‘Dead Space Remake’ game review: A gloriously frightening upgrade of a classic

Dead Space Remake
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

‘In space, no one can hear you scream’: This tagline from the first  Alien movie has given rise to horror stories across all mediums. The Dead Space series in gaming is one such derivative. Launched in 2008, the original still holds good with its revolutionary “dismemberment” gameplay and dark industrial setting. It has got itself a remake, with the classic getting a graphic upgrade.

You play as Issac Clarke, who, with his crew, intercepts a distress call from his girlfriend, Nicole Brennan. His repair vessel, the USS Kellion (assigned to the USG Ishumura), has been taken over by an unknown force that mutates the crew into monsters. Isaac tries to save himself and his surviving crewmates and learn the truth behind the loss of Ishimura.

Dead Space borrows elements from  Resident Evil 4,  System Shock and  Doom. The game paints a dystopian future where humanity has become a planet-destroying scourge. As you explore the giant, claustrophobic spacecraft, you unearth little stories of what happened to the crew through holographic videos and ghastly messages written in blood as the Necromorph monsters stalk your every move. 

The remake provides you with more context. As someone who has played the original game multiple times, this extended  System Shock-style narrative is satisfying. 

You quickly realise that guns do not work on the Necromorphs. So, you need to count on Isaac’s mining background. A weaponised mining laser and stasis field help to slow down the enemies by categorically tearing their limbs off. Later you get to use telekinesis to blast, cut and saw the enemies, which makes for some gory yet fun moments.

The remake has rebuilt the interiors of the Ishimura — adding a level of detail and atmosphere that makes  Dead Space seem like a new game. The textures, atmospheric lighting, and other visual elements improve the game significantly.

As expected, the gameplay is nail-biting, switching between various weapons to take care of monsters that never stop advancing towards you, even with limbs chopped off. The jump scares are sudden — you have to recover fast to take down the threat. The atmosphere and lighting make this game complete. For those with surround sound headphones or Atmos systems, the audio design is cinema quality and brings home the horror. 

For fans of the original,  Dead Space Remake is the perfect excuse to jump in and play. You will be shockingly delighted at how different this game is with all the same feels. For those new to the series, this is the step in the right direction of bringing this game to a new generation of gamers.