Dead Space (remaster) Review
Legacy Review
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After spending twelve hours on the harrowing USG Ishimura, it’s time to talk about it. Dead Space is a remake of the original game and is a must-play for fans of the franchise. If you’ve never experienced Dead Space, my Let’s Play and this review will give you a glimpse of what to expect. Make sure you stick around to the end to see how it ranks.
Story:
Isaac Clarke, an engineer, is part of crew tasked with repairing a large mining ship, the USG Ishimura. Upon arrival they are unable to communicate with anyone as their ship comes in for a landing. Once aboard they find nothing but blood and monsters. Equipped with engineering skills and few weapons, Isaac must fight his way through a failing ship to save his friends and escape whole.
Kiddos:
This is a very graphic game. The Necromorphs are frighteningly built with guts hanging out, sharp claws, and bloodcurdling screeches that will send shivers down your spine, and the best way to take them out is extreme dismemberment, there is a lot of blood during combat. So, it’s best to play this game with the kids out of sight.
Gameplay:
The horror factor in Dead Space is unparalleled. The game creators have truly mastered the art of fear with flashing lights, sudden loud noises, and jump scares that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Especially in the beginning, some scenes act like an obvious jump scare is about to happen, and then, when nothing happens, it’s even more terrifying. The imagination is truly a powerful tool in this game. So, if you can’t handle scary games, it might be best to skip this one.
The updated graphics in this remake are a treat for the eyes. The game is played over Isaac’s right shoulder with a clean HUD that gives you plenty of room to see the horrors that await you. The real-time inventory screen is awesome, but beware, the game does not pause when in the menu, so enemies can still attack. It ran smoothly for the most part, only a little choppiness at the start of a new area that was soon resolved. The most confusing areas would have to be playing in zero g. The Ishimura is in space, so naturally all gravity has to be manufactured, on some parts of the ship, that can’t be done. The engineering suit comes equipped with boots that can magnetize to the ground or jet around. When flying with no gravity it is easy to spin around and get completely lost. Trying to find my way back to “up” turned into quite the endeavor, controls were easy to manage, my lack of direction was not.
Isaac, being an engineer, does not start his journey with any source of protection, besides his suit. Thankfully shortly into the game he finds a Plasma Cutter, a tool used to cut metal with extreme heat and precision, perfect for cutting the limbs off terrifying monsters coming through the vents. Farther in Isaac finds more tools that can be used to combat the Necromorphs. A pulse rifle, a flame thrower, and even a stasis module with the ability to freeze enemies and objects for a short time, Isaac utilizes anything he can get his hands on.
The equipment in the game starts out alright, but I had to improve it if I wanted to stay alive. The weapons and suit can be upgraded using power nodes found throughout the game at workbenches. The upgrades range from increased air capacity, damage, and reload speed, among others. In order to reach the end of an upgrade tree I had to start on one end and move forward, a node could not be filled if it wasn’t next to a previously filled node.
Depending on the difficulty played ammo and health can be pain to keep. Hence the need for shops placed about the ship. In the beginning the shopping options are minimal, but grow as schematics are found adding more items to the shop like specific ammo or bigger heals. And nodes can be purchased for a hefty 10k credits if money is no problem. So as long as I was accurate with my shots, I could save ammo and credits to further increase my suit and weapons’ power. (Put this bit in between the last bit. I usually wasn’t)
The layout of the Ishimura is vast and complex, consisting of multiple sections with multiple floors in each. Access to these sections is possible through the central tram system of the ship, but not all areas are initially accessible. As Isaac navigates the failing ship, he must use his engineering skills to repair various systems, thereby unlocking new sections and advancing the story. The way the narrative progresses through Isaac’s acts of engineering is captivating, as he battles to repair the ship while fighting to stay alive.
However, fixing the ship is no easy feat as Necromorphs are always near, ready to tear Isaac apart. These monsters come in a variety of shapes and sizes, all of which are equally frightening in appearance and sound. Usually the enemies are accompanied by a sudden change in music, so sometimes it was easy to know if something was coming. Other times they want to jump out at the worst possible time, scaring me into wasting ammo, health, and even clean underwear. The fear of something hiding around the next corner never goes away. Sure there was eventually a desensitization to the enemies, but the game’s design is such that it remains frightening even on subsequent playthroughs. New game plus was still stressful even though I already know what has going to happen.
So, gather your courage, energize your plasma cutter, and prepare to face the horrors of Dead Space.
Outro:
And that brings us to the ranking portion of the review. If you made it this far, thank you, that’s awesome, if you feel like I’ve missed anything, let me know in the comments below. This game is so good. Really the only problem I had was I felt that Isaac was to normal. He didn’t look or sound bad ass enough, which really isn’t that big of a deal. I’m currently enjoying new game plus, and word is, there’s an alternate ending only available in new game plus. Alright, now that we’re done with that, time to move onto the next one, I will see you there.