It was the year 2008 and terror was in need of new references in the face of a downturn in the big licenses in the video game industry. dead space He arrived with a firm hand and became one of the benchmarks of the time. A decade and a half later, he still is. So much so that now Electronic Arts has decided to bring it back in the form of a remake by EA Motive, responsible for Star Wars Squadrons and the Battlefront II campaign. In this sense, today we tell you what we thought of this highly anticipated remake in our analysis of Dead Space for Xbox Series X after having been able to test it for a few hours and in the absence of finishing it, so we will reserve the conclusions and the note for when this happens. Let’s go there.
Welcome to the USG Ishimura
You are Isaac Clarke, an engineer member of a ship who goes to meet the freighter and USG Ishimura planetary puller, the largest in the galaxy, to repair it. The landing is bumpy and things do not improve when disembarking. Isaac and the rest of the crew of his ship realize that there is no one to greet them on the Ishimura and, what is worse, they soon discover that some terrible creatures known as necromorphs They have infested the freighter. The mission has ceased to be one of repair to become a search for answers and also an escape. But for Isaac it is also much more personal. His partner, Nicole, is a doctor at Ishimura and his whereabouts are unknown. Isaac will not rest until he finds her.
This was the premise of Dead Space in 2008 and it still is in 2023. A fantastic starting point for a space sci-fi horror story. The best thing about this remake by Motive and Electronic Arts is that they have decided stay true to the original material in the vast majority of the time, which is great news considering that the original was a masterpiece in its own right. As you probably already know if you have followed the development of this new version, the main changes are found in Isaac himself, who is now has lines of dialogue, which has forced to reformulate according to what moments of the game (all of them with success and skill) and also a new facial appearance. Personally I’m not a big fan of Isaac’s face redesign, but it doesn’t matter, since the character wears his signature helmet 99% of the time.
cut off their limbs
As soon as we arrived at the USG Ishimura, we came across a graffiti that spoke very clearly: “Cut off their limbs” or cut off their limbs. It won’t take us long to realize what that message is about. Necromorphs have long, slender limbs and it is precisely on them that they are vulnerable, not on the head or anywhere else. Luckily, Isaac Clarke is a man of resources and has at his disposal a multitude of tools to defend himself against the dangers that await him. For starters, a good list of weapons with a main shot and another secondary function that gives great variety and depth to the gunplay. But our engineer can also make use of a kind of telekinesis to throw environmental objects at enemies and another power that allows him to slow down both necromorphs and elements of the levels (for example, to be able to pass through broken doors or repair machinery). .
Of course, we cannot forget about legendary stomp from Isaac and borrowed from original game creator Glen Schofield for the recent The Callisto Protocol. With it, our protagonist can finish off enemies that are still crawling towards us or kick them once dead to obtain additional resources. And it is that as in any good survival horror, the ammo managementfirst aid kits and other items is essential to guarantee our safety on board the Ishimura.
This isn’t all we need to worry about as we explore the ship, however. In Dead Space you will find warehouses that will allow you to save objects to make room in your inventory or to leave them for later, sell items and buy others that you are in short supply or upgrades for your armor and weapons with the credits that you have been accumulating in the USG Ishimura. Throughout the levels you will also come across nodes, some sources of energy that will allow you to improve your weapons and your armor in specific points of the ship. Investing them wisely is key to survival, so think carefully about where you are going to allocate each of these limited and valuable nodes.
Fifteen years later, modernity
As incredible as it may seem, with few changes the Dead Space remake feels like a modern game. It may seem obvious, but the truth is that the horror genre has accustomed us to magnificent settings, but sometimes it does not have the best combat or level design. Dead Space has all of this. In fact, it combines the best of the action adventures of a decade ago with the current ones. It has a corridor map, it is easy to follow and move around without getting lost, but it also goes unlocking shortcuts as we progress and from time to time it allows us to delve into a larger area. It also has, and this is the most difficult part, an outstanding action and combat section. Combining gunplay with Isaac’s telekinesis and slow powers makes any enemy encounter fun and dynamic, especially since the idea of ​​having to shoot limbs is brilliant.
But it is that the variety of Dead Space goes further. Some of my favorite parts of the original were always the zero gravity zones and they still are in this remake. These are weightless places where we use our jet boots to move in any direction in the air. These are generally stopover locations, but they also support exploration, some combat, and puzzle solving. They are one of those elements that help Dead Space never get repetitive and, in fact, one of the most attractive pieces of the game.
The remake we were waiting for?
This new version of Dead Space has not gotten rid of its dose of controversy, as we mentioned earlier. The new face of Isaac has not convinced the majority and there will be others who prefer the silent protagonist that we had in the original title. Beyond aesthetic or sound decisions How are you, what everyone expects to know from a remake is what it looks like and if it really justifies its existence. Dead Space does. It may not be the most graphically cutting-edge game we’ve seen on the new generation of consoles, but the improvement over the original work is enormous. Whether you’ve already played the 2008 game or if you’re new, you’ll see that it looks great.
By default the game comes with the performance mode activated. It is not for less. Many gamers look for the stability that 60 frames per second gives you even if you do without a higher resolution. Even in this mode, the cinematic grain that is also active by default feels luxurious to the game. You can disable it if you wish, of course. The resolution mode it makes Dead Space look significantly better, but there is a price to pay: going back to the 30 fps that many of us thought we had already left behind. Be that as it may, there is no right and wrong decision and in this sense it always depends on the taste of the consumer.
conclusions
ANALYSIS IN PROGRESSthe conclusions and the final grade will be available with the complete analysis.