Dead Rising

About Dead Rising

Dead Rising is an action horror game by Capcom. It first came out in 2006, and this version was released on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in September 2016, ported by QLOC, with up to five save slots, native controller support, resolutions up to 4K, an uncapped frame rate and rebindable keyboard and mouse controls.

It is not the Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster already on this site. That is Capcom's 2024 rebuild of this same game in the RE Engine, with new graphics, full voice acting, autosaves and reworked controls. This is the original, with its original look and save system. Both follow the same 72 hours in the same mall.

Frank West, a freelance photojournalist, follows a lead to a small town and finds it overrun by zombies. He takes refuge in the local shopping mall, thinking it will be safe, and it is anything but. He has 72 hours. Until then you are free to roam the mall's shops and plazas, indoors and out.

Time runs in real time whether you act or not. Key story events happen at set hours, and other survivors are hiding in the mall, and helping them can give clues to what has happened. The dead come in crowds that fill whole halls at once, and after sunset they become stronger and faster. Almost anything in the shops is a weapon: golf clubs, frying pans, lawnmowers, benches and table umbrellas, and mall food restores health. Frank's camera matters too: photographs of what you see earn rewards, and the better the shot, the bigger the reward. Points from photos, rescues, Case Files and defeating psychopaths, people driven mad by the outbreak or using it as cover, raise Frank's level. You save on the mall's green couches or in its restrooms.

The main 72 Hour Mode takes about six hours of real time, since a day in the game passes in two real hours. Case Files move the story on; failing one does not end the game, but it changes which ending you get. Completing them all opens Overtime Mode, one more day in the mall, and after that Infinity Mode, a survival sandbox with no time limit where Frank's health drains unless he keeps eating.

Critics praised the open mall, how much there is to explore and the many ways to kill the zombies; Metacritic lists 85 for the 2006 Xbox 360 original. Its horror is the crowd and the clock more than quiet dread. It suits players who want an open zombie sandbox with a deadline, and anyone who wants the original game behind the remaster.

How to play Dead Rising

1. Buy Dead Rising on Steam for Windows, on the PlayStation Store for PS4 or on the Xbox store, where it plays on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
2. Start 72 Hour Mode as Frank West and get your bearings in the mall.
3. Pick up anything you can use as a weapon from the shops, and eat mall food to restore health.
4. Watch the clock and follow the Case Files; story events happen at set times whether you are there or not.
5. Find the survivors hiding in the mall and escort them back to the safe house; they can give clues to what happened.
6. Take photographs of what you see for points, and save on a green couch or in a restroom across your save slots.

Tips

• Use more than one of the five save slots so you can go back if a plan goes wrong.
• Plan routes before nightfall, when the zombies become stronger and faster.
• Carry spare food; it is your only way to heal.
• The clock keeps running while you explore; decide which leads matter most before you set off.
• Look for heavy items in the shops; a sturdy weapon clears a path through a crowd faster than a light one.
• Saving only works at couches and restrooms, so note where they are along your route before you head into a crowd.

Questions