One of the best game franchises that started during the PS3/Xbox 360 era is now upon us with Motive Studio’s Dead Space remake. This is a full-on remake of now-defunct Visceral Games’ sci-fi horror franchise that has been dormant since the release of Dead Space 3 back in 2013. Does Motive do justice to this remake? Read on for our Dead Space remake review to find out.
Note that this review will be spoiler-free since the game’s story is one of its best points. We’re also going to tackle the game from a viewpoint of someone who has played and finished the original (like me), and also considering the experience of someone who’s playing it for the first time.
Welcome Aboard the USG Ishimura
For those not familiar with the story, Dead Space sees the player as Isaac Clarke, a systems engineer on-board the USG Ishimura on what should be a routine distress call. Right off the bat, not everything is as is should be, as the Ishimura seems deserted, and human-like aliens called necromorphs are running around the ship and killing everyone in their path. If that’s not complicated enough, Clarke’s ladylove Nicole is on board, and he must traverse the derelict ship to rescue her.
I won’t go past what happens from there, as Dead Space’s story is easily one of its best strengths. If you’re playing the game for the first time, you’re in for a treat! The story has the appropriate twists and turns without being too predictable, and somehow ropes in religion, science and horror tropes into one nightmare cocktail that will leave you asking questions and a little bit disturbed on just what you played. For those who played and finished the original, don’t fret, Motive Studio has added new story elements, all-new side missions to flesh out the story, and more! Also this time around, Isaac Clarke talks (more on this later)! Motive recorded voice lines for the once-silent protagonist and even changed his overall facial appearance as well. These are good changes that further add to the game’s terror and helplessness of being lost in space with monsters that want to kill you.
In Space, Only the Necromorphs Can Hear You Scream
Surprisingly, for those that didn’t know, Isaac is now fully voiced in the remake, and by none other than Gunner Wright, who voiced Isaac in both follow-up sequels. This, to me, is the biggest change in the remake, as it gives Isaac a bigger role in the game’s narrative than it did in the original.
The conversations between characters has been completely overhauled to include Isaac, which feel more natural in their delivery, especially now that Isaac can properly react to certain scenes and situations. Some may not like that, especially considering how effective he was a silent protagonist, but honestly it feels like a change for the better. It also helps that Wright absolutely kills it as Isaac in the remake (as do the rest of the cast), giving him a whole new layer of depth we’ve yet to see.
Despite Isaac now being voiced, make no mistake, the Dead Space remake is in everyway faithful to the original, in which I mean you’re going to get scared no matter how prepared you think you are. The original is regarded as one of the most scariest games to play, and for good reasons. It’s so well crafted, that even going back to it today, you can see how masterfully it makes use of lighting, sound, and visual designs.
Yet the remake manages to capture that same bone-chilling sense of fear we got down our necks the first time playing. The amount of times that I would stop in the middle of a corridor because of how pitch dark it was with an eerie sound of a slither somewhere from within the walls or vents. And yeah sure, the monsters are scary, but we found the things we didn’t see to be the scariest, and Dead Space has certainly perfected that craft.
Faithful, But Different
Surprisingly, the gameplay itself stays true to the original and it doesn’t miss a beat! The gunplay, progression, and everything else doesn’t feel dated at all, and being frank, feels even better than some of the newer games out there.
Isaac will have a plethora of weapons to collect, upgrade and use, and each one servers a different purpose. If you think/assume that this will play out like your traditional third-person game, think again. Enemies need to be taken intelligently lest you want to waste ammo. Each enemy type can be taken out using any weapon, but using the right one will save you time and precious ammo (and health!).
Outside of the armaments, players will also need to upgrade their armor (or what the game calls “rig”) and what it can do. Both the rig and weapons all share the same upgrade currency (called nodes) that are scatted throughout the game or can be bought via the game’s in-game shop (actual shop for Isaac Clarke and not the player, as there is no microtransaction-element baked in to make progression and upgrading easier). Players will need all the help they can get, as even in medium difficulty the game provides a challenge. Enemies will pop up from behind, in front and even above you to claw, bite and catch Isaac off-guard.
Thankfully, the scare factor from the original is here in full force. Prepare to be wary of running through dark corridors without your weapon drawn. Dead Space makes good use of light and sound, and doesn’t just rely on jump scares to get at players’ nerves. The story, the encounters the game presents will gnaw at you bit by bit until you feel a certain unease from the sounds you hear while walking through the various parts of the Ishimura (and beyond).
For those who played and finished the original (like me), this adds a slew of surprises to keep you on your toes. Enemy encounters are a lot more random now, there are a slew of new side-missions that help flesh out the narrative, and even if you finish it, there are new difficulty modes, New Game+ and even an alternate ending!
Regardless if you’ve played Dead Space before or not, Motive Studio has you covered.
No Nodes Needed for This Tech
On the Performance and Quality mode side of things, the Dead Space remake runs flawlessly on the PS5 in either mode. For those wanting clearer and sharper image quality with some form of ray-tracing, Quality mode provides this at a near locked 30fps (frames-per-second). Normally, I’d go down the Performance route, which offers a locked 60fps at the cost of the visuals, but the 30fps quality mode feels so good, and given the pacing of the game, you’ll unlikely notice the differences unless your trying to find them. Regardless, PS5 players have nothing to worry about when it comes to optimization.
As for PS5 exclusive features found in the haptics, adaptive triggers, and 3D engine, EA Motive wastes no time at showing just how immersive these features can be. From how guns operate, to the feedback provided by the environment, Dead Space makes full use of the DualSense features, once again proving to us that it’s no gimmick and further adds to the immersion while playing.
The 3D audio is also proving to be the game changer we’ve always wanted. Be prepared to jump at every little sound out of the ordinary, which the game employs to good effect.
Outside of a few bugs (nothing game-breaking), Motive has done a fantastic job remaking the original.
Makes Us Whole
Clocking in at around 10-16 hours of game time (depending on difficulty), and not even counting the bonus content, one of the best games of the PS3 era just got even better, and dare I say it, is an early Game of the Year candidate.
Simply put: It doesn’t matter if you’ve played and finished the original Dead Space or not, Motive Studio’s remake is a perfect reimagining of the franchise. This is how remakes should be, and I’m very glad Motive nailed it. Hopefully, this means that we’ll see a Dead Space 2 remake (which is the best one in the trilogy in my opinion) announced soon.
Rejoice, franchise fans! Motive has resurrected the franchise and with style! Dead Space 2023 is a fantastic way to start the year for horror fans, and is one indoctrination worth experiencing.
Score: 9.5/10
Pros:
- Visually terrifying
- Sound design and music score are perfect.
- Gameplay stands the test of time
- New side missions, New Game+ and more add to the replayabilty factor and helps keep things fresh for franchise vets
Cons:
- No photo mode (possibly being added post-launch?)
- A few bugs caused us to force close the apps, or reload from an earlier save.
- No 180-degree quick turn button
Dead Space (2023) review code provided by the publisher. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.
