Dead Rising 4 puts a holiday mall full of shoppers in the middle of a zombie outbreak, and it mostly knows what it’s doing. The 2016 game for PC and Xbox One drops players into a suburban shopping center overrun by the undead, and it hands them a power tool, a weapon of opportunity, and a city full of things to break. The result is a game about chaos that mostly delivers on its promise, even if the execution sags in places.
Trailer, via XBOX.
Nick Ramos and Frank West
The story follows Nick Ramos, a young man who survived the original outbreak in Los Angeles, and Frank West, the journalist who covered it. Together they find themselves trapped in a mall in Willamette Valley, Oregon, while a government experiment gone wrong turns ordinary citizens into the walking dead. The premise is simple: kill zombies, find survivors, and keep moving before the infected close in.
The setup is familiar territory for the Dead Rising series, but the setting changes everything. A shopping center is a dense network of stores, staircases, and hidden rooms, and the game leans into that structure by making the mall itself the level. Players can climb to the roof, descend into the basement, and navigate through the parking garage, all while avoiding the hordes below. The mall’s layout rewards exploration, since every store and hallway conceals new items, enemies, and survivors.
Combining Objects Into Weapons
The weapon system is the heart of Dead Rising 4, and it’s where the game finds its identity. Players can combine objects found around the mall to create increasingly absurd weapons, from a chainsaw attached to a lawnmower to a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. The crafting system rewards creativity, and the game encourages players to experiment with whatever they find.
- Chainsaws and lawn mowers form a devastating melee combo
- Barbed wire wrapped around a baseball bat adds reach and damage
- Kitchen tools like knives and cleavers are quick to assemble
- Car parts can be used to build makeshift vehicles
The best moments come from unexpected combinations. A player might grab a golf club and attach it to a chainsaw, then watch as the resulting weapon tears through a horde of zombies. The game tracks every creation, and the best weapons earn a spot in a personal gallery of creations. That gallery serves as a trophy case for the most creative work, a way to look back at the strangest things players have built.
Fighting the Hordes
The action is fast and brutal. Zombies swarm in large numbers, and players must manage health, stamina, and resources while fighting. The combat is fluid, and the game allows players to chain combos, dodge, and execute special moves. The enemy variety is decent, with different types of zombies requiring different tactics.
The game also introduces a “superhuman” mode, which grants players temporary invincibility and increased damage. This mode is a godsend in tight spots, but it comes with a cooldown, so players must learn when to save it for. The mode is best used in moments of extreme danger, when the hordes close in and there’s no room to run. The pacing holds up for the most part, though some sections feel repetitive due to similar enemy encounters.
Managing Hunger and Thirst
Survival elements add depth to the experience. Players must scavenge for food, water, and supplies while managing their character’s health and stamina. The game tracks hunger and thirst, and neglecting these stats leads to penalties that make later fights harder. This layer of resource management gives the game a sense of urgency, even when the action slows down.
There are also collectibles scattered throughout the mall, including photos, audio logs, and hidden items. Finding these rewards players with experience points and rare crafting materials, encouraging exploration beyond the main objectives. The side content is optional but rewarding, and it adds replay value for players willing to search. Those extra items often lead to better equipment and more powerful creations down the line.
How the Game Runs
On PC and Xbox One, Dead Rising 4 runs well. The game handles large crowds of zombies without major slowdown, and the visuals are serviceable, if not stunning. The mall environment is detailed, with realistic lighting and a sense of scale that makes the setting feel lived-in. The sound design is effective, with zombie moans and mechanical noises adding to the tension.
Performance issues exist, but they are manageable. Some levels suffer from frame rate dips during heavy combat, and occasional loading times can interrupt the flow. These problems are present but not pervasive, and they don’t detract from the overall experience. When the game stumbles, it’s usually during the busiest fights, when the screen fills with enemies and the action gets chaotic.
The Story’s Flaws
Not everything lands. The game’s difficulty curve can be uneven, with some boss fights feeling cheap and others requiring patience. The game also relies heavily on scripted sequences, which break the immersion by removing player agency during key moments. These moments are few, but they stand out when they occur.
The story is thin. The characters are competent, but they lack the depth that made previous entries memorable. The plot is straightforward, and the game doesn’t spend much time developing its cast beyond their roles in the fight against the zombies. This is a minor complaint, but it’s noticeable to anyone looking for a strong narrative. The focus stays on the action and the mall, with the story serving mainly as a backdrop for the mayhem.
Playing With Friends
Dead Rising 4 offers multiple ways to play. Players can choose different difficulty settings, and completing the game on a higher difficulty unlocks new weapons and abilities. There are also additional challenges tied to the collectibles, giving players reasons to return to the mall after finishing the main story.
The game supports online co-op, allowing friends to team up and tackle the mall together. This mode adds a social element that wasn’t present in earlier entries, and it changes the dynamic of combat by letting players share resources and coordinate attacks. The co-op mode is a welcome addition, though it requires a steady connection to function smoothly. Working together makes the hordes easier to clear, since players can cover each other’s weaknesses.
The Bottom Line
Dead Rising 4 succeeds because it understands what makes the series fun. The weapon crafting, the open-world setting, and the relentless action all come together to create a satisfying experience. It’s not a perfect game, but it’s a confident one, and it knows exactly what it wants to be.
The game scores 7.7 out of 10.
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