Dead Space (2023 video game)

Dead Space features various changes from the original game. Unlike in the original game where he was a silent protagonist, Isaac now has voice lines of his own. In addition, previous voice lines and conversations remade for the game were adjusted to include Isaac, allowing him to engage with, argue, and bond with the other characters. The game also features more gore than the original, introducing a "peeling" system in which the player can tear and destroy the bodies of the Necromorphs. Various weapons are more suitable for severing limbs, while others are more suitable for completely destroying bodies. The remake also improves on the "zero gravity" element of the original, providing Isaac with thrusters to freely move across designated areas of the Ishimura.[1]

While featuring all the same suits and weapons from the original game, weapons can now be acquired by simply progressing through the story and do not need to be purchased at the suit kiosk using blueprints. While suits and weapons can still be upgraded with Power Nodes, they can only be fully upgraded by finding different suit blueprints or weapon parts that can be found in different areas of the ship. Weapon parts add on different upgrades, such as increased magazine size or better area-of-effect.

The USG Ishimura is featured as a singular environment that can be freely explored without impacting the main story. Divided into six sections (Engineering/Mining, Hydroponics, Flight Deck/Hangar, Medical, Crew Quarters, and Bridge), players can unlock different areas of the Ishimura by proceeding through the main story. While the ship’s tram system can still be used to move to different sections, they are no longer readily available and must be unlocked by proceeding through each section on foot. A new feature added is the ability to access locked doors and containers by rerouting the ship’s power through various junction boxes or by using a security clearance instead of having to sacrifice Power Nodes.

Games journalist Jeff Grubb of GamesBeat reported that a remake of Dead Space was in development at Motive on July 1, 2021. He speculated that the success of EA's single-player Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019) and Capcom's remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 were instrumental in the publisher's decision to green-light the Dead Space remake.[6]

The game was developed using EA's proprietary Frostbite engine, which Motive Studios previously used to develop Star Wars: Squadrons and the single-player campaign of Star Wars Battlefront II.[7] The game retains the same story and structure as the original but features redesigned assets, character models, and environments. The developers intended to take advantage of SSDs on the ninth generation of consoles to have the game be presented as an "uninterrupted sequence shot", absent of loading screens.[8] Content that was removed from the original game due to technical constraints may also be added.[9] The game does not feature any microtransactions, in contrast to Dead Space 3, where the addition of microtransactions resulted in a negative reception.[10] The art director for the game, Mike Yazijan, previously worked as art director at EA Montreal assisting Visceral Games in developing Dead Space 2.[11]

The original Dead Space was noted for its audio design, and the team intended to stay true to the original atmosphere while improving and modifying where necessary. Gunner Wright reprises his role as Isaac Clarke, who is fully voiced, like his appearances in Dead Space 2 and Dead Space 3.[12] Tanya Clarke also reprises her role as Nicole Brennan from Dead Space 2. The other cast members include Anthony Alabi as Zach Hammond, Brigitte Kali Canales as Kendra Daniels, and Faran Tahir as Challus Mercer.[2]

Dead Space went gold on December 15.[13] The game's implementation of a rendering technique called variable rate shading (VRS) was criticized.[14] The PC version received a patch on January 31 that added a VRS toggle,[15] while the console versions removed the feature completely.[16]

The game was announced at EA's Play Live event on July 22, 2021, accompanied by a teaser trailer, with an initial target release date of late 2022.[17][18] On March 11, 2022, it was announced that the game was being pushed to early 2023.[19] On October 4, 2022, a gameplay trailer for Dead Space was released, which revealed the game's release date to be January 27, 2023.[20][21]

The original musical score by Jason Graves was retained, with new musical elements and cues composed by Trevor Gureckis.[22][23] Graves had previously worked on the original game trilogy.[24]

Dead Space received "generally favorable" reviews, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic.[25][26][27]

IGN praised Motive Studio for rejuvenating the original game's setting "with its stunningly redesigned spaceship, smartly and subtly enhanced story, and spectacularly re-imagined action scenes".[37] The Guardian described it as a streamlined version of Dead Space, making it flow more smoothly and "embrac[ing] the original's taut pacing and powerful forward-momentum."[44] Eurogamer enjoyed the changes to the Ishimura, calling it "persistent and alive", but felt Isaac's new voice distracted from the horror.[48] Kotaku disliked the unchanged boss fights describing them as "boring" and "methodical".[49]

Polygon praised the new audio system added to the game, "The sounds of the Ishimura are richly layered - the din of machinery and otherworldly screams are a constant amplifier of fear."[50] They also commented on the development of Isaac as a protagonist, praising the interactions that he has with the rest of the crew for improving the emotional stakes.[51] GameSpot felt that the remake had made only marginal improvements on the 2008 version, but still praised it as "the quintessential way to play one of the survival horror genre's best."[34] The Verge liked the updates to the story and Isaac's newly voiced dialogue, writing "Wright imbues the character with an endearing charm that makes him fun not only to protect but also to be around".[52] PC Gamer praised the game for expanding on the original narrative with much more detail, which led them to hope that this effort could be channeled into a legitimate sequel.[39]

• Official website