The Dead Space remake's Necromorphs and iconic dismemberment-based combat have been revealed, and what's been shown so far looks more gruesome and impressive than ever. Necromorphs were already some of the most terrifying enemies around, and their move to a new generation of consoles and PC hardware may make them even scarier and more satisfying to pick apart. Star Wars Squadrons developer EA Motive Studios showed off its new take on the chilling sci-fi survival horror franchise in a Dead Space remake stream, unveiling an unexpected amount about the upcoming release.
As troubled engineer Issac Clarke, players faced off against mutated hordes of Necromorphs in the original three Dead Space games. What set these nightmare-inducing monstrosities (and by extension, Dead Space) apart from other survival horror enemies was that it wasn’t enough to just shoot them in the head. Players were encouraged to dismember Necromorphs using a variety of different sci-fi weapons - the most prominent of which was Dead Space’s trusty Plasma Cutter. This dismemberment mechanic added to the body horror of the series and gave combat a more visceral and urgent tone as Issac struggled to tear his twisted foes apart before they could do the same to him.
This will return in full force in the new Dead Space reboot, as shown during EA Motive Tuesday livestream (via GameSpot). During the show, the updated dismemberment mechanics were demonstrated in a development build. As Issac toggled through and fired off various weapons to cut down an opposing Necromorph, Philippe Ducharme and Roman Campos-Oriola explained the studio has been looking into what made the dismemberment in the original Dead Space work so well. It's looking to expand upon the system by showing the skin and tissue tear from Necromorphs as Issac blows them apart, in what is being refereed to as a "flesh peeling" mechanic. With each shot Issac takes, an impressive cloud of blood splatter forms, and chunks of Necromorph's targeted body parts blow away to reveal withered bone underneath.
A new Dead Space game has been in high demand ever since 2013’s disappointing Dead Space 3, but it wasn’t until June 2021 that EA announced would be working on a franchise revival with Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla director Eric Baptizat at the helm. Essentially a retelling of the original Dead Space, EA Motive promises to improve and update the classic story of the classic game while leaving its core alone. The studio previously hinted at features and cut content returning from latter-day series entries, and it was also revealed today that the Dead Space remake's Isaac will be fully voiced
It's worth noting that the footage shown during this Dead Space stream is still a work in progress, and EA Motive notes there are still some things it plans to add to the flesh peeling system before the remake is ready to launch. However, judging from the early footage, it looks like Dead Space’s revival may be even bloodier than before when it arrives.
Source: GameSpot/YouTube