Dead Rising
Frank West, a freelance photojournalist on the hunt for the scoop of a lifetime, pursues a juicy lead to a small suburban town only to find that it is being overrun by zombies! He escapes to the local shopping mall thinking it will be a bastion of safety, but it turns out to be anything but. It's a true struggle to survive the endless stream of enemies, but with full reign over an entire shopping center, Frank can utilize anything to fight off the flesh-hungry mob and search for the truth behind the horrendous epidemic.
What it feels like
Overwhelming swarms of enemies create chaotic, fast-paced urgency throughout play. Comedic tone and absurdist zombie slaughter with improvised weapons invite experimental, irreverent fun.
What it's about
Zombie outbreak and epidemic survival is the core premise and driving narrative force. Managing 72-hour time pressure, combat, and scarcity while fighting overwhelming zombie hordes defines the core struggle. Zombie setting and gruesome combat create atmospheric horror, though tempered by comedic tone.
How it plays
Fast melee combat against large crowds of enemies with improvised weapons is the signature gameplay loop. Combining and creating weapons from everyday mall items is a core mechanic for survival. The 72-hour deadline structures play and forces prioritization between objectives and survival.
How it looks and sounds
The camera follows Frank from an over-the-shoulder perspective as standard perspective. Gore, dismemberment, and visceral combat feedback create a worn, grimy visual atmosphere.
How it's structured
The shopping mall is a large continuous explorable space where the player navigates non-linearly to complete objectives and survive. The strict 72-hour in-game clock gates story progression and creates time-pressure tension.
Kindred games
Shares Zombie, Hack-and-Slash, Open World, Survival Against Nature.
Both lean into Zombie, Hack-and-Slash, Open World, Survival Against Nature.
Shares Zombie, Open World, Survival Against Nature, Hack-and-Slash.
Both lean into Zombie, Open World, Survival Against Nature, Hack-and-Slash.
Shares Survival Against Nature, Zombie, Crafting, Hack-and-Slash.
Both lean into Survival Against Nature, Zombie, Crafting, Hack-and-Slash.
See all games like Dead Rising →
Closest hidden gems
A lesser-known kindred — Hack-and-Slash, Open World, Third-Person, Playful. 89% positive across 4,940 Steam reviews.
Both lean into Hack-and-Slash, Open World, Third-Person, Playful.
A lesser-known kindred — Survival Against Nature, Open World, Crafting, Playful. 88% positive across 4,765 Steam reviews.
Both lean into Survival Against Nature, Open World, Crafting, Playful.
A lesser-known kindred — Zombie, Survival Against Nature, Horror, Resource Management. 96% positive across 4,352 Steam reviews.
Both lean into Zombie, Survival Against Nature, Horror, Resource Management.