What’s different between the Dead Space remake and the original?

It’s been almost 15 years since the original Dead SpaceIt was published. New! Dead Space is a remake, but it’s rebuilt from the ground up. If you’re a returning veteran of the Dead Space franchise, you’re going to notice a lot of minor changes and a couple substantial ones.

This guide will help you navigate the most significant changes. Dead SpaceThis will allow you to return home to the USG Ishimura.

Frostbite Engine updates graphics

Obviously, 15 years of improvements and EA’s Frostbite Engine allows for a lot of visual improvements. Every aspect of the game, from characters to the ships themselves, has been given a dramatic overhaul.

Also, the lighting in the game got an overhaul. It’s a lot more atmospheric (and spooky) now with volumetric lighting. There’s also just generally less light to go around — entire rooms will be almost completely dark, forcing you to rely on your weapon’s flashlight.

There are no more loading screens

Moving to the current hardware is also a sign Dead Space can ditch loading screens. You can remove them to keep the story flowing (and reduce anxiety).

More fleshing out is required for characters (and character)

The cast of characters you know and love are unchanged — with one exception. There’s a new member on the crew of the Kellion. She mainly stays on board the ship though.

Gunnar Wright was the original Dead SpaceIsaac played the same role for the new remake. The larger story is untouched and there were no dramatic edits to the script, but it’s not a line for line remake.

More specifically, though, Isaac is no longer an all-but-silent protagonist — and he takes his helmet off a lot more often. He’s got a lot more dialogue now, too, bringing his character a lot more in line with Dead Space 2 And 3.

New floorplans and new objectives

We mentioned this in our beginner’s guide as well, but a ground-up redesign means that the More information layout of the Ishimura isn’t identical to the original. It’s nothing as big as an entirely new floor, but more like zigs where there used to be zags.

Image via Polygon: Visceral games/Electronic Arts

Some objectives can be modified or changed to match this. These don’t change anything about the game, really, but they might be enough to make those old walkthroughs pretty confusing. Isaac retrieves a databoard in the first chapter. This involved taking a keycard from a dead body to do this in the original. It is necessary to change the circuit breaker that connects the light to the door in the remake (see note above about darkness).

Side missions exist now

While the larger story hasn’t changed, a new layer of the narrative has been added in the form of Side missions. These smaller tasks will have you exploring Ishimura, filling in the world-building details via gameplay (rather that just text logs).

Image via Polygon: Visceral games/Electronic Arts

Your RIG HUD will display side missions under the Missions tab. Your Locator will guide you to the right location by selecting one and following it.

Image via Polygon: Visceral games/Electronic Arts

There’s an alternate ending

The addition of an alternative ending is arguably the most significant change. Dead Space. Please refer to Dead Space Twitter accountThis is the New Game+ end. We’ll provide details about how to see it in the coming days.