Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Reanimates A Messy Classic
When Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster (DRDR) was revealed, I was confused–despite its name–about whether to consider it a remaster or a remake. The line has become increasingly blurred in recent years, with things like the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and The Last of Us Part I being called remakes even though they seem to be more akin to admittedly extravagant coats of new paint.
After several hours with DRDR, it’s now clear to me that this is a project much like those two examples. It’s inch-by-inch faithful to the original in most ways, and includes some great quality-of-life updates, but also retains the original game’s faults. And yet, when I’m playing it, I can’t shake the feeling that it remains an imperfect classic.
If you’re somehow new to the series, Dead Rising is essentially Capcom’s darkly humorous take on Romero’s legendary film, Dawn of the Dead, in which human survivors are trapped in a mall full of the undead. For the first time, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster brings the series to Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine, which presents some of the game’s more colorful hues in an almost sepia-toned filter reminiscent of Resident Evil 7.