The labyrinthine mining rig was always one of the better examples of environmental storytelling in games, but is now elevated with far more detail than was possible 15 years ago.
If Isaac is less of a character in the remake, then the enhanced Ishimura is even more of one. While the actual horror aspects of Dead Space are still reliant largely on jump scares, they are masterfully delivered. The result is a horror game fit for modern players, without rocking the boat so much that it’ll alienate long-time fans. Where the original trilogy was developed iteratively, the remake feels framed to better set up the likely-inevitable sequels to follow, the developers now having at least a rough existing map of where they want to go. Developer Motive Studio ultimately offers more of a refinement of that first game than a generational reimagining. The passage of time means more powerful hardware and game engines on which to (re)build the terrifying tale of Isaac Clarke – a 26th century engineer, forced to uncover the horrifying truth behind what happened on the “planet cracker” mining ship USG Ishimura after finding it infested with undead Necromorphs while on a routine repair run. Fast forward to 2023, though, and key creators from the original have moved on to The Callisto Protocol – so can this glossy remake be anything more than a cynically corporate effort at recycling IP into franchise-building fodder? 2008’s original Dead Space was almost an accidental hit for publisher EA, with its blend of sickening body horror, unspeakable cosmic malevolence, and tight action gameplay winning over players and spawning an eventual trilogy.
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