Motive Studios is currently developing the Dead Space remake and its mission to respect the original game is evident in all of its pre-alpha updates from the last few weeks. Since the beginning of development, the studio has communicated frequently with fans, livestreaming on the Dead Space YouTube channel and reaching out to players for feedback while it works on the game. The development team has showcased the reimagining of the art and audio for the remake in several streams, and invited two creators - Jack Pattillo and Blayne Smith, avid fans of the original Dead Space - to discuss the progress it has made so far. Motive Studio has demonstrated more serious intensions for the remake through its heightening of the game's art and audio to return to Dead Space's immersive AAA horror.
The award-winning survival horror game Dead Space, originally developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts in 2008, was critically acclaimed for its atmosphere, sound design, and gameplay. It follows a starship engineer, Isaac Clarke, as he traverses the USG Ishimura mining ship, which is infested with undead creatures called "necromorphs." In search of an answer to the outbreak and the whereabouts of his girlfriend, Nicole Brennan, players explore the ship, solving puzzles, and cutting apart necromorphs while slowly falling into psychosis.
Motive Studios looks to recreate this iconic experience in a more captivating and horrific fashion while staying true to the world-building of the original. On the studio's Art Developer Livestream, Art Director Mike Yazijian stated, "It is our commitment to respect their [Visceral Games] vision and rebuild on the same pillars."
Dead Space Remake's A.L.I.V.E. System Will Shape Its Audio Immersion
This sentiment is seen across various areas of Motive Studio's remake and suggests that some of the key elements that were loved in the gameplay of EA's original Dead Space are high priorities for the team. The audio for the game has been redesigned to include a number of additions that will bring players deeper into the world of Dead Space, and one of these design elements is the "A.L.I.V.E." system. It's broken down as: Adrenaline, Limbic system, Intelligent Dialog, Vitals, and Exertion. All of these will factor into how Isaac's heart rate and breathing patterns change based on scripted events, jump scares, and Isaac's health, which can in turn affect recorded dialog to reflect Isaac's condition. It will also showcase a more natural transition between cycles of breathing. For example, Isaac choking from lack of oxygen will slowly transition back to a normal rate of breathing, unlike the original where an exasperated Isaac is instantly back to breathing regularly after replenishing his oxygen.
Immersive audio enhancements also include how sound will travel and be heard. The game's audio will be three-dimensional, with sound able to be blocked or muffled by walls, not audibly clear until the player has gone around the intervening object. The developer also spoke in another video about how it will use this sound design to its advantage in "faking" players out, something the original Dead Space also did. As audio is a large factor in what makes horror good, these enhancements will only enrich the player's experience and aid in its atmosphere of terror.
The weapons of the game are also getting an upgrade in their audio with multiple layers building out a richer collection of sounds with every shot. Both the plasma cutter and pulse rifle are seeing a more refined and realistic version of what these tools might sound like if they existed and were being used inside the Ishimura. They will even have a variety in their sound depending on what materials they are interacting with. Players will also be able to hear dripping water, metal booms, the creaking ship, and the sound of necromorphs crawling through the vents, all working together to create a tense, uncomfortable, and (hopefully) terrifying ambiance.
Environmental Lighting & VFX Will Bring The Dead Space Remake To Life
Audio, of course, is not the only reimagined element that Motive Studio teased in Dead Space remake trailers and streams, and it's not the only factor in creating a more immersive environment. These refinements are also coming through a variety of updated art design elements. This includes the environment, lighting, VFX work, and character models, which all contribute to a more realistic and fleshed-out world for players to explore and experience. As the continued goal has been to build upon the content of the original, everything the team at Motive Studio is doing seems to be with the aim of increasing realism and immersion rather than completely reinventing the original Dead Space's art design.
Which isn't to say that basic designs aren't being updated. When it comes to the Dead Space remake's art, the team at Motive is rebuilding all elements and objects aboard the Ishimura from the ground up, designed to feel like they could actually function and exist in the real world. Motive is also maintaining the unique characteristics of Isaac's uniform while also making them realistic and functional, with a clear delineation between materials. The team has also spent time reimaging the necromorphs in the Dead Space remake with more realism, including more detailed stages of dismemberment so the player can slowly rip them apart, revealing ribs and guts, shorn limbs, and plenty of blood.
Along with functionality, the team has stated that it wants the Ishimura to feel lived-in, like it had been around for sixty-two years while people lived and worked there. This includes an increase in staged objects throughout the entirety of the ship and additional details of wear and built-up grime. Rooms will have props to designate them as functional areas that you might see inside a ship like the Ishimura, such as hospital rooms or work offices. Lighting and VFX will also see a renewed focus for the horror art of the Dead Space remake, with a multitude of lightbulb types and physics-based effects, such as fog, sparks, and dripping water that will have the ability to react naturally to objects crossing their paths, the shift to zero-G, and Isaac's interactions with them.
The developers described the USG Ishimura as a "haunted house" with the necromorphs acting as its ghosts, haunting Isaac as he traverses claustrophobic halls, tormented by the never-ending fear and anxiety of what's around the corner, slowly driving him mad. These are the types of emotions Motive Studio seems to want to convey to players, using small details and technical improvements to drive an immersive survival horror experience that makes the player feel trapped in a very old mining ship, overrun by the dead workers turned necromorphs. With so much work put into all the finer details of recreating this iconic game, it is clear that not only is Motive Studio bringing the original Dead Space story back to life with the Dead Space remake, but it is also creating a passion project intended to give fans the current-gen experience they've been hoping for.
Source: Dead Space/Youtube (2)