Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster [PC] | REVIEW

Dead Rising is one of my favourite games of all time, but I’ll openly admit that it is a little dated now (even if it’s still a blast to play). It’s why I’ve been so excited for Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, which looks to refine and improve upon the formula whilst maintaining the feel of the original game. This isn’t a remake in the vein of what Capcom have done with classic Resident Evil titles, but a remastered release with plenty of fancy bells and whistles across its visuals and gameplay. And you know what? It’s bloody brilliant and shows just how much life is left in this (undead) masterpiece.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Narrative-wise, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is exactly the same as the original game, with players stepping in the shoes of photojournalist Frank West (he’s covered wars, you know) as he investigates a zombie outbreak in the Williamette Mall in Colorado. With seventy-two hours to find out what’s going on, you find yourself on a manic zombie killing spree that’ll see you mowing down thousands of the undead, dealing with psychopaths that are running amok amongst the chaos, and slowly unveiling the troubling conspiracy that’s at the root of the outbreak… well… if you keep on top of the case, that is.

See, the structure of Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster revolves around that seventy-two-hour time limit, with players having to complete specific tasks by certain times in order to progress through the story – an in-game hour takes five minutes to pass, so you are working to a pretty tight schedule. And if you miss a task? You won’t see the full narrative unfold (or even get full access to the mall), but you’ll still get an ending, with repeat playthroughs encouraged if you want to see everything. Frank’s levels and upgrades carry over between playthroughs though, making the experience easier the next time around.

That being said, whilst you do have to make sure you’re in the right place at the right time, there’s still plenty of opportunity to venture off the beaten path to see what exactly Williamette Mall has to offer. And believe me, it’s a big old place with PLENTY to see and do, with a ton of silly (and often brutal) weapons to find and use to slay zombies, a massive wardrobe of clothing to discover to ensure you look the part, lots of helpless survivors that’ll need your assistance to make it back to safety, and those aforementioned psychopaths that want nothing more than to kill everyone around them – both the undead and the living. These encounters stand out as some of the best moments of the game, so I’d implore you to seek them all out… you won’t regret it.

“Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is a fanatic remaster of one of Capcom’s best games, with the improvements complementing the sublime zombie-killing gameplay loop.”

Given Frank’s job as a photojournalist, there’s also an emphasis placed on using your camera to snap photographs when you’re on the job. You’ll earn Prestige Points (PP) for doing so, which are the game’s equivalent of experience points that’ll see you level up Frank’s capabilities (you’ll also earn PP for killing zombies, rescuing survivors, and so forth). More PP is awarded based upon the shot you take, with bonuses offered for snapping shots with added themes of Brutality, Drama, Horror, and Outtakes (comedy shots). It is worth noting that there used to be a bonus awarded for photographs with an Erotica theme, but that has been ditched this time around. You can also get bonuses for snapping shots of characters in stand-out moments, with one early example of this coming with the warm embrace that survivors Jeff and Natalie share when they reunite – catch that on camera and you’ll get a nice PP bonus.

Everything comes together perfectly to make for one of the most absurd yet satisfying experiences you’ll find in all of gaming. I’ve been a sucker for Dead Rising ever since playing the original game back in 2006, but even now, the gameplay loop of going on a killing spree with zany weapons, rescuing as many folk as I can, and dealing with the time-limit remains as enjoyable as ever. It’s still incredibly satisfying when you come across a particularly brutal weapon (I’ll always love using the chainsaw and katana), whilst running rampage on the undead aboard a vehicle ALWAYS feels good.

The game has a satisfying sense of progress too, both with how you open up more areas of the mall to explore and with the development of Frank’s capabilities. It becomes even more entertaining as he unlocks new moves, whether that’s when walking atop crowds of zombies, pulling off a perfectly placed roundhouse kick, or disembowelling enemies (which is super satisfying… you know… in the dark and twisted kind of way). You’ll also unlock additional health blocks and inventory space along the way, which are less glamorous but equally effective at making the game more enjoyable to play.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Whilst the gameplay loop of Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is as good as ever, Capcom have also made plenty of quality-of-life improvements to ensure this is the best way to experience the game. For one, the controls have been refined to not only make it easier to evade zombies, but to also allow you to move and shoot at the same time. This goes a LONG way in alleviating some of the more frustrating moments of the original game, particularly with boss encounters that relied on using ranged weaponry. The new auto-save feature eases the worry of getting yourself killed when stumbling in a particularly tricky situation unprepared, whilst the weapon damage meter ensures you’ll always know when you need to refresh your inventory – these two features will definitely make the game more appealing to newbies, and especially those who might have been intimidated by the original game’s tough reputation.

One improvement that stood out the most was the improved AI of the survivors you rescue. There were so many instances in the original game that I’d have to completely babysit any survivors I was escorting just to get them to safety, but they’re much more independent now and will even inform you of weapons that they’re happy to use to defend themselves with. Don’t get me wrong, they can still find themselves overwhelmed and killed if they’re surrounded by zombies, but at least it’s not due to their own stupidity now.

There are plenty of other little inclusions too, some of which will be especially appreciated by veteran players (calls from Otis are more streamlined so they don’t interrupt your flow of action anymore), whilst the modernised menus ensure everything looks slicker than before. There has also been a big improvement made to the visuals, with the move to the RE Engine seeing a richer sense of depth and detail in the environment and characters whilst maintaining the charm of the original game. It really does look fantastic, and as someone who still plays the original game on a regular basis, I can really appreciate the effort Capcom put into modernising the visuals.

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Platform(s): PC (Reviewed), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Website: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2527390/Dead_Rising_Deluxe_Remaster/