When the Dead Space Remake was first announced, many fans of the franchise were skeptical. This concern was primarily due to distrust in EA and that the original creators, Visceral Games, would not be involved in the project. Instead, Motive Studio, the developers behind Star Wars: Squadrons and co-developers behind Star Wars Battle Front 2. Once, EA’s loot system was out of Battle Front 2, it became a rather solid game. Despite, previous work, many were concerned about what might happen to their beloved series. Now, a week after the game’s launch, we can sufficiently say that it was in good hands.
Now, it is not a review without us explaining why, we felt it was sufficient, if not great. Going in, our baseline expectation was that the game would be a digitally enhanced remake. After completing our first playthrough, we can easily say that it is more than that. So at the base level, it is the Dead Space you know and love, but there are subtle differences that make it even better. The attention to lighting, the sense of dread the music stirs up when the atmosphere changes, and even the inclusion of new particle effects when enemies die. These are just a few of the things that make the game even better.
Gameplay
Dead Space is the story of Issac Clarke, an engineer for the USG Ishimura. Upon returning to the USG Ishimura, Clarke and his crew notice that something is wrong upon docking. Instead of being greeted, the crew finds an almost deserted ship. While trying to discover the events that have transpired during their absence, Issac is separated from his crew after a mysterious attack.
Left to fend for himself, Issac scavengers anything he can get his hands on to survive. Survival is the name of the game, with resources always feeling rather scarce and hard to find; this element is one of the many factors that made the original Dead Space a thrilling horror survival game. The game makes the player feel like any wrong turn or missed shot might be their last.
The story stays true to what everyone knew and loved about the series besides the secret ending. The secret ending is an excellent tie to Dead Space 2; in fact, it makes us suspect that they will remake the sequel.
Gameplay Issues
During our playthrough of Dead Space, we only encountered two gameplay issues, the first issue involved the hit detection system. On numerous occasions, we’d barely bump into a lethal object and die. Now, this isn’t like we put our gun or foot into the blast furnace or fan blades and die. No, we are talking about how a small portion of the body passed through the hitbox and caused us to die. On one occasion, the object we were holding got hit causing us to die as well.
The second issue we experienced was with the hit detection system on enemies. Now, this came primarily before the most recent patch and was early in the game, but some shots would not register on the Necromorphs. Since we did not really encounter these enemies in later stages, we can’t say for certain that it has been fixed. What we can say though, is that after the most recent patch, the gameplay felt smooth and we weren’t screaming, I hit I swear.
Overall, even with minor gameplay issues, the Dead Space remake offers a pretty solid and fun gameplay experience.
Graphics
Excluding what we previously talked about in the gameplay section, the Dead Space Remake as a whole was excellent visually. Our only complaint was that enemies would sometimes get frozen into weird locations within the levels. These frozen dead corpses would cause jump scares of their own making us believe another enemy is right outside the door. Ultimately, that’s a rather nit-picky issue that manages to increase the game’s suspense rather than impeding the player’s movement. If you have ever played the original Dead Space, then this will feel like catching up with an old friend or drinking a nicely aged wine.
The original still holds up visually, but the Dead Space remake looks and feels like a well-polished update with new visual effects. Each enemy has their own unique feel and appearance; even if an enemy is a similar type to another, it moves and attacks differently than its counterparts. Even killing effects are different and vastly improved. Each limp you cut off and the way you cut off looks different than its counterparts. The only negative thing graphically about the Dead Space remake is the flashlight issues. When the player shines the flashlight at certain angles it will bend in another direction.
The game offers a variety of graphical accessibility options – Camera Shake, Subtitles, Subtitle capitalization, Speaker’s name feature, Speaker name color change, Font sizing, a dot on the screen to help track aim, hide disturbing scenes, a content warning, and color blind mode (Protanopia, Deuteranopia, and Tritanopia).
Controls
Dead Space sets itself apart from traditional shooters by incorporating unique gameplay mechanics, particularly with its ability system. Unlike most shooters that only use the back two triggers for aiming and shooting, Dead Space also utilizes the back left trigger to aim special abilities such as Statis and Kinesis. This requires players to be more strategic and precise in their ability usage, as they need to aim the ability at its intended target. The ability system adds another layer of depth to the game and can greatly aid the player in their journey. Despite the addition of these mechanics, the controls remain smooth and familiar, allowing most players to easily pick up and play the game without much adjustment.
The controls in the game offer comprehensive accessibility options, such as the ability to zoom in on the map with either a tap or hold, close logs with either a tap or hold, toggle sprinting, perform quick time events with a single button press, utilize A.I.M assist, automatically swap weapons with the help of the assist feature, and display input prompts for the environment.
Audio/SFX
Dead Space features the iconic original musical score composed by Jason Graves, which adds to the atmosphere and maintains the essence of the original game. At the same time, the remake also introduces new music, sound effects, and voice acting, which were expertly crafted by Trevor Gureckis. These fresh elements enhance the overall audio experience and bring a new level of immersion to the game. Overall, the musical score, sound effects, and voice acting in the Dead Space expertly blend the familiar with the new, creating rich and engaging audio and SFX.
The remake features the voice of the original crew, but also welcomes Gunner Wright back as Isaac Clarke replacing Max Shippee; Tanya Clarke replaces Iyari Limon as Nicole Brennan. The game still has a horror-filled atmosphere thanks to the music and the shift in tone can make your heart race. Ultimately, the Dead Space Remake feels more like a love letter to the original franchise while improving where it can. The only accessibility option for sound is a menu narration option, which we personally wish there was more of.
Replay Value
When it comes to replay value, The Dead Space Remake has a good bit to offer, but can very easily be a one-and-done experience. Ultimately, the player will decide how much they want to replay it. The game does offer a variety of difficulties and features a new game plus mode. While playing through on the first time, it is easy to miss some things or not complete the side missions; so a second playthrough will allow players to keep their gear while still finding missing weapon components, finishing quests, and discovering the USG Ishimura secrets.
As someone who loved the original Dead Space, it was a pleasure to jump into the Dead Space Remake and play it all over again. Sadly, with so many games out and coming out, it is hard to justify replaying it if you have a backlog.
Verdict
After eight years since playing the original Dead Space, it was refreshing to jump into the Dead Space Remake. The time and effort that the development team put into the game are clear and heightens the player’s experience. Despite the minor bugs in the game, it is a blast to experience Issac’s story once again; the addition of a secret ending that ties into the second game, plus the utilization of the main crew creates a more immersive experience. Our only issue is it is hard to justify picking up the remake for $59.99 or more when the 2008 version is still available.
The game is still a thrilling experience and each step the player takes towards the end still feels as enriching as before. If you have yet to play Dead Space and want a more modernized version, the remake is a great jump-in point; otherwise, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to wait until it goes on sale.
A PS5 code was provided for review purposes. The Dead Space Remake is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
