Game Review: Dead Rising (Mobile)

Remove the large amount of zombies that can appear on screen at once, remove survivor rescue, remove psychopaths & remove the time limit. Stops sounding like a Dead Rising game, right?

The limitations of the IOS In 2010 meant that a game that mirrored the console release of Dead Rising was going to be impossible. Instead what we got was a barely playable slim-down version.

There is little plot, choose between Frank, Brad, Carlito & Isabella as a playable character then roam a smaller & uglier Mall completing random missions. Collect this, collect that, kill x amount of zombies etc. It all sounds very Dead Rising but it really isn’t. The tasks are meaningless & the only motivation to do them is the knowledge that this is all the game has to offer.

There are no cut-scenes to progress missions or conversations with characters that could have built a story. Instead you find a door marked by S & enter that room. Inside you can save, check if any other players needs reviving (I’ll get onto that) & see what missions need doing. That’s how you get new missions…

Players control their character with a thumb-stick that is incredibly inaccurate making the smallest turn infuriating. A button on the right is used to strike zombies/interact with something. If a second button appears it means the weapon you have has a special ability & you can activate it. Abilities are unlocked by levelling up with PP gained by completing missions.

There are plenty of weapons dotted around & inventory space is limited…a new hunger system has been introduced to increase the difficulty. Feed your character regularly otherwise their health will begin to drop.

The game needed this because without it there is next to no challenge…the problem lies in the lack of credible threat from the zombies. I’m running this game on an Iphone 5 & it still can’t handle more than a few zombies on screen. Taking them out is far too easy & you can be confident that you’re not going to be attacked from behind.

Mad Zombies are introduced to try & shake things up & these guys are tougher. The poor controls though make fighting them one of the worst things in the game. You basically have to run up to them, start hitting them & hope they don’t strike you too many times. Dodging is out of the question….the controls just can’t handle it.

One of the more inventive things the game tries to pull off but inevitably fails at is the revive system. Should you go down you can put out a ‘rescue call’ that other players can answer via Facebook & Twitter. They can then answer your call, jump in your game & rescue you. It sounds great but no-one will answer your call nor will you find a call to answer. Chose to opt out & you lose every item & current level…fan-bloody-tastic.

If all this wasn’t enough to put you off…the game is one of the ugliest I’ve seen. Blocky characters, dark locations, graphical glitches everywhere & horrible pop-in, it’s hard to not be disgusted with it, it’s that horrible.

Are you a Dead Rising fan? Avoid this game…it’s the kind of thing that hurts the series it is connected with. There is little to recommend…I suppose it has some of the games music & a bit of the opening cut-scene to remind you what you’re missing.