In the same week that kicked off with the Forspoken launch that left many people in the gaming community disappointed, an old title successfully came back from the dead. The Dead Space remake, simply titled Dead Space, launched to much hype and rave reviews. It’s clear from the words of official reviewers and individual gamers alike that this game is not just the undead, reanimated zombie version of the 2008 classic, but a game that improves on the original while still capturing exactly what it was that made it such a hit when it first released.
The first and most obvious change from the original is simply the way it looks. The 2008 classic did an incredible job making an immersive and terrifying environment. The new release takes that same formula and updates it to reflect the current technology that is generations better than what was available 15 years ago. The engineering suit that Isaac Clarke, the protagonist, wears is incredibly detailed and makes the character look like you remember him all those years ago. The USG Ishimura where the game takes place also got a massive visual and design upgrade. The surfaces and textures are intricately detailed to show the wear and tear and horror that hides around every corner of the ship. Exploring the Ishimura is a much better experience this time around as well thanks to some design updates. There are now numerous options to get around to the different sections of the ship, making revisiting areas easier and allowing Isaac to access new doors and compartments as his tools and skills improve.
Combat and the iconic necromorphs are back and similarly improved, but not drastically different. Isaac feels smoother to move and is more agile in combat sequences. The environments offer more items to utilize for cover and throwing with kinesis. And the necromorphs are way more detailed and terrifying to see. The gore is even cranked up and improved on by giving the bad guys layers of slime and bone to cut through before you successfully remove those limbs as is required to deal with these grotesque space horrors. All in all, the game will let you jump into combat exactly like you used to and you will only notice the improvements without feeling like anything is missing.
Dead Space has been hotly anticipated by fans of the original trilogy for years now and it seems they are not disappointed at the product Motive Studio has delivered to them. Currently, the PS5 version of the game is sitting at an 89 on Metacritic and a user score of 8.5. Those numbers are nearly identical for the PC and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game as well. When the scores are so high from critics and gamers alike, it’s hard to argue with the quality of the game and experience. That’s even more true when the game has a rabid fanbase with sky high expectations. Kudos to Motive Studio for hitting those expectations and setting the bar for what remakes of beloved games should strive to be. Dead Space is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Image from: Motive Studio
