Sitting somewhere comfortably between a traditional video game remaster and a modern Resident Evil-style remake (without fully setting up camp in the latter’s territory), Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster aims to totally revitalise Capcom’s Dead Rising franchise after its last objectively less-than-stellar outing back in 2016. How, you ask? By taking us back to where it all began, of course – Willamette, Colorado. Reliving the events of the first Dead Rising entry from 2006 with plenty of quality-of-life improvements and RE Engine-enhanced visuals should sound like a great time for fans, and it most definitely is for the most part. While this remaster isn’t perfect and is certainly in no way an outright replacement for the original, I did have a lot of fun with it – aside from the occasional bump in the road along the way.



For those out there unfamiliar with the premise, you take on the role of one Frank West – a photojournalist out to score some hot shots of the strange happenings in the aforementioned town of Willamette. Arriving by helicopter, it quickly becomes evident that the situation is far worse than expected, as the living dead have apparently taken to the streets - attacking any humans who haven’t already turned. After being deposited onto the rooftop of the nearby mall, Frank has a mere three days (or 72 hours, ticking away constantly in the background) to survive by any means necessary, snap as many pics as possible with his newly upgradeable camera (boasting focus and tilt options), blow the true nature of this mysterious series of events wide open, and maybe even earn global recognition for his efforts.



The multitude of gameplay changes and improvements added in this remaster sure do make this ordeal a lot more bearable to fight through. Not only is Frank easier to control now, but frustrating elements from the original release, like being unable to attack while receiving a message from Otis via the transceiver, have been eliminated. Control inputs when utilising combat skills have also been simplified.

Reliving the events of the first Dead Rising entry from 2006 with plenty of quality-of-life improvements and RE Engine-enhanced visuals should sound like a great time for fans, and it most definitely is for the most part.

Power pushing a zombie off of yourself is now accomplished by mashing the circle button (on PS5) instead of fiddling with the left stick, for example. Additionally, moving around while aiming a weapon is now possible, and the flying dodge manoeuvre requires only one button press to execute. And if these changes are just not doing it for you for whatever reason, or if you consider yourself a hardcore purist, you can always opt for the classic control scheme instead.



One of the biggest game changers in the quality-of-life department, however, aside from the controls, is the ability to speed up time at save points around the map. It’s entirely optional, and I imagine more experienced players will see this as an absolute win. I would highly encourage first-time players (which this title will no doubt attract) to avoid using this feature, either at all or extensively, during their first run-through, though – any downtime should be used for exploration, familiarising yourself with the mall’s layout, or completing any discovered scoops. Speeding up time and saving are also now both possible in the unlockable Infinity Mode, which is an interesting choice.

And you’re free to explore fearlessly thanks to the shiny new autosave system. Admittedly, I have mixed feelings about this inclusion, mostly due to how often it occurs. The saving that takes place seemingly every time you move from one map zone to the next is a tad excessive in my opinion (even if it is a massive headache saver), while the instances before a psychopath encounter or after a major story beat are far more reasonable. In case you’re curious, there doesn’t appear to be a way to disable the function, either.



While not necessarily in leaps and bounds, survivor AI does seem to have been improved, and a new affinity system affecting how they behave in combat has been added. Each survivor comes with their own preferred list of weaponry and consumables that Frank can find and hand over. Doing so boosts their attack strength and fully restores their health, respectively. Treat them well enough and their affinity levels will rise, and in turn they’ll not only defend each other, they’ll also assist Frank in combat.

One of the biggest game changers in the quality-of-life department, however, aside from the controls, is the ability to speed up time at save points around the map.

On a more cosmetic, or surface level note, all characters have great-looking updated models, although Frank’s new (more “mature”) look will undoubtedly polarise players. You’ll either be totally fine with it, or absolutely despise it – either way, its impossible to deny the heightened level of detail shown off here. The same can be said for the interior design of the Willamette Mall, with plenty of attention paid to larger elements and tiny features alike - a few objects like in-store items or posters do have noticeably lower-quality textures when compared to their surroundings, though.



Unfortunately, thanks to the more natural and realistic lighting employed here, when the mall’s lights shut off overnight, most areas become frustratingly dark and potentially confusing to navigate if you’re unfamiliar with their layout – Leisure Park and North Plaza being two of the worst offenders. Having said that, the darkness can add to the immersion and atmosphere in unexpected ways. Walking into the cinema late at night, surrounded by the chanting of nearby True Cult members is a genuinely chilling experience - almost eliciting the same level of dread as your first encounter with the convicts in the park. And yes, Gone Guru is still alive and kicking in this remaster.

The visual polish and adjustments further extend to the redesign of the in-game user interface, pause menu and all its associated sub-menus (like the survivor list). Other notable tweaks include the waypoint-oriented guiding arrow usually residing in the upper-middle section of the screen being replaced by a sleeker compass line, a reduction in size of survivor-related notifications, and the implementation of a durability bar for obtained weapons. Overall, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster’s new visual approach comes across as more refined and modern, while still retaining traces of that expected simplified aesthetic we all know and love.



On that note, a whole new lineup of vocal talent has replaced the actors from the original title. While it’s a shame to be losing T.J. Rotolo (voice of the original Frank West), Jas Patrick’s performance still does the character justice – it might just take a while for the fanbase to get used to. In fact, performances are generally decent all round, suitably over-the-top or deadly serious when they need to be. All survivors are now fully voiced, as well (Otis, too!), breathing more life into their respective storylines and interactions with Frank.

Overall, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster’s new visual approach comes across as more refined and modern, while still retaining traces of that expected simplified aesthetic we all know and love.

If you’re skimming through this review for buzzwords like “censorship” and “controversy”, you’ve arrived at your destination, friend! Anybody paying even the smallest amount of attention to the marketing leading up to the release of this remaster knows the hubbub going on around changes to psychopath dialogue and the removal of the erotica photography genre from the game (and by extension, awarding no prestige points for scandalous photos).



While I can’t provide a side-by-side analysis for every single line of dialogue in direct comparison to the original 2006 title, I can offer some reassurance that, aside from the Cliff and Kent line changes already seen (and Larry the butcher’s overall design), all the scoops and psychopaths I engaged with seemed unchanged in both dialogue and cutscenes. Granted, it’s been a while since I’ve thoroughly played 2006’s Dead Rising, so I could have missed some smaller, less obvious writing changes or model adjustments. Also, if you were concerned about toned down violence, don’t be. This game is still spectacularly gruesome, especially now with the improved visuals.

Performance-wise, Deluxe Remaster presented no serious (or even moderately inconvenient) issues throughout my playtime. I did experience some shadows disappearing for a few seconds before returning to our plane of existence when opening and closing the map screen, zombie and object pop-in (also visible in the opening helicopter flight), as well as a bug listing the wrong name under survivor info panels in the menu. Again, this is nothing a quick hotfix can’t address.



Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, despite its shortcomings and small list of deviations from the original script, is still an incredibly entertaining bloodstained romp down memory lane. Both the modern control setup and the variety of improvements in accessibility make this remaster the perfect entry point for newcomers – or those who might have a difficult time going back and playing a title from the mid-noughties in 2024. With any luck, in a few years we’ll be doing this all over again with Dead Rising 2 -or better yet, Off the Record.

*PS5 Review code provided by Capcom