14 DAY TRIAL // 
Dead Space is surely one of the most memorable and popular horror games of all time. It may have been released 15 years ago, but it is still better than most of the contestants to the throne released after its debut, one of the biggest disappointments being the recently launched Callisto Protocol. No worries though, the remake of the original arrived and should scratch that itch for getting terrified in the cold, empty, unending, dark space. It should, right?!
Well, without further rhetorical questions we can say that even after more than a decade there is a good reason for Dead Space to be considered king to this day, and the remake only further confirms the royalty status of the game. But let’s see what makes this remake better than many other projects meant to feed on our nostalgia.
The story did not change, as a player you will still have to wear the uniform of Isaac Clarke, a “simple” engineer sent with his fellow crewmates to do some maintenance work on the USG Ishimura. Another thing that did not change is the level of scariness caused by the encounters with the necromorphs. It does not matter if you’re a new player or a veteran returning: the unholy creatures jumping out of vents will scare the space protein bars out of you.
Next to the space mutants, you will also have to face the claustrophobia generated by the fact that you are trapped on a derelict ship and the craziness of the cultists cheering for you to be turned into shish kebab. There are no safe corners or rooms that give you a minute to catch your breath. Each step you take further into the darkness will bring new and new horrors trying to kill you.
That constant pressure is paired with an engaging combat system. Back when it was released it was a novelty gameplay mechanic the fact that Dead Space stepped away from the mandatory headshots and encouraged you rather to focus on dismembering your opponents, limb by limb. In order to become the most infamous space butcher next to your arsenal you could also use various abilities like Stasis or Kinesis to slow down your enemies, make aiming easier or even impale them with the object from the decorum.
This creativity about how you tackle the art of chopping alien liver is also present when it comes to the level design. You often have to backtrack to be able access new areas and upgrade your armor, your skills and your abilities. This was also something new in 2008, when usually the survival horror games pushed you forward, and made you try to run from the danger.
The Intensity Director feature made sure that you will never know when and where the attacks will come from, while the great soundtrack and sound effects built a truly memorable game with a general feeling that seemed to rival with the Alien movie series. The entire game is a fast-paced experience that is somewhat affected by the repetitive tasks of the second half, but it all makes sense if you think about the entire ordeal our hero has to go through.
So, we established once more that Dead Space is an excellent game even in 2023. But what about the remake, what does it bring to the table? Well, the difference is so huge that it totally justifies this re-release. The evolution of graphics is truly generational, the new detailed, rich environment bringing the entire experience to life. Dead Space Remake looks much better than the memories we had about the original that have been beautified by our minds.
The two different display options, Quality with 4K resolution, 30 fps and ray tracing, and Performance with 2K QHD and 60 fps are paired with considerably reduced loading times that greatly improve immersion when traveling among the areas. And the list of improvements is not only technical, since the developers also included some extra content that adds to the original experience, making it better.
I can’t thank enough the folks at Motive for adding thrusters to Isaac’s suit, which makes the Zero-G missions much less frustrating. As I’ve already said, there are little to no loading times in Dead Space Remake because all the sectors on the USG Ishimura have now been linked with various connecting zones.
Fans of the series who played the original game will certainly notice that there are new side quests added to the remake, along with a secret ending that’s available on the new game plus difficulty. I highly recommend watching it on a platform of your choice if you don’t plan to play through the game once again, it’s pretty cool.
Last but not least, Isaac now has voice lines, which gives the story even more weight. Along with the new music, updated character models, new shaders, enhanced lighting and geometry, the remake is truly the definitive version of Dead Space. Although it remains faithful to the original, developers managed to boost everything to the max to provide players with a true horror experience meant for the most recent generation of gaming platforms.
The Good
- Isaac finally has his own voice
- Generational leap in graphics quality
- Brilliant sound design
The Bad
- Second part of the game is somewhat repetitive
- Boss fights are still cumbersome
- Zero-G missions needed more attention
Conclusion
Of course, there are still elements that could have benefitted from more attention like all the end game content, especially the final boss fight, but once again Dead Space offers an experience that is more than the sum of its parts and reconfirms its status as the king of the genre.
Review key was provided by the publisher.
