As far as I can tell, the original 2008 Dead Space still looks and plays pretty good. That art design alone goes a long way toward maintaining a fresh look among the next generation of Dazzlers for 2022.
But despite its enduring appeal, Dead Space is another classic game that deserves the full remake treatment, and developer EA Motive seems to have found the most room for improvement. are in the margins and details.
No matter how well I thought the original worked, it’s certainly nothing compared to what EA Motive showed off to the press during lengthy previews of the upcoming remake.
My time with this preview build was a reminder of just how dangerous Dead Space was in the first place. While it’s true that scary games were in his golden age of the mid-2000s (think Gears of War’s popularity at the time), Dead Space really tried to outdo its competitors. I’ve completely blocked the necromorph baby from memory, but it’s ready to skewer your head if you’re not careful.
Set in Dead Space, USG Ishimura is reborn, hissing, and more sinister than ever. The Ishimura is the most unwelcome ship in any universe, and being able to see this rust-colored behemoth in even more detail is breathtaking.
You can also explore it completely with no loading screens or cutscenes. Motive is making a big deal about new technology like this under the hood. This includes everything from a peeling system that gives Necromorphs even more layers to surgically hack, to audio tech that dynamically reacts to whether Isaac is injured.
But beyond these cosmetic changes, Motive has introduced another impressive trick that adds a layer of intensity that wasn’t there before. strength director. Intensity Director was developed to solve an interesting side effect of the remake’s more open maps.
Dead Space initially relied on scripting terrifying moments to maximize terror, but this Ishimura is worth exploring to the fullest. But that means that if you backtrack, you may not have to worry about entering a specific room you’ve already cleared.
“Not so fast,” says the strength director. Its existence isn’t overtly advertised, but it’s always there to shake things up or get in the way in new ways if it feels too safe. From environmental effects to spawning Necromorphs, there are hundreds of events that can unfold depending on the “roll of the dice.” Some of them are very subtle, and I’ve thought of a few examples of backtracking. “Wait, was this room hissing all the time?”
Rather than think of these additions as game-changing, the remake’s new features make an already great game even better. , giving each hideous monster additional meat, tendons, and bones to hack. The ability to dismantle enemies is still satisfying, but the added gore only makes the experience more intuitive (which seems appropriate to use here).
The peeling system is also an apt metaphor for the remake itself, focusing on adding depth to the experiences fans already know and love. So if you remember Dead Space looking good, it’s even better.
Dead Space falls somewhere in between the recent remakes in several ways. Not as old as Resident Evil 2 or 3, but not as recent as The Last of Us.
I still believe the gold standard for game remakes is Capcom’s Resident Evil 2 revival. It’s already a great game, but Dead Space offers something in-between.
There’s enough new stuff here to make the first Dead Space obsolete, but not enough to make you think it’s going to be an entirely new experience. Layer by layer to enjoy more details. These additions don’t breathe new life into Dead Space so much as they give fans new and old alike something new and fleshier.
Matt TM Kim is IGN’s News Editor.you can contact him @lawoftd.
