Dead Space remake review: The best the franchise has ever been

Over the past 15 years Dead SpaceIt was published, and it is a classic of science-fiction horror. Through rose-tinted memories, it still holds up today, thanks to its unmatched atmosphere and lead-footed, visceral combat.

The New Dead SpaceThese memories are kept close to her heart. Its world, the space-zombie-infested, planet-harvesting vessel named the USG Ishimura, is a cold, industrial maze lit by flickering halogen lamps, where every machine is broken down or on the verge of flying apart. Its hallways are filled with metal clangs and steam hisses. It is an immersive, terrifying graveyard ship.

In visually striking ways, this remake bring the Ishimura to life. Intricate reconstructions were made of its decks, quarters, airlocks, and other areas. It is undoubtedly the star of developer Motive Studio’s remake, a more believable and varied ship than the one seen in the original game. But it is just a part of Motive’s re-engineering: Weapons, characters, and progression have all been rethought, resulting in the best possible version of Isaac Clarke’s trek through a veritable hell — and hopefully the revival of a horror game franchise that flamed out too soon.

Story of Dead SpaceThis is heavily inspired sci-fi horror movies Alien, Event HorizonPlease see the following: SunshineIt is almost unchanged. Concordance Extraction Corporation dispatches a small group to look into why Ishimura is dark. However, it finds the ship in severe distress. The rescue crew is quickly separated after the ship was overtaken and destroyed by Necromorphs. As engineer Isaac Clarke, you fight to survive the Necromorph infestation as you search for an escape — and for Dr. Nicole Brennan, Isaac’s estranged romantic interest and the RealitätThe reason why he signed up to the Ishimura missions.

Image credit: Motive Studio/Electronic Arts

Motive updated many aspects, even though it remained true to its original plot. Dead Space’s structure. Isaac is one of them. In the original game Isaac was the silent protagonist. He now speaks to his crewmates and other survivors from the Ishimura. His more prominent role in dialogue, combined with updated text logs and audio recordings, makes for a more elegant story overall; it introduces the trilogy’s theme of religious fanaticism, and the role of alien artifacts, much earlier, and in a less jarring fashion. The impact of that alien technology on Isaac and his allies’ psyche plays out in refreshing new ways, lending new weight to the characters’ relationships and their inevitable deaths.

Gunnar Wright returns as Isaac Clarke’s voice in this sequel to Dead Space. Isaac sounds more like an engineer than a slick errand boy. His new voiceover gives Isaac a fresh sound that makes him seem less like a naive nerd. Other actors are solid performers: Brigitte Kaali Canales brings more nuance to Kendra Daniels (computer expert and frequent task-giver), Faran Tahir, (the rest)Iron Man, Star TrekThe drippings of pure evil are Dr. Challus Mercer.

Isaac plays much like he did in the original game: He’s a systems engineer, not a hardened soldier, and he relies on what are ostensibly construction tools — laser cutters, sawblades, torches, and force fields designed for work in zero-gravity environments — to fight the Necromorphs. Dead Space’s combat garnered acclaim for flipping video game conceits by prioritizing limb removal, not headshots or body shots, as the best way to fight enemies. Chop off an enemy’s legs, and you’ll slow it down. It will not be able to fight if its arms are amputated. What about its head? This will make it even more angry.

Image: Motive Studio/Electronic Arts

Llimb removal doesn’t feel like an outdated gimmick. It is nonetheless grisly and satisfying. If two or more Necromorphs are bearing down on you, what’s your plan? Hit one with a movement-slowing stasis field, cripple the other so it has to crawl its way toward you, then shoot out a saw blade to slice ’em both up? That’ll work. You could also set them up as proximity mines and lead them to a deadly trap. Like the original game, the remake demands constant reconsideration of your approach, with continual shifts in the Ishimura’s environment and variations in Necromorph mobs.

Isaac’s everyman arsenal provides plenty of options, especially with new features that make each tool more useful. Isaac’s flamethrower serves him well during panicked times. It originally came with an alternative fire mode, which sent an explosive fireball. In the remake, it instead builds a two-meter-wide wall of fire — anything that walks through it is burned to a crisp. The reliable rapid-fire pulse rifle also has a new alt-fire mode: a proximity mine that’s instrumental when Necromorphs surround Isaac.

These weapons upgrades are available as both collectibles and purchaseable items at shop stations. You can find them behind locked doors. The new tiered security system allows you to access these weapons. Dead Space remake a more Metroid-like feel; there’s some backtracking to be done through the Ishimura, and a sense of risk versus reward for doing so. It is worth going back twice to an area that was previously unaccessible, as Necromorphs are known for bursting out of hatches. Maybe!

Motive was also retrofitted Dead SpaceIts sequels brought about quality-of life improvements. Isaac moved from one place to the next in zero-gravity environments. But he is now capable of floating and flying freely. All Zero-G encounters are now reworked. This has made boss battles and puzzle-like minigames more tense and topsy-turvy. These spectacle-filled moments are appropriate, and can even be confusing.

Image: Motive Studio/Electronic Arts

Motive’s Dead SpaceThe impressive audio production of the source material also makes remake a worthy work. The sounds of the Ishimura are richly layered — the din of machinery and otherworldly screams are a constant amplifier of fear. There are also frequent audio feints and genuine shocks; I’m not afraid to admit I was jump-scared a handful of times by the developer’s tricks, despite being vigilant throughout.

Other than the audiovisual improvements, Dead SpaceThe game’s creator is aware of the impact it has on contemporary games in particular, especially horror. The remake captures the soul of its subject in the vein of Capcom’s Resident Evil remakes, delivering a meaty, memorable single-player horror game unmarred by tacked-on multiplayer or microtransactions.

Dead SpaceAccessibility features include multiple input options and colorblind mode, as well as content warnings, hide troublesome scenes and content warnings. You can skip the extreme violence or self-harm moments, even though this game is full of gore. Motive’s hard work in bringing this game to life Dead Space back to life is exciting not just for the ability to play an idealized version of a classic game on new platforms, but also in the promising groundwork it lays for the franchise’s potential future.

Dead Space On Jan. 27, the game will be available on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. Electronic Arts provided a prerelease code for the game’s review. Vox Media is an affiliate partner. Although these partnerships do not impact editorial content, Vox Media could earn commissions for products sold via affiliate links. Here are some links to help you find. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.