Electronic Arts revealed at the recent EA Play Live event the official trailer for the Dead Space remake. It was a short trailer, showing only the Necromorphs on a ruined, dilapidated space station, and the shining back of Isaac Clarke’s recognizable armor. This new game will be a remake, rather than a graphical remaster.
EA compared the Dead Space remake to Resident Evil 2 Remake - which presumably means it’ll keep the same general story, characters, and atmosphere as the original while still being an entirely new game. This remake will include elements the team had to cut from the original release, and will also borrow lore elements and gameplay from the sequels.
Dead Space has a number of excellent antecedents in the space horror genre, most notably System Shock - in fact, the game was originally conceived as a sequel to System Shock 2. It followed the example of Resident Evil 4 with its third-person over-the-shoulder camera perspective. These two elements combined to create a game with tight, claustrophobic environments and large enemies that take up the limited space and can attack the player from anywhere. The player also had to get creative about how to defeat the game's challenges given the limited tools at their disposal.
Why Everyone Loved Dead Space
One of the elements that set Dead Space apart was the enemy design. The Necromorphs that Isaac Clarke had to face required more strategy to defeat than just “point and shoot.” These were not zombies or fellow soldiers, defeated by conventional bullets and patience. Isaac and the player had to remove parts of their bodies in order to incapacitate them and finally put them down for good. It required players to be smart and strategic, rather than just plink away mindlessly at the enemies.
The game’s horror was also rooted in simple elements borrowed from classic horror films - the main character was not a soldier or a police officer, but a humble engineer armed only with his tools. The USG Ishimura was quiet, and Isaac was so often under-equipped in Dead Space games that the Necromorphs were a constant source of anxiety for the player. The game relies on its excellent sound design to keep the player engaged and terrified, and the limited resources keep them from getting complacent. The official teaser for the Dead Space remake can be viewed below:
The original Dead Space was a relatively restrained, claustrophobic horror experience at a time when other horror games were louder and bigger than usual. Other notable horror games released the same year as Dead Space include Left 4 Dead, Silent Hill Homecoming, and Alone in the Dark, just for comparison. It starred a character with no special powers or training trapped in a situation that would challenge characters who had both. The terror didn't come from jump scares, or from gruesome enemy design (though the game had those too), but from Isaac's labored breathing and the ever-present glowing ammo counter on his weapon.
EA has promised that the Dead Space remake will have improved story, characters, and gameplay mechanics. However, these are the elements of Dead Space that are unlikely to change in any major ways, since they're what made the game so appealing to begin with.