Dead Space Remake – Review
Our Score: 10/10
The famous sci-fi survival-horror game Dead Space Remake has been entirely updated to provide an even more immersive experience. While maintaining authenticity to the exhilarating concept of the original game, gameplay, graphic, and audio enhancements have been made.
In Space, Nobody Can Hear You Scream
In Dead Space, players control a tiny maintenance crew onboard the USG Kellion, a rescue ship sent to respond to the distress signal of the USG Ishimura, a massive mining vessel from the far future of 2508. You play the part of Isaac Clarke, a mechanic with a penchant for fixing communication arrays around the galaxy. Communication with the Planet Cracker-class spacecraft has been lost, and it becomes apparent that something more nefarious is happening.
You’ll find very few living souls on board, and of those you encounter, the vast majority have been turned into Necromorphs, flesh-eating zombies with a taste for human flesh. These gangly monsters have pointed appendages and spiky forelimbs, marking the first point at which the game differentiates itself from previous survival horror games.
When assaulted by half a dozen of these lethal monsters in a cramped, claustrophobic space, the first thing you’ll want to do is cut off those sharp appendages to put the zombies in the ground swiftly. Therefore, when you relearn parts of your conventional aiming methods and lean towards more strategic dissection, the age-old inclination of headshots becomes irrelevant.
This works well since it not only adds variety to each individual battle but also has a significant effect on both the mechanics and the look of the ghastly foes you’ll face. Actually, I’m relieved to say that the Necromorphs’ terrible appearance has not diminished.
Right Tools For the Job
A system of upgrades that may be used to improve your arsenal’s different traits adds another layer of depth to the game’s fighting tactics. This revamped version has a variety of additional content, including specialised upgrades for each gun that give them their own unique abilities in addition to boosting their damage output. For instance, you may boost the rate of fire of your Pulse Rifle by installing a Kinetic Reloader, and you can equip an Angled Launcher on your Ripper to give your blades an extra ricochet. For the later part of the game’s approximately 15-hour campaign, as enemies get progressively more strong, improving your suit’s health, armour, and oxygen are all guaranteed methods to stay ahead of the curve.
The weapons are next, and it’s fair to assume that the remake has made an effort to spice things up. The original Flamethrower was widely panned by the Dead Space fanbase for being much too weak, but it has been significantly beefed up for the remake and is now one of the most effective weapons at your disposal. The Force Gun, however, is a beast in its own right, being so powerful that it can even peel off the Necromorphs’ skin. The reliable Plasma Cutter may still be used to great effect, severing Necromorph appendages as you toggle between a horizontal and vertical laser bolt. It can get quite overpowered to be honest.
Old Ship, New Me
Within the Ishimura, the tight corridors, blood-splattered hospital rooms, abandoned research stations, and decaying residential chambers create a sci-fi atmosphere that is second to none. Similarly, it’s a thrill to experience space’s weightlessness for a brief while. In the hands of a devotee of the genre, such as myself, these scenes’ dramatic potential may leave the viewer gasping for air. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of this reinvention and talk about how it differs from its forerunner.
Considering that the original game’s protagonist was voiceless, there has been a lot of discussion surrounding the developer’s decision to give Isaac a speaking part in this remake. Right now, I’ll put your mind at ease by saying that The additional language and side storylines in this remake are largely responsible for Motive Studio’s successful efforts to expand upon the original story in ways that are both faithful and satisfying.
There is a marked improvement in the level of development of Isaac and the supporting cast as a whole. Even more so, if you’re a fan of Dead Space, there is a lot of supplementary information that serves to understand why Isaac Clarke needs to go back and forth. Dr. Elizabeth Cross, a minor character from the first game who is now fully voiced and has a larger role to play, receives more screen time and development than she had in the original game.
Final Verdict
Dead Space Remake is the gold standard of a remake. Great tech upgrades, and changes from the original that only add to the game rather than detract all while still keeping the atmosphere of the original game. Even after all these years, going back to the Ishimura with Isaac felt incredible and part of it is because of how much detail was poured into this game.
