A remaster of the cult-classic zombie sandbox games returns in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster! Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Review Overview

What is Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster?

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is an action-adventure survival sandbox game that is a new and improved version of the original 2006 release. The story follows freelance photojournalist Frank West as he covers the biggest story of mysterious events happening in Williamette. However, he quickly discovers that he’s in way over his head, as the town has an ongoing zombie outbreak and things are about to take a turn for the worst.

The remaster features several quality-of-life improvements from the original, including clearer UI, auto-saving, better controls, and more! Additionally, it also features a graphical overhaul as well as new and improved voice acting to improve immersion and the visual experience.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster features:
　⚫︎　 Action-Adventure Survival Zombie Sandbox
　⚫︎　 Numerous Quality of Life Improvements
　⚫︎　 Improved Graphics
　⚫︎　 Unique Leveling and Progression System
　⚫︎　 Limited In-Game Timer
　⚫︎　 Semi-Open World Design

For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster’s gameplay and story.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster
Steam		PlayStation		Xbox
$59.99

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Respects the Original Design Auto-Saving is a Game Changer Graphical Improvements are Amazing	Die Hard Fans Will Notice Flaws Still the Same Old Janky Combat Survivor A.I. is Still Frustrating

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Overall - 82/100

Capcom continues their hot streak of remakes and remasters with Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, as it’s able to reintroduce itself without reinventing the whole game. The enhanced graphics and quality-of-life (QoL) improvements really revived this game and reminded everyone that the original game was a certified classic. There are a few flaws here and there, especially noticeable by die-hard fans of the series. But other than its expensive price tag and a few nitpicks, the game is absolutely worth your time to spend more than 3 days for.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Story - 8/10

The remaster doesn’t change the game’s main story, as the narrative is still interesting and holds up to this day. However, it does have a few changes with regards to some characters due to censorship. This may rub people the wrong way, especially since it’s not a 1:1 recreation of the original game.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Gameplay - 8/10

The gameplay of Dead Rising has always been one-of-a-kind. The pressure from the moving in-game timer, unique progression system, wacky animations, and a lot of different outfits and weapons really push the game to a level that sets itself apart from the original release. Starting out, you feel as if you’re not as experienced to deal with these mindless cannibals with your limited amount of moves. The QoL stuff that they added really makes the game a lot more convenient to play and will definitely attract more newcomers to the series.

However, just like the original, it definitely feels stiff as compared to other action games during its time. Not to mention that the game noticeably became a lot easier with the newly added features of auto-saves and other mechanics. It's not entirely a bad thing, but the gameplay is definitely not for everyone.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Visuals - 9/10

The best part about the game’s remaster is undoubtedly the improved graphics. The game looks absolutely amazing and stunning using Capcom’s RE engine. If there’s one thing to complain about, it’d be that the lighting of the game is definitely off, which kind of alters the characters' appearances.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Audio - 8/10

The audio is a part of the game’s improved aspects, and I could certainly tell a difference. With the game now supporting 3D audio, the audio has immensely improved. The music of the game has always been pretty iconic, and with boss fights being a regular occurrence, you’ll be hearing the specific boss fight themes.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Value for Money - 7/10

For $59.99, the game is quite expensive to play. You can make the argument that the price is justified by the amount of content that the game has. It has improved graphics, auto-saving, enhanced UI, better controls, and even more. This is definitely the game’s best version so far, and it’s great that you definitely put in the effort to reintroduce the game to a wider audience.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Review: Back From the Dead

Just like a zombie, Dead Rising comes back from the dead with a brand new remaster to call its own. The series has always been known as a wacky counterpart to Capcom’s Resident Evil series, simply because the game had a lot more personal customizations and more animations that don’t really fit in an RE game. With all the new and shiny additions in the game, it begs the question: is it truly faithful to the original?

The visuals are out of this world; it looks absolutely amazing. It’s apparent that the visuals were one of the biggest main focus of the remaster, and they absolutely delivered. Additionally, the game has a ton of new animations and a new and improved UI to really help with the game’s immersion. It’s even noticeable that the game added more random objects and newer stores in the mall to make it feel a lot more real.

In terms of audio design, the remaster includes 3D audio and new voice actors to complement the game’s new package. While the music still continues to be iconic, it definitely feels like everything stepped up to give players a better audiovisual experience.

The story of the game remains the same. The whole ordeal still happens in a span of three to four days depending on your actions and if you went for a full completion. Where the game has some lore changes is regarding some of the characters’ backgrounds and appearances being changed to remove sensitive information. Some might see this as a bad thing since it’s not a completely faithful remaster, but I totally understand why they’d decide to censor or change certain things.

As for the gameplay, it definitely kept most of its identity by still having the same core gameplay loop. It’s still a hit-and-run survival type game and not a hack-and-slash, as people might still misunderstand even after all these years. You’ll still be exploring the mall to find survivors to save and psychos to put down, all while solving the mystery of the zombie outbreak.

The QoL changes definitely make the game easier and more convenient. Those who are already used to the game’s older controls might opt to go for the classic control scheme, but the new control scheme is just infinitely better because of being able to move while shooting. Another change is the compass and enhanced UI, which definitely made for better visibility and readability in the HUD but removed some of the game’s thematic visuals.

So, is the game truly a faithful representation of the original? If you’re looking for an exact replica of the game, then no. It has a few changes to some characters’ stories and appearances, which are considered sensitive topics in today’s day and age. The biggest point of contention regarding the gameplay is that they actually made the game easier because of fewer zombies to evade and the improved controls.

This is, however, a good thing. It’s not that the game has totally been reduced to a super easy version of the game, but that it’s a lot more convenient to play. We also have to factor in that a lot of people who already played the game before will definitely find it easier due to knowing the game prior to the remaster as well as having a way better control scheme to play with. We all have to remember that difficulty isn’t exactly a great way of gatekeeping newcomers, especially when you want to try and hook new players in.

All in all, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is another amazing remake in the books for Capcom. It’s quite expensive at $59.99, which is a shame, but it still remains one of the best zombie games out there for its unique gameplay and narrative elements. Not to mention that to fully complete the game, you might have to spend around the same amount of time that the game’s events last and then some.

Pros of Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster

Things Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Got Right
Respects the Original Design Auto-Saving is a Game Changer Graphical Improvements are Amazing

Respects the Original Design

The remaster does a great job by respecting the source material and not completely overhauling what already exists. It quite literally is a new and improved version of the original game and even gives you the option to use the original control scheme for those who are way too used to the older controls. The core of the game is intact; it’s a semi-open world game where you’ll be exploring the Willamette Parkview Mall for survivors to save, secrets to unravel, and psychopaths to put down.

Auto-Saving is a Game Changer

The game puts a big emphasis on walking and running around the mall and spaces it out with a number of restrooms that function as save points. However, they’re not exactly in every part of the mall, and you can even get attacked while you’re inside the restroom. The remaster made this game is a lot more convenient by having an auto-save for advancing the story or moving into a different location. Especially in times where you’re just not equipped to deal with certain psychopaths in the area, it’d be annoying when your progress is reset because a psycho decided to move areas. Thankfully, the auto-save feature makes the game a lot more streamlined and more convenient to play as well.

Graphical Improvements are Amazing

The game’s visuals are something that you should see for yourself. It’s not just a simple texture upscale. Not only are the models remade, but the game even has added new stores in the mall and even more random objects that you can interact with inside to add more immersion. Quite frankly, it looks like a completely different game, similar to how they did the remakes and remasters for the Resident Evil series.

Cons of Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster

Things That Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Can Improve
Die Hard Fans Will Notice Flaws Still the Same Old Janky Combat Survivor A.I. is Still Frustrating

Die Hard Fans Will Notice Flaws

There are a lot of changes made to the game, and while most of them have proven to be better or beneficial, some are compromises to the game’s original design. For starters, the game’s original UI was built to look like a news report, with the news ticker being the most telling element of the HUD. While the new HUD isn’t exactly bad, it just reduces some of the game’s thematic visual designs.

Other big changes are the amount of zombies and the effect of the new controls that the game has. This made the game significantly easier, and this may rub die-hard fans of the wrong way. It’s not as if the game is THAT easy, but the difference is definitely noticeable for those who’ve been playing the game for a long time.

Lastly, there are a number of changes and censors that were added with regards to some of the game’s characters. It’s understandable why they’d choose to censor certain character stories and appearances, but it does take away from the original representation of said characters.

Still the Same Old Janky Combat

Combat in Dead Rising has always been quite stiff, and this might actually be the game’s weakest aspect in certain areas. It’s definitely not everyone, and it will take time to get used to. It’s really more of a hit-and-run game and shouldn’t be treated as a hack-and-slash where you continuously get into fights. I will say that the game’s core design will click with you after a few hours of gameplay and that you don’t need to pick a fight with an endless amount of zombies.

Survivor A.I. is Still Frustrating

One of the notorious mechanics in the game is saving the survivors in the game by relying on the A.I. to move around and follow you to safety. Yes, this has been massively improved from the original game. However, it still remains one of the more obnoxious parts of the game, especially when you need some of them to do specific things. You’ll still need to guide and be near them most of the time, as they’ll definitely be stuck dealing with random zombies if you decide to go off too far.

Is Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Worth It?

Yes! Still One of the Best Zombie Games Out There!

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster delivers the best experience of the original with only a few compromises. It respects the original release with the retention of several gameplay mechanics and improves it by modernizing some of its older and dated mechanics. The price point is still quite steep at $59.99, but it’s absolutely worth it for the unique gameplay and the amount of content that it has to offer. The game encourages you to finish multiple runs to discover all of the game’s secrets and endings, and that alone will easily take you more than 3 days worth with a little bit of overtime, of course.

Digital Storefront
Steam		PlayStation		Xbox
$59.99

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster FAQ

What are the System Requirements to play Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster?

The System Requirements are as follows:

Game8 Reviews

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Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Product Information

Title	DEAD RISING DELUXE REMASTER
Release Date	September 19, 2024
Developer	CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Publisher	CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Supported Platforms	PC (Steam), PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre	Action, Adventure
Number of Players	1
ESRB Rating	M
Official Website	Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Official Website

Michael Gerra-Clarin

Resident fighting game nerd, avid FFXIV fan, and enjoyer of mostly anything gaming. Currently, he is enjoying Dawntrail as a Viper, while dying to Messmer's flames in Shadow of the Erdtree.