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Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster’s survivors are still idiots, but at least they can die horribly in style nowHands-on with the first few cases of the upcoming remaster

Hands-on with the first few cases of the upcoming remaster

Image credit:Capcom/Rock Paper Shotgun

Image credit:Capcom/Rock Paper Shotgun

Frank wheels around a death trolley in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster

The survivors in the upcomingDead Rising Deluxe Remaster- itself an update of the 2016 HD version of the 2006 zombie open-mallaction game- are still idiots. I’m starting to regret giving Burt a gun, honestly. Every time he bumps into a magazine rack he starts screaming like someone’s eating his face, and the little circle above his name turns red to indicate he’s in danger. That’s a mannequin, Burt. They can’t hurt you. They’re actually known for not being able to move.

Still, while I can’t exactly say I wouldn’t have it any other way, these rough edges have always been part of the game’s charm. If Burt had much instinct for self preservation, I wouldn’t need to place that pistol in his hands like a parent doing the aeroplane thing with a spoonful of mashed swede.Dead Risingput oceans of weeping, pallid flesh front and centre, but it was the fainter wrinkles that made it such an idiosyncratic gem: time limits, non-linearity, and an almost quasi-roguelike loop. It was pulpy and glossy and crass, sure, but it was also frictive and obtuse in ways that made it stand out. It felt like an anomaly.

Image credit:Capcom/Rock Paper Shotgun

Frank tries on some clothes in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster.

If you’re new here, here’s your orientation package. The game places you in the leather jacket and white shirt (you’ll soon find much more ridiculous attire) of freelance photojournalist Frank West. He’s covered wars you know! Frank’s fuckery sense is tingling, so he hires a helicopter pilot to take him to the town of Willamette, Colorado. Upon arrival, he finds an unusually high military presence, alongside an unusually high number of zombies eating people’s faces.

You’ve often got time to wander off between steps and explore. Maybe rescue a shop assistant who’s been stuck behind a stack of cardboard boxes since before the outbreak? Maybe take out the irate gun shop owner, or go to the food court and see which blended ingredients make the tastiest smoothies? You could, of course, just grab the silliest weapon you can find - a salmon, a guitar, some dumbbells - and work on getting that ‘zombies killed’ counter in the bottom right as high as possible. There’s a guilty appeal to taking regular five minute breaks to test out your new weapon on the everpresent hordes, which tend to see-saw between threats and comedy stressballs depending on what Frank’s armed with.

Frank learns new attacks as he levels up. Most of them are basically wrestling moves. |Image credit:Capcom/Rock Paper Shotgun

Frank spins a zombie around by its feet in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster.

Again, none of this is altered in Deluxe Remaster. What is new, of course, are the visuals. I’m about as immersed in the nuances of tech specs as a giraffe’s neck in a paddling pool, but even I’ve learned to get visibly excited each time I see the RE Engine logo pop up. Deluxe Remaster isn’t a ground-up RE Engine title (most notable in some funky facial animations) but it’s still a very sharp glow-up. The engine’s penchant for skin detail, especially, is a big leap - exactly what you want with so much rotting flesh on display. Some areas of the mall are completely reimagined. It feels vaster, with new lighting drawing out both vibrancy and gloom. It’s a place you’d actually want to spend enough time in for Romero to seed a whole genre making fun of you for it.

Image credit:Capcom/Rock Paper Shotgun

A shootout with the gun store owner in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster.

Oh, hey. I was digging behind a bin for some supplies when I found this pamphlet with all a quick roundup of new features on! Wild how I’m able to do this while still being thematic! There are nine voiced languages, alongside 14 text options. Conversations that were previously just text are now fully voiced. The UI can be made to dynamically vanish. You can turn off licensed music if you’re streaming - although you will miss out learning what colour the grass was. There’s a wardrobe in the safe room, so you’ll be able to change into any clothes you’ve found without having to locate them in the mall again.

You’ll also be able to change Frank back to his original look and face, if you prefer it. This isn’t a default option though, so it could well be paid DLC. According to some ratings bits, you should expect “in-game purchases”, although I couldn’t access them. This might just be a menu to buy extra costumes, but it could always be something likeResi 4 Remake’s microtransactions.

Image credit:Capcom/Rock Paper Shotgun

A zombie with a damaged face in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster

For me, a lot of the appeal with this kind of remaster is just being there to watch an old favourite get some time in the spotlight again. Dead Rising’s back! I felt how I did when I bought tickets to Sublime touring with a new singer following the frontman’s overdose years prior. It’s about celebrating something in public with other people who love something like you do. Ultimately, that’s what the remaster is. Nothing too daring, nothing too transformative. It’s Dead Rising but prettier and more palatable. Less bumpy and, as a consequence, slightly less interesting. It’s orange juice without the bits in. Doin' Time without the melancholy. There’s no less blood, but there is a little less pain.

Image credit:Capcom/Rock Paper Shotgun

Frank kills zombies with a chainsaw in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster.

Sometimes - like the hurt in a singer’s voice - pain makes something what it is. The game frequently autosaves now, usually before story moments or as you’re entering a new area. The zombies can still kill Frank quickly if you’re sloppy, but they can’t hurtyouin the same way anymore. I can get poetic about it, but it’s honestly fine. I’m old. I’ve got emails finding me well and plants I could be watering. I can’t play stoned on the sofa for hours working on thatridiculous achievement, listening to 40 Oz. To Freedom, replaying long sections because I died. We all make concessions.

Frank’s got a new presence to him. He feels weightier and more compliant, even as melee itself feels less sluggish. He can move while aiming (guns still feel like cheap toys) and durability bars remove the creeping dread of anticipating your favourite baseball bat breaking in the middle of a flaky moshpit.

You know what? Doin' Time without the melancholy is still a bop, and unless there are some nasty surprises the preview restrictions hid from me, this’ll be my go-to when I fancy revisiting the Willamette mall, which happens more often than you might expect. And, yes, I did carve out preview time to go wreck the jeep-driving convicts with a sniper rifle, then drove around the garden for ten minutes running down zombos. I’m excited for a whole new audience to get to sample such sweet revenge.