The USG Ishimura, a gigantic geostationary drillship around the Aegis VII, gurgles, rattles, shakes, writhes, whispers. It is a grotesque, crumbling lifeless shell that crawls to an indefinite point in the universe; a helpless, rotting corpse harboring a deadly infection inside; ferrous tomb that holds and cradles a horde of amazing and bloody beings torn apart and then rebuilt by an undefined, demonic and perverse entity. It shines with a dark neon light, in the midst of many shadows, dark areas, the sidereal void of space that surrounds it and desperately tries to swallow it.
What Dead Space offered was and is a majestically creepy, disturbingly fascinating and splendidly harrowing spectacle. We enjoyed that trip to hell, with a one-way ticket, back in 2008 and we would never have thought that it would impact and delight us with equal intensity, almost fifteen years and two generations of consoles later, with a remake that not only honors the original, but assumes the enormous responsibility of (re)kindling the desire to have more, to have more.
If this remake wanted to be a soft reboot, with its playable novelties, its spectacular graphics, its pleasant variations on the classic plot, the path is undoubtedly the right one because, all things considered, we are facing an excellent Returns, to a transposition that, to Despite some small flaws, it is completely convincing, an adventure that will bring sweet (and terrifying) memories to fans of the first hour and will encourage lovers of survival horror games set in deep space.
Sit comfortably, because in this Dead Space Remake Review We'll explain in detail why we've never been happier to board the USG Ishimura again.
Scarier than ever
Hyperbole and preamble aside, one thing's for sure: we didn't remember Dead Space being like this at all disturbing and terrifying. Although certain terrifying passages are still well etched in our memories, Motive Studio worked so hard and so well that they completely turned the source material on its head, keeping the overall look, inspiration and atmosphere aboard the USG Ishimura intact.
For those who don't know anything about the saga, Dead Space is a third person survival horror set on a spaceship now adrift, inhabited and infested by terrible creatures that simply don't want to die. As engineer Isaac Clarke, initially sent to repair the spaceship's communications systems, you'll have to survive the horror and, of course, find out what happened. Looking for the elements that made the increase in the terror factor possible, the main suspect can only be thegraphic appearance, without a doubt the area that draws the most attention when talking about this remake. From this point of view, without mincing words, we witness an absolutely convincing and tremendously surprising spectacle.
As is now the case in almost all major titles debuting on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series two graphic settings. The first sacrifices something in terms of detail and anti-aliasing management, but gives the experience an enviable fluidity. The other boasts the best possible graphics, at the cost of a very slight and almost imperceptible slowdown of the image when rotating the camera. Both graphical settings have their dignity: the constant 60fps is a pure pleasure, but giving up a few frames per second, given the general pace of the adventure, will not weigh more than it should. Whatever your choice, however, the direct comparison to the original Dead Space powerfully undermines any memories sweetened by tender, romantic nostalgia. From Isaac's polygonal model, to the lighting effects, through the details that characterize each scenario, the look is very satisfying and testifies to the work carried out practically from scratch by the developers. Especially when the areas of darkness increase and you orient yourself guided almost exclusively by the torch built into Isaac's weapons, you appreciate more the effects of the particles and how each surface reflects light differently.
The animations also show a surprising evolution, also respecting the original material in this case. The protagonist still moves as if crushed by the weight of his suit, the Necromorphs are also horrified by his syncopated and lame gait.
Just talking about the fetid creatures you'll have to fight, the algorithm that manages it. dismemberment It has been improved and refined even further. If limbs and heads jump off as in the past, obviously with more believable and gory visual effects, even the epidermis that covers the rotting limbs suffers obvious alterations. Especially in the most resistant Necromorphs, using some weapons such as the flamethrower, you will witness a progressive and obvious deterioration with each blow delivered.
In short, it will often happen that you will be delighted with some of the insights that General Secretary Ishimura will be able to provide you. The density of details, which testify to the horror that has occurred and is taking place aboard the spaceship, will force you to stop at some element of the scenario, while the animations and special effects will help make each confrontation as spectacular as possible. and violent as possible.
But you don't live on graphics alone. In fact, sound also contributes to creating a climate of constant tension and anxiety. The songs obviously put their own spin on it, all excellently remastered and ready to point out impending dangers and unwanted presences in the area. The great credit, however, must be given to the effects and the masterful sound design work . The USG Ishimura whispers, tinkles, gurgles, howls, roars. Silence is only partially guaranteed in open space areas, where everything becomes more muffled, but be prepared to be constantly shaken by unexpected noises, produced by who knows what and coming from who knows where. Especially if you play with a good pair of headphones or have a home theater worthy of the name, you will have a hard time controlling your heartbeat, constantly fearing that something might suddenly attack you from behind (even in the real world).
small and big changes
Dead Space respects all the canons of the genre to which it belongs, including scares and sudden appearances. From this point of view, the remake has only partially introduced substantial changes, limiting itself to mixing the cards a little and introducing features that would only be appreciated from the second chapter of the series.
As expected, we are talking about a third-person survival horror with a camera placed behind the protagonist. You solve some puzzles, explore each scenario in search of collectibles and resources, try by all means to survive the hordes of Necromorphs that appear in front of you with some frequency. He Rhythm, a bit like Resident Evil 4, is posed upwards, but without the peaks reached in action or any shooter, if only because Isaac can't even rely on dodging or running to avoid enemy attacks.
Ultimately, a bit of strategy is needed in battles, especially since you can defeat the Necromorphs, especially by dismembering them, a practice that also makes them progressively less dangerous and agile in their movements. From this point of view, the various weapons that you can count on. In addition to the flamethrower and the Contact Beam, which functions as a kind of shotgun from the future, the other weapons aim to hack and slash, each with different methods and timing.
In short, newbies will enjoy a classic style survival horror, absolutely terrifying, satisfying, challenging at the right level, thanks to the different levels of difficulty it offers and capable of adapting the experience to any need and ambition. Veteran players, for their part, will have to face an experience that is familiar to them, but not without surprises. For starters most of the puzzles have been changed. Even in this case everything remains familiar, but the resolution includes alternative mechanics and solutions to the original.
They have been increase in zero gravity zones, of the phases in which Isaac will be able to benefit from unprecedented free movement. If in the original you could only move in a straight line, from platform to platform, in the remake, as in Dead Space 2, you can use the suit's thrusters to move in any direction. Unfortunately, although some statements from the developers suggested otherwise, these sections remain limited and predetermined within well-defined areas and far from being large. To be clear, there will be no extravehicular walking to reach the different sections of the USG Ishimura in an alternative and choreographic way.
Among the new features, it is also worth highlighting the Progressive unlocking of some areas., based on the access codes obtained, a feature that encourages going back both to obtain new equipment and to complete some optional missions.
As well the plot has been changed, generally respecting the story already appreciated in 2008. Isaac, for example, speaks and is even shown without a helmet. The protagonist, with this change, certainly emerges more characterized than in the past, but the lines that are entrusted to him and the reactions that he shows to certain events are not enough to make him a completely credible character and completely immersed in the horror that he lives. he is living in spite of himself. A real shame, especially since the variations on the original help make Dead Space more interesting, generous in details about the game's universe and, in general, attractive. Even the alternate ending, which can only be unlocked by completing all the side missions before the epilogue, hints at more new things for the saga.
Conclusions
Tested version PlayStation 5 digital delivery Steam, epic games store, Origin, playstation store, Xbox Store Price 79.99 € Holygamerz.com 8.5 Readers (84) 8.2 your voteThe remake of Dead Space, in terms of ambition and scope of the restyling carried out, is easily comparable to that of Resident Evil 2, which is also excellent, although the new features introduced in terms of gameplay are minor compared to what was done with the Capcom version. masterpiece, Electronic Arts has nevertheless given us a survival horror that is very fun for both beginners and those who had the pleasure of playing it back in 2008. Graphically majestic, the changes made to the adventure, from a narrative point of view and As for the new areas and puzzles introduced, it updates, modifies and evolves the popular survival horror that terrified us so much on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Scary, challenging at the right level and in line with the times, Dead Space is absolutely recommended to lovers of the genre and lovers of adventures set in space. If this is intended to be a new starting point for the saga, Electronic Arts has certainly laid very solid foundations with this remake.
PRO
- Graphically excellent
- Strabilant sound design.
- Functional changes to the game.
AGAINST
- Isaac remains an unlikely protagonist
- In any case, zero gravity zones remain limited.
