This Dead Space review contains minor spoilers.
Few games suffer a fate as cynical and undeserving as Dead Space. Following the less-than-spectacular release of the third instalment, the acclaimed survival-horror series was unceremoniously cancelled a decade ago. It was a sad end.
Over the years, gamers have looked back on Dead Space with increasing fondness. Of course, we all knew how great the first two titles were at the time. But as memories of Dead Space 3‘s co-operative and action-orientated misadventures faded, so grew the collective appetite for a franchise revival.
In this era of remakes, it seemed only logical to afford Dead Space a second chance. After all, you need look no further than Capcom’s recent Resident Evil remakes to see the potential of a game with the horror pedigree of Dead Space.
However, the series’ abrupt and mishandled conclusion in 2013 meant fans wouldn’t be quick to trust EA with the remake of 2008’s landmark original. But consistent and reassuring communications from developer Motive Studio suggested the franchise was in safe hands.
Now, in 2023, Dead Space is back. And it’s the very best version of itself.
Dead Space Review: Story
Dead Space is a ground-up rebuild of a 15-year-old game. It features the same plot from all those years ago, and is all the better for it.
Players fill the boots of engineer Issac Clarke. Clarke – who has a face and voice this time round – is an everyman travelling to the planet Aegis VII as part of a repair crew. They are there to assist the USG Ishimura, a ‘planet cracker’ mining ship, which is no longer responding to communications.
To make matters worse for Isaac, his girlfriend Nicole Brennan – the Ishimura’s medical officer – is onboard.
Isaac and his crew are unprepared and unequipped to deal with the horrific threat that awaits them in the form of alien mutants called Necromorphs. As soon as they arrive, rabid chaos erupts and Isaac is separated from the others.
He is tasked with repairing various sections of the Ishimura to facilitate some kind of escape, with the help of supporting characters Kendra Daniels and Zach Hammond.
Characters and Setting
Dead Space‘s characters are mostly one-note and there to fill a role. Despite this, it is the game’s lore and depth of mystery which kept me heavily invested throughout. The Necromorphs are terrifying creatures – and uncovering the truth of their existence was riveting, even though I already knew all about it.
This is a narrative steeped in rich and detailed universe-building. We never visit (or even see) Earth. But Dead Space does a fantastic job of giving you enough information about the 26th century to correctly frame the events aboard the Ishimura, while also leaving plenty to your imagination.
Much of this is thanks to the focus on a bizarre cult-like religion called Unitology and an apparent conspiracy to unleash the Necromorphs on humanity.
The Ishimura itself feels almost character-like – its name is repeated frequently as if it were a living, breathing entity. And its winding, blood-soaked corridors seem to take on a life of their own. Often, the Ishimura and all its creaks and whispers are scarier than its deranged and deformed inhabitants.
Isaac is tortured beyond all comprehension during the game’s 11-hour run time. By the end, I really, really just wanted to get the guy home. Despite this, I still felt compelled to inflict more punishment on him in the form of Dead Space‘s new side missions. They add more meat to the story’s bones and give you additional tasks to complete, which are just as exciting and excruciating as the game’s primary objectives.
Perhaps best of all, Dead Space 2023 doesn’t meddle. Everything that made the original’s story so unique and memorable is here, and nothing has been lost in translation. Motive has simply expanded on it and given fans even more to sink their teeth into.
Dead Space Review: Graphics
This game is a gruesome delight to behold. Blood splatters Isaac’s RIG and subtly glistens in the ship’s dim and atmospheric lighting. Every turned corner exudes a distinctly creepy sci-fi aesthetic. And the Ishimura’s different sectors provide ample variety, so you’re never stuck looking at the same environments for too long.
Character models are sufficiently detailed and capture confusion and trauma reflective of the scenario. In this vein, Isaac benefits significantly from having a voice and being unmasked. This improvement was initially made back in 2011’s Dead Space 2, so it was essential to include it here and I’m glad it was.
The majority of your time in Dead Space is spent admiring the exquisitely realised interiors of the Ishimura. However, players will also appreciate brief periods spent outside in the lonely darkness of space.
Distant stars litter the view above while Isaac navigates the ship’s intricate mechanical exterior. These segments are experienced in zero gravity, and the washed-out colour palette is a constant reminder that your oxygen supply could run out at any second.
Most notable is the biological grimness of Dead Space. It is a tour de force of body horror, featuring fleshy abnormalities shown in such an effective way that genre contemporaries could only hope to replicate.
Gameplay
“Isolated action” may be the best way to describe gameplay in Dead Space. You might go long stretches with few fights. However, Necromorphs can strike at any moment so you should never count on your safety. Enemy encounters are fraught with frantic carnage that demand urgent response times and on-the-spot thinking.
You cannot delay. Hesitate for a moment against the Ishimura’s Necromorphs and you will be quickly overwhelmed and defeated.
It is essential to hastily assess a situation. Enemy variety is such that every type of creature requires a different approach. Sure – the basic premise is always dismemberment. Bloody scrawl reminds you to “cut off their limbs”, although it isn’t usually that simple.
Many Necromorphs will survive the removal of multiple body parts and continue their relentless pursuit regardless. Others inflict damage after death or blindside you so brutally that it leaves you reeling.
Thankfully, you are provided the necessary tools to survive every encounter – as long as you play your cards right. You can always rely on the iconic Plasma Cutter to get the job done. But other weapons are often preferable, with the Ripper being a favourite of mine.
Having said that, it doesn’t really matter which weapons you like the most. Ammo in Dead Space is distributed in such a way that you are forced to rotate your arsenal and make use of every gun. This means you experience every possible aspect of combat and are proficient with every weapon by the time credits roll.
To top things off, you can use Nodes to upgrade your equipment in the most tactically efficient way. And while multiple playthroughs will allow you to fully buff your gear, you’ll have to be selective with your choices on your first go round.
My only criticism of Dead Space‘s gameplay is minor. Missions are ever-so slightly repetitious. By the end, I occasionally wondered what more could go wrong for Isaac and how much more damage he could take. Luckily, the game came to a close before it bordered on ridiculous. But I’d certainly had my fill of “go-and-fix” objectives.
Performance
Playing on PS5, Dead Space ran near-perfectly throughout. As always, my preference was the game’s 60FPS performance mode which only suffered occasional stutters during visually-intense battles.
There were no hard crashes or game-breaking bugs to speak of, although some minor visual glitches were present. Necromorphs sometimes clipped through walls and doors. Once or twice, bodies and limbs stuck to Isaac as he walked. However, for most players these slight errors will be of little consequence and have zero impact on overall enjoyment.
Dead Space Review: Verdict
It says so much that Dead Space 2023 changes very little yet remains just as impressive as it was in 2008.
After all this time, its diegetic user interface is still exemplary. All games should aspire to achieve seamless integration of this standard. And that isn’t all.
Graphically, few titles compare. Dead Space doesn’t actually give itself much to work with. Its world is mostly a series of dim corridors and confined spaces – but how many other games have breathed such life into the dullest of surroundings?
Combat is paced impeccably. Rest while you can, but be on your guard for spikes of action to materialise in an instant. When every encounter could be lethal, you are constantly on edge – just as you should be in any good survival-horror game.
The icing on Dead Space‘s gory cake is its story, which continues to amaze even now. This isn’t “zombies in space”. And it isn’t a simple tale of escape. Dead Space is a traumatic, never-ending fight for survival. Its alien foe is so horrifically mind-boggling that every revelation satisfies without fail.
And the narrative’s conspiratorial, quasi-religious wrapping ensures you’ll be left with more questions than answers.
It was a sheer pleasure to revisit one of my all-time favourites. Dead Space is a fitting tribute to a disrespected but ceaselessly beloved series. If this is what we can expect from further remakes in this franchise, then sign me up for Dead Space 2 immediately.
After that, who knows. Maybe one day we’ll get a fourth chapter as genre-defining as the first. If 2023’s effort tells us anything, it’s that Dead Space has a lot left in the tank. This is the series at its pinnacle – although the best may be yet to come.
Overall Rating: 9.5/10
Version played: PS5
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