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

In 2006, Rise dead launched a new zombie franchise for Capcom, eschewing much of the implied seriousness of the Resident Evil franchise for a campier, more satirical take on the horror genre. As George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, Rise dead Set in an American shopping mall, the zombie story offers a different kind of commentary on modern consumer society: it explores material abundance by giving players a sandbox the size of a mega mall and an unlimited inventory with which to kill thousands of zombies.

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

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster fixes many of the original game’s shortcomings, making it easier to play and of course much easier on the eyes. Capcom’s new Rise dead release sits somewhere between a remaster and a remake, with quality-of-life fixes and considerations for the modern player. Nearly all of the changes in the remaster are net positives, though veteran Rise dead Fans who played the original and its 2016 HD re-release may not have much reason to play the game a third time. The storylines and mechanics are nearly identical to the original game.

As Frank West your mission is in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is to investigate a mysterious event plaguing Willamette, Colorado, which has been cut off from the outside world. Flying into town in hopes of a big scoop, Frank discovers that Willamette is under military quarantine. Its residents have become zombies (or zombie food). Frank and his helicopter pilot land at the Willamette Parkview Mall, a sprawling shopping mall where pockets of human survivors have holed up. Frank leaps into action, rushing to the aid of helpless victims while also trying to tell 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 undermined by Rise deadslapstick action and corny supporting characters. Frank fends off hordes of zombies 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 stores.

Just like the original game, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is seen all over the map. As people die gruesome deaths from being bitten by the undead, Frank takes photos of the carnage, with the game happily barking “Perfect!” or “Awesome!” depending on the composition of the shot. Frank can do all of this in a variety of bizarre outfits that he swipes from the mall’s clothing stores.

As Frank levels up, both by creating well-composed shots to earn experience points known as PP and by killing zombies, he becomes stronger and learns new skills. These skills include silly moves like a suplex, the ability to crowdsurf over zombies, and a spinning lasso seemingly lifted from Street Fighter’s Zangief. But despite a massive list of weapons and an ever-increasing number of skills at his disposal, the combat is stiff, unreliable, and repetitive. Because you’re a lot of zombies in Rise deadIt is often better to stick with a reliable, durable weapon throughout the game rather than experiment with different combat techniques.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster fixes some action related shortcomings of the original game. 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 battles in the game are the various missions and challenges that Rise dead presents. Frank has a long list of story-advancing things and side missions called scoops to follow. There are also plenty of survivors hiding in corners of the mall, all of whom need to be rescued. Rise dead turns into a game of plate spinning, where you have to survive, save as many people as possible and at the same time fulfill Frank’s journalistic obligations.

And all of this has to happen under pressure. Rise dead‘s main mode is called 72 Hour Mode, which gives you three days to solve the mystery of Willamette, save as many people as possible, and get your helicopter ride out of the city. There are time restrictions in 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. Thankfully, the remaster lets you speed up time when you need to, so you’re not just sitting around waiting. Survivors are easier to rescue now, thanks to improved character AI, but they’re still often a pain to escort to safety.

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

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster has softened some of its Psychopath portrayals. Larry Chiang, the game’s deranged butcher, is no longer a crude stereotype. The remaster also removed references to the Viet Cong and communism from Vietnam War veteran Cliff Hudson’s dialogue. Those changes, and the removal of Erotica points from photos, feel like cleverly considered tweaks for an 18-year-old game.

There are a dozen other minor tweaks over the original, including a compass that clearly points to targets and a generous new autosave feature that allows Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster the best version of a classic but flawed game. Anyone who turns pale from change can still pick up the original Rise deadwhich Capcom still sells (cheap!). But for the Rise dead-curious, the Luxurious remaster is the best way to get started and finally become a fan of Frank West.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster releases September 19 on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. The game was reviewed on PS5 using a pre-release download code from 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.