‘Make us whole again.’

‘Come on then. Cause this is all I got left!’

Dead Space Remake

2023

PS5

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Warning: this page contains spoilers for the benefit of those who may be curious for some context, but don't want to play this title due to its disturbing content. Like myself, who watched my darling brave Dead Space whilst I curiously peaked and offered suggestions from behind the safety of a cushion because I simply had to know what was happening story-wise.

👾 STORY ANALYSIS 🎮

Dead Space is Visceral Games answer to a zombie outbreak in space. With a disturbing dose of mutation. This game is not for the light hearted. It will keep you on the edge of your seat... in an effort to keep the protagonist: Isaac, alive. It is dark, gritty, graphic, and host to many horror's that might just encourage you to keep the lights on.

Dead Space is set in the year 2508, when humanity has spread far and wide across the universe. All in aid of 'Planet Cracking', the act of taking to barren planets to harvest resources that will benefit a low-resource Earth. The game opens with Isaac Clarke (Engineer and our Protagonist), Corpral Johnston, Kendra Daniels (Computer Specialist) and Zach Hammond (Senior Security Officer). On their way to USG Ishimura, an elite 'Planet Cracking' spaceship, following the receival of a distress beacon.

However, when they board the ship they are greeted by a disturbing revelation: the crew have lost their humanity to a mutated alien source. Necromorphs. Changing the teams mission from assisting the USG Ishimura to finding out what has caused the outbreak, regrouping and escaping with their lives. However, for Isaac, there is a detour in mind before the completion of his mission. To  find his wife: Nicole Brennan, a Doctor stationed onboard the ship with the purpose of working on a mysterious project.

It is on this gruesome journey that Isaac learns about the necromorphs and discovers that the USG Ishimura is orbiting Aegis VII, a planet quarantined for centuries due to an ancient extraterrestrial artifact: Red Marker. One that infects and adjusts the DNA of its prey. Providing madness, extreme paranoia, severe depression, vivid hallucinations and violent urges. Prior to mutation.

The trouble is, how does one escape from this situation whilst also trying to prevent matters from spreading further?

Isaac works with the colleagues that he arrived with, as well as new and familiar faces, to traverse the USG Ishimura. The only trouble is... who can one trust along the way? Especially when someone so close to him is revealed to have ulterior motives.

But I digress, because what did I take away from this overall experience?

For one, I surprised myself greatly. For I am a wimp. The wimpiest of wimp whose stomach churns at the sight of blood alone, and Dead Space is not short on gruesome horrors that will have one running up the stairs, or cowering under ones bed-covers, once the lights are out at night. Yet, I found myself questioning when the next dive into the game would be and - gasp - did so excitedly!

What kept me hooked was just how clever Dead Space is, because the big reveals within the latter half of the story are sprinkled throughout the game... make us whole again. One being, a huge spoiler at that, the fact that Nicole - Isaac's wife of whom he keeps seeing and speaking to throughout - is dead. And has been since long before he arrived onboard. Simply put, Isaac had been effected by the Marker's influence.

And that's Dead Space in a nutshell without regaling the entire story so that you, if you haven't already, can experience the intriguing horrors for yourself. The story was simply... chef's kiss. It was engaging, gritty, and chilling. And the horrors... well, the less said about that the better because they are haunting. But I can't deny that I really did get into it more often than not with the 'Yes! Kick their butt!'.

✨ STORY RATING 📣

5/5

👾 GAMEPLAY/MECHANICS ANALYSIS 🎮

A key element that I appreciated in Dead Space, and think is integral to games within the Horror genre, is the need to be mindful of inventory use throughout. It was clear from quite early on that some materials would be few and far between, encouraging the player to conserve inventory items for when absolutely necessary. This element of gameplay and mechanics also helped heighten a feeling of urgency, especially when it came to Med Packs. It certainly adds to the desperation of the situation we, as Isaac, find ourselves in. Blessing us with great relief when a purchase station is found just around a corner when we're covered in gore and lacking key items to see us forward.

In addition to above, I come to Save Points. Which plays greatly into the sense of urgency a player feels when one is low on resources and needs to secure that save in order to ensure that progress is not lost when a next spawn of horrors appear. Especially when there are a many horrors between these points.

Dialogue. Those of you familiar with the original 2008 title will know that Isaac didn't have dialogue. Whereas in the 2023 remake... there is. There has been some contention around this change, however, I personally believe that it is an experience optimising addition. For it allows the player to connect with Isaac on a personal level, rather than just being a blank character on a screen. We get to hear the raw emotion in his voice as he connects with other characters, and even the odd dialogue that he voices aloud to himself (and us as the player).

The last point that I am going to touch on is the tasks that we find ourselves, or rather; Isaac, doing throughout the game. Tasks that I found too repetitive, almost to a point of becoming tiresome. A majority of tasks required an item to progress on to the next stage, and more often than not, these items meant going back on oneself. Sometimes more than once. I can see why this would be inserted from a game development point of view. It adds to urgency, because there would always be a horror to face even if an area was cleared prior, and of course as the player we want to progress in order to escape the overarching situation.

Negativity aside, I do think that there is a benefit to some repetition in horror, because it offers an element of safety when one already has an idea of what needs to be done, especially whilst facing great adversity when trying to do so.

It is clear that a lot of love and labour went into making Dead Space (Remake, 2023) a game worth playing through until the end. The gameplay/mechanics offer a level of support to a gripping story that keeps a player invested in progressing, whilst offering an element of genuine challenge.

✨ GAMEPLAY/MECHANICS RATING 📣

3/5