Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster fixes most of what made Dead Rising a flawed classic

In 2006, Dead Rising established a new zombie franchise for Capcom, shedding much of the implied seriousness of the Resident Evil franchise for a campier, more satirical take on the horror genre. Like George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, Dead Rising set its zombie story inside an American shopping mall, offering a different style of commentary on modern consumer society: It explored material excess by giving players a megamall-sized sandbox and an unlimited inventory with which to slay thousands of zombies.

Dead Rising was beloved for its unique take on the zombie game genre. The game’s absurd and quirky cast of characters — including schlubby, cocky photojournalist Frank West — made the original game an instant classic, despite its many flaws.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster addresses many of the original game’s shortcomings, making it easier to play and, of course, much easier on the eyes. Capcom’s new Dead Rising release sits somewhere between remaster and remake, with quality-of-life fixes and considerations for the contemporary player. Almost all of the changes in the remaster are a net positive, though veteran Dead Rising fans who played the original and the 2016 HD rerelease may not have many reasons to replay the game for a third time. The story beats and mechanics are nearly identical to the original game.

As Frank West, your mission in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is to investigate a mysterious event plaguing Willamette, Colorado, which has been cut off from the outside world. While flying into town, hoping to land a big scoop, Frank discovers that Willamette is under military quarantine. Its citizens have become zombies (or zombie food). Frank and his helicopter pilot touch down on the Willamette Parkview Mall, a sprawling shopping complex where pockets of human survivors have holed up. Frank leaps into action, coming to the aid of hapless victims while also trying to break the story of Willamette’s plight.

Frank himself is overly serious, as is the situation. But the solemnity of mass death and the grim story behind the zombie plague is undercut by Dead Rising’s slapstick action and corny side characters. Frank fends off zombie hordes with frying pans, chainsaws, dead cops’ guns, naked mannequins, saw blades, and cans of paint — anything he can get his hands on in the mall’s retailers.

Like the original game, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is tonally all over the map. As people die gruesome deaths by being chomped by the undead, Frank snaps photos of the carnage, with the game gleefully barking “Perfect!” or “Great!” depending on the composition of the shot. Frank can do all of this in any number of outlandish outfits that he snatches from the mall’s clothing stores.

As Frank levels up, both by snapping well-composed pics to earn experience points known as PP and by killing zombies, he’ll become stronger and learn new skills. Those skills include silly moves, like a suplex, the ability to crowdsurf over zombies, and a spinning lariat seemingly lifted from Street Fighter’s Zangief. But despite a huge list of weapons and an ever-increasing number of skills at his disposal, combat is stiff, unreliable, and repetitive. Since you’ll need to kill a lot of zombies in Dead Rising, it’s oftentimes better to stick with a reliable, durable weapon throughout the game instead of truly experimenting with the breadth of combat tools.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster does address some action-related shortcomings from the original game, though. Frank can now move while shooting(!) and while chatting on a walkie-talkie. Weapons now have visible durability meters, letting you know when they’re about to break. These are very welcome additions.

What’s more interesting than the game’s combat are the various missions and challenges that Dead Rising presents. Frank has a long list of story-progressing cases and side missions called scoops to pursue. There are also plenty of survivors tucked away in corners of the mall, all of whom need rescuing. Dead Rising becomes a game of plate spinning, as you juggle survival with saving as many people as you can while also fulfilling Frank’s journalistic obligations.

And it all has to be done under the gun. Dead Rising’s main mode is called 72 Hour Mode, which gives you three days to solve the mystery of Willamette, save as many people as you can, and catch your helicopter ride out of town. There are time restrictions throughout the game: Survivors have a limited window in which you can rescue them, and some missions require you to be at a specific location at a specific time. Fortunately, the remaster lets you speed up time when you need to, so you’re not just waiting around. Survivors are now easier to rescue, thanks to improved character AI, but they’re still often aggravating to escort to safety.

The other major obstacles in Frank’s way are boss characters known as Psychopaths. These over-the-top villains — cops, clowns, butchers, etc. — are caricatured embodiments of American culture. They cartoonishly personify some of our worst traits: our obsession with guns, mistreatment of veterans, police overreach, and working ourselves to death. Psychopath battles help to break up the pace of Frank’s other tasks, but they also often highlight how clunky the game’s combat can be.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster has softened some of its Psychopath portrayals. Larry Chiang, the game’s demented butcher, is no longer a gross stereotype. The remaster has also excised mentions of the Viet Cong and communism from Vietnam War vet Cliff Hudson’s dialogue. Those changes, and the removal of Erotica points from photos, feel like smartly considered adjustments to an 18-year-old game.

There are a dozen more small tweaks to the original, including a compass that clearly points toward objectives and a generous new autosaving feature, that make Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster the best version of a classic but flawed game. Anyone who blanches at change can still grab the original Dead Rising, which Capcom is still selling (cheap!). But for the Dead Rising-curious, the Deluxe Remaster is the best way to jump in and finally become a Frank West fan.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster will be released Sept. 19 on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. The game was reviewed on PS5 using a pre-release download code provided by Capcom. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.