![]() The series’ signature approach of dismembering Necromorphs with the likes of laser cutters or ripsaw blades is rightly retained, but beyond some nice tweaks afforded by modern visuals – enemies are significantly more detailed, allowing sloughed-off meat and exposed bone (yes, it’s all very gory) to serve as visual indicators of how close you are to blasting an appendage off – it still feels a little dated.Īlthough the behaviour of every enemy type is much improved, once you’re used to those patterns, encounters still tend to fall into a routine of freezing an enemy using the stasis tool, surgically removing its murderous limbs, and stomping the remains to be sure. Other elements don’t feel to have been given quite such an overhaul though, especially with regards to combat. Even some of the more dated design elements – such as the once-fresh diegetic approach of having advice to “cut their limbs off” scrawled on walls in the blood of now-lost Ishimura crew, which now feels slightly hammy – look better than ever. The addition of new rooms gated by upgradeable security clearances provides some added benefit to all the back-tracking you’ll be engaging in – you’ll often be rewarded with precious resources or weapon mods, while some new locations offer side missions that expand the wider story – while the ship’s on-board tram is now more of a fast(ish) travel system, allowing you to hop between areas once you’ve reconnected them to the network. The contrast of heavy machinery and unsafe conditions in the manual operations areas with the sleek, glossy command sections of the colossal vessel speak to a dismal future under Space Capitalism.Ī moderately revamped layout also keeps things fresh for returning players who may still have the original’s map committed to memory. The Necromorph presence – the Ishimura’s crew, their bodies warped almost beyond reckoning by an ancient force – now feels even more pervasive, with tendrils of undead flesh twisting through the industrial scaffolding of the ship. ![]() ![]() The labyrinthine mining rig was always one of the better examples of environmental storytelling in games, but is now elevated with far more detail than was possible 15 years ago. If Isaac is less of a character in the remake, then the enhanced Ishimura is even more of one. While the actual horror aspects of Dead Space are still reliant largely on jump scares, they are masterfully delivered. The result is a horror game fit for modern players, without rocking the boat so much that it’ll alienate long-time fans. Where the original trilogy was developed iteratively, the remake feels framed to better set up the likely-inevitable sequels to follow, the developers now having at least a rough existing map of where they want to go. Developer Motive Studio ultimately offers more of a refinement of that first game than a generational reimagining. The passage of time means more powerful hardware and game engines on which to (re)build the terrifying tale of Isaac Clarke – a 26th century engineer, forced to uncover the horrifying truth behind what happened on the “planet cracker” mining ship USG Ishimura after finding it infested with undead Necromorphs while on a routine repair run. Fast forward to 2023, though, and key creators from the original have moved on to The Callisto Protocol – so can this glossy remake be anything more than a cynically corporate effort at recycling IP into franchise-building fodder? 2008’s original Dead Space was almost an accidental hit for publisher EA, with its blend of sickening body horror, unspeakable cosmic malevolence, and tight action gameplay winning over players and spawning an eventual trilogy.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |