Dead Space is a remarkable game, and surely one of the bigger surprises that will come out of 2023. EA Motive has done a great job in remaking one of the best horror games from the mid-to-late 2000s era; going as far as making certain segments feel wholly new again. As a player who never played the original, this remake feels like the definitive introduction to the franchise. I’m clamoring for more of Isaac’s story, and even perhaps beyond.
I never played the original Dead Space in 2008. It’s not for a lack of trying; in fact, I had played through the opening 30 or so minutes on PS3 a month or so before the PS4 was set to release. Horror games back then were never my thing (I’m a big ol’ scaredy cat), and it took 2014’s Alien: Isolation for the genre to break through and grab me. Fast forward to 2023 and we finally have what can only be described as the definitive version of 2008’s seminal classic that has alluded me all of these years. The wait has been worth it.
The Dead Space remake is quite an achievement in several regards, the biggest of which is that it’s a game that feels like it was originally released in 2023 and not 2008. EA Motive has gone so above and beyond that had I not known the original was released 15 years ago, I would have sworn this game was a new modern IP. The painstaking attention to detail in every detail, from Isaac Clarke’s suit defrosting after returning from the vacuum of space to bloody sinew rippling away from dismembered necromorph limbs, is a remarkable achievement in the history of remakes.
To the point of not feeling like a 15-year-old game, many a remaster and remake fall into the trap of being a 1:1 faithful remake of the original down to its core. EA Motive has balanced that tightrope nicely, removing much of the jank and very “2008” gameplay decisions. The entirety of my playthrough was using Dead Space’s performance mode, seeing a buttery smooth 60fps with no frame dips; and the game is so dark anyway, that texture resolution seemed to be amazing throughout. Having never played the original, it struck me how tight the overall movement and combat were throughout. While there was a distinct lack of a dodge button (even a quick side-step action would have been welcome), controlling Isaac was awesome.
Dead Space’s story is horrifying, even if it is a bit tropey by today’s standards. I’ve been told that all of the remake’s side missions are new additions, and all of them were fantastic ways to flesh out most of the characters that Isaac comes into contact with. The final boss in the game, as large and wild of a spectacle as it is, is the only point where I felt the illusion of this being a modern game fall apart just a bit. It’s not that it’s not a satisfying final boss to face, more that it echoes every final boss fight from 2006 – 2010ish. Again, EA Motive walks a tightrope in terms of balancing what to update and what to leave alone; not everything will hold up in the end.
Dead Space is a remarkable game, and surely one of the bigger surprises that will come out of 2023. EA Motive has done a great job in remaking one of the best horror games from the mid-to-late 2000s era; going as far as making certain segments feel wholly new again. As a player who never played the original, this remake feels like the definitive introduction to the franchise. I’m clamoring for more of Isaac’s story, and even perhaps beyond.
