IfDead Risingcontinues its recent revival, then it could have the chance to expand into a new genre thanks to a few key details. The recentDead Risingremake has been the best sign of Capcom’s interest in the series in years, and it could be a good sign for its future. If moreDead Risinggames start to come out, there will also be room for experimentation. One way to shake up the formula is by trying out a new genre. While that may sound unusual,Dead Risingalready has great potential to expand to one particular genre.
Therecently releasedDead Rising Deluxe Remasterbrought Capcom’s zombie-slaying series back for the first time since 2016’sDead Rising 4. Historically, theDead Risinggames tend to stick to a common formula, albeit one that has seen changes between installments. While the game lets players roam freely, the storyline and the cases that they encounter are on time limits. Running out of time will lock the player out of the case for the rest of the playthrough. Of course, players aren’t required to go for every case. However, they will need to learn time management if they intend to see the whole game.
One common featurethroughoutDead Rising’s historyis the ability to use random items as weapons. In almost every area in the games, players can find items to pick up and fight off zombies with. This can range from actual weapons, to tools to toys. This style of gameplay is surprisingly relatable to roguelikes, since games in that genre often see players using whatever they have at their disposal on each run. With that in mind,Dead Risingcould very well have the potential to spin off into a roguelike of its own, since there’s a solid framework to do so already.
Players have plenty of instincts gained fromtrying to beatDead Risinggamesthat could translate to roguelikes. In addition to scavenging for items,Dead Risingalso had a level-up system that unlocked stat boosts and abilities for future playthroughs, similar to many roguelike titles. There was even Infinity Mode, which challenged players to survive as long as they could in a single run. Ever since the first game in the series,Dead Risinghas featured a surprising amount of connections to the roguelike genre. The only step left would be to fully dive into the genre with the series' next installment.
A roguelike spin-off or side mode could be part of thefuture ofDead Risingif Capcom so chooses. Such a game could see players go through stages constructed of randomly chosen stores and other locations to gather items while fighting off zombies. Each stage would naturally lead to a boss, either fromDead Rising’s past, or an entirely new one created for the mode. Later stages could even incorporate elements such asDead Rising 2’s gas zombies and mercenaries to help raise the difficulty. While it would be a big shift for the series,Dead Risingalready has many excellent pieces for a roguelike that make it a logical transition.
This new take on the series could be a good direction to take ifDead Risingcontinues past the first game’s remake. While a full genre shift similar to what theLike a Dragonseries pulled off probably isn’t in the cards, a side project that turns the IP into a full roguelike would be a fun idea. TheDead Risinggames already have a lot of transferable skills and mechanics for such a spin-off, so it would be worth trying to bridge the gap betweenDead Rising Deluxe Remasterand a new mainline entry.
