Since “Dead Rising 4,” fan response to the zombie shooter was lukewarm at best. The game series was never able to recapture the entertainment provided by its first title. Then Capcom closed their Vancouver studio. Meaning “Dead Rising 5: Dia de los Muertos“ was effectively dead. That doesn’t mean that the project wasn’t well-underway when it was axed. So it stings a bit for fans of the series to see footage of the unfinished game showing up on the internet.
Level designer Nick Sinkewicz provided details from his portfolio, outlining several of the levels he’d worked on. As inferred from the title, this game takes place in Mexico. Players would have shot their way through a zombie-infested Barrio, Hotel, Camps, and Mayan temple, to name a few. The most fully-realized level was the Camps, that had players dealing with zombies and gang bosses.
Alongside new environments, enemies, and bosses, the game was going to streamline previously criticized problems. One of which was a “Loot Containment System”. Previous “Dead Rising” games had a loot system that left players often frustrated; loot was strewn about the central hub and often made it confusing to find the most important items. DR5 would have brought a more organized system to the game, meant to “contextualize different drops, clean up the environment, and free up some memory!” according to Sinkewicz.
Given the reception of the sequels, it’s likely that “Dead Rising 5” will be shelved for a long time coming. It’s unfortunate when a game doesn’t reach completion, given the level of care and work that goes into them. But in this case, it might be for the best.
