right down to all the cash registers, hangers, and characters on the walls, but unlike Capcom’s recent Resident Evil releases, its structure and storyline remain largely the same as before. Nothing has changed in that regard – which is totally fine in itself, but don’t expect any major shakeups here.

Of course, if this is your first time playing Dead Rising, there’s a lot to take in. The environments are far more detailed this time around, and even as a returning player, poking around in familiar squares to see what’s changed filled me with a happy sense of nostalgia–especially since I no longer have to deal with clunky tank controls, which have been blissfully relegated to an optional control scheme. The lighting is beautiful, too, and as it reflected off freshly mopped floors at night, I almost felt a little guilty about having to destroy them with freshly splattered zombie bits.

Not only does Dead Rising remove the friction of moving, it’s also far more rewarding than before, with certain encounters made easier thanks to larger experience pools. There’s also an autosave feature, so you won’t accidentally lose 45 minutes of progress because you forgot to reserve energy before fighting a big boss. It’s a useful modernization, no doubt, but I don’t know – part of me really enjoyed the grind in the original Dead Rising, and I have fond memories of racking up experience and reputation points, dying to invincible foes, and then starting over with all my progress – and knowledge of where to find the best guns – to keep going. It can be a bit laborious, but it gives you the freedom to get through particularly difficult sections with a limited countdown. Dead Rising still lets you restart all your attributes and skills in the same way, but now there’s no need to do that since you can effectively rewind to the last autosave and grind your points faster.

That’s probably largely a “me” thing, though, because overall, Dead Rising Deluxe still has an enjoyable pace. In softening those punishing saves and awkward controls, I was able to enjoy all of its absurdist humor and biting satire without the tedious headaches I felt before. If you’re a returning player who knows the Willamette Mall area like the back of your hand, your mileage may vary, but it’s certainly more accessible than before.

Concrete walls polished to a shine is one thing, but the Deluxe Remaster’s updated character models are sadly a bit unsatisfactory. Dead Rising has always had a somewhat cartoonish tone, but from certain angles, some of these characters look like unusually porous Play-Doh figures. This wasn’t as much of an issue in earlier versions, when those squishy faces felt like an overkill for Dead Rising’s already bizarre humor (don’t forget, this is a game where a murderous clown who talks like Mickey Mouse accidentally saws himself in half with a chainsaw, so I can suspend disbelief about silly-looking characters), but it’s a bit jarring to see these characters exposed against these newer, more realistic backdrops.

Frank himself has had a rough ride, and sometimes his tired face betrays the exhaustion of nearly 20 years between now and 2006. In the process, he’s lost some of his youthful arrogance and his manic thirst for scoops, and now he seems more like a regular guy. It’s a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things, but sometimes it’s enough to take you out of the experience rather than take you deeper.

Thankfully, Capcom has made up for some of its shortcomings in other areas, avoiding these immersion-breaking moments. For example, I’m glad that the butcher boss is no longer an Asian cartoon character that looks like a living Buddha, and I’m also happy to see that it has removed the “pornographic” category from Frank’s photo gallery, meaning players can no longer earn extra points by taking advantage of female characters. The darker side of the internet will no doubt say that the latter feels hypocritical, as Frank can still get away with it by taking advantage of other There are some “perverse” moments – like, say, capturing the moment someone is brutally murdered – but let’s be serious. There doesn’t need to be an entire side quest dedicated to upskirt shots and cleavage-amplification, especially when the original Dead Rising never went beyond a critique of the exploitation of the female body. It was simply thrilling at the time, and it’s gratifying to see Dead Rising move with the times.

All of this may go some way to explaining some of the Deluxe Remaster’s other tonal modernizations, though the decision to remove all references to Vietnam from veteran psychopath Cliff Hudson’s storyline is arguably the most curious of them all. Instead of insisting that Frank is part of the Vietcong when he first encounters him, Cliff simply calls him “the mole” and that he was traumatized by an unnamed conflict. It’s a strange change, to say the least, for a game that seems so at ease criticizing the rest of the American machine.

All in all, the appeal of Dead Rising Deluxe ultimately depends on your familiarity with the original. From cynical cash grabs to celebratory love letters, I’d say it’s closer to the latter, because in addition to the visuals and combat overhaul, there are tons of little improvements here that make it more approachable and easier to pick up. Camera upgrades are now scattered around the mall, the friendly escorts aren’t as goofy as they once were, and the original’s abandoned rocket launcher is here, too. Other changes will be more controversial to die-hard fans of the original, like a gentler difficulty curve, and the changes to Frank’s face. But that’s okay, because Capcom didn’t abandon the 2016 remake in the new version – it’s still there for those who want a 1:1 recreation of the Willamette Mall, and it’s a lot cheaper. But if you’re more interested in getting those quality-of-life improvements, a higher frame rate, and a beautifully lit floor to turn it into your own red room, then Dead Rising Deluxe might be worth the price.

Capcom provided a copy of Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster for review.