Could Dead Rising be considered an RPG?
Posted on September 26, 2006 by Alex Donaldson When I started up Dead Rising, to be honest the very last thing on my mind was the possibility of writing an article for RPGSite. That’s one of the problems with being the Editor-in-Chief of a site solely dedicated to Role Playing Games – you only get to cover that type of games.
Frank West, Photo Journalist has to take on the undead
For the past week or so, I’ve been doing an article a day. Head over to that pretty little navigation bar on your left and hit Articles or Editorials and you’ll see just how many I’ve done, and so now I’ve hit somewhat of a dry patch for ideas the time is ripe to write about Dead Rising. The idea cropped up in my mind in a staff discussion about what constitutes an RPG. It suddenly clicked in my mind, and everything began falling into place…
It all begins with stat building. Stat building is, in my eyes just one of many elements that helps to make an RPG, but it often crops up in the argument against Zelda being a RPG. People claim that because Zelda has no stat building, it is not an RPG, and no game that doesn’t have stat-building can be one. Others claim that Link’s growth in power comes from obtaining more powerful weapons with better abilities, just as Cloud’s damaging power is increased by using Ultima Weapon over the Buster Sword, and this still means the game is an RPG
Zelda aside, this got me thinking. Dead Rising has all of this. While it has a weapons system similar to any Action title – pick up, use, and throw away – the stat building is incredibly important to the core gameplay.
Your max inventory and health increases with levels
When you start out the game, Frank West is a measly level 1. Through taking photos, killing zombies and rescuing survivors throughout your first three days in the mall, you gain PP, which for the sake of argument we could call Dead Rising’s EXP. Through gaining PP, you gain levels. When you gain levels, you earn extra inventory and health slots, you begin to run faster, your attacks do more damage and the distance you can throw objects increases.
This sounds like an RPG, doesn’t it? Interestingly, the entire game could be compared to what traditional RPGs call “new game +” – that is, when you start a new game, you keep the skills, clothing and level from your previous game. I’ve heard some say the level system in Dead Rising is useless – I’ve even heard others say it tarnishes an otherwise perfect game, but I couldn’t disagree more.
Anybody who says these things simply hasn’t maxed out Frank West’s statistics. The extra health, speed, attack power and throw distance is useful, and the extra inventory space practically a requirement to complete the game, but there’s one other thing I’ve not yet mentioned – skills. You earn skills from gaining levels, too. Skills are mostly combat moves that will help you take down zombies, but add a whole new spectrum to the gameplay of surviving the zombie onslaught bare-fisted.
Save them or leave them, Survivors are optional Sidequests.
So, the levelling and stat-building is certainly similar to RPGs. What about other elements of Dead Rising that are reminiscent of the RPG genre? My next thought is Otis, his transceiver, and the survivors. Through a walkie-talkie, a character called Otis tells you of survivors he sees around the mall on the security camera system. Some are absolutely insane, and need killing, while others need saving and returning to the safe haven of the security room. Why like an RPG? It’s very reminiscent of side quests in RPGs – they’re all totally optional. You can save nobody, or you can try to save everybody – the choice is yours – and we all know that choice and sidequests are a major element in any RPG.
Most games of the same pedigree as Dead Rising allow you to customise your character how you want, but in Dead Rising you have to play as Frank West, no matter how you customise your hair or clothing, which is something which Japanese-made RPGs do consistently unlike their Western counterparts.
Of course, many elements of Dead Rising point in the opposite direction – the general action game feel of the engine and a relatively short main plot do keep the game feeling like an action game, but perhaps this is the first of what will be many new age RPGs.
Could a mall full of zombies really herald a new type of RPG?
Dead Rising certainly has RPG elements. The official Genre Capcom gives it is “Action Horror”, but now I find myself wondering if Action RPG, or Horror Action RPG would better describe what’s on the disk. Personally, I would say Dead Rising has enough RPG elements to be considered (if only loosely) an RPG in its own right, and that’s why I’ve written this article.
If Dead Rising shows anything it’s that the RPG genre is changing rapidly, and more and more games on the market can fit the description of what makes up an RPG. Could the Neo-RPG – new, broader styles of RPG for a broader demographic of gamers be knocking on our door this generation? Only time will tell.
Oh and good Article, Alex.