Game Review: Dead Space (2023)

When I played and reviewed the original Dead Space back in 2021, I remember noting how impressive this game was on the horror front. From beginning to end it delivered an experience that was uncompromised in making you feel continuously unsafe. That constant theme being embedded all throughout my playtime, added along with the smart survival-horror gameplay elements made this one of the more memorable titles I picked up that year. Recognising how memorable an experience my time with this game was, it left a rather necessary question on how you can go about remaking this game and how you can make it even better? That question is something Motive Studio must have laboured over for a long period, but in the end their 2023 remake of the horror classic does just that.

With Visceral Studios being unceremoniously shut down, the duty of bringing the Dead Space franchise back from the dead fell onto Motive Studio. Founded in 2015, up until now Motive were heavily involved in EA’s catalogue of Star Wars titles; with collaborative credits in Star Wars Battlefront II and a full-fledged game title in Star Wars Squadrons. I must admit I was a bit indifferent when I heard this studio was taking up the duty of remaking Dead Space because of how little game credits they had behind them. That concern was gradually eroded as time went by and the studio was being transparent with development progress on the game.  It was clear from how open the studio was being with fans that they understood the importance of this franchise and how they wanted to get it’s remake just right.  An important element of remaking Dead Space they addressed was being true to the structure of the original game but improving and iterating when the opportunity arose and that core idea clearly serves as the foundation of what made this game work so well in the end. 

The story of Dead Space follows systems engineer Isaac Clarke who is sent on a recovery mission by the Concordance Extraction Corporation along with his crew mates, Zach Hammond and Kendra Daniels. Their mission is to dock at the USG Ishimura and investigate an SOS signal being broadcasted from the planet-cracking freighter. As soon as they arrive however Isaac and his crew learn all too quickly that the Ishimura has been infested by a horrific horde of monsters called Necromorphs. With their landing ship out of commission it’s up to Isaac to explore the Ishimura and find a means of escaping the living nightmare before it consumes him as it did all of the prior crew. There’s far more behind this infestation than meets the eye however and as events unfold the dark and twisted truth behind the Ishimura’s fate is gradually revealed. 

One of my biggest criticisms of the original Dead Space was with how good the set up  was, it made it all the jarring that Isaac Clarke himself never reacted to it due to the fact the development team made him mute. I get it was probably an attempt to make him more of a conduit for the player but it left me feeling more disjointed from the story than anything. Motive’s decision to bring back in Gunner Wright from Dead Space 2 and 3 to voice new lines for Isaac remedied that gripe completely. Isaac feels like he had a real place in the narrative now with the way he reacts to events. With it being a remake, the narrative core of this game holds all the same positive factors that the original game had but it’s noticeable in small areas Motive tweaked the narrative slightly to add smarter transitions and plot beats. It’s such a compelling narrative on all fronts when you consider these added improvements and I have nothing but good things to say about it. 

On the gameplay front it’s a similar kind of praise I have to give. With this game being a third-person survival horror, your main form of gameplay revolves around navigating the Ishimura and killing Necromorphs with a wide arsenal of weapons and tools.  Isaac isn’t a soldier by any means but he clearly has a survivalist instinct and his survivability is based on how well he can utilise his tools and weapons. The game presents you with the ability to freeze your enemies with stasis and manipulate objects with telekinesis. The arsenal of weapons you have ranges in terms of firepower and the game offers you a nice selection of avenues to upgrade them. One of the nicer revisions from the original game comes in the form of the upgrade trees, as Motive has ensured all nodes in the paths offer useful benefits along with additional modifications you can find through exploration. On the point of revisions, there’s plenty of moments in this game which showcase Motive’s intention of reworking aspects of the game to better incorporate modern day design elements. In the original Dead Space navigation was tied to the tram system and you finished a chapter by getting on the trap and proceeding to the next location. In the remakes case traversal is more direct with a bigger emphasis on exploring the ship remotely and then using the tram system for easier navigation once you’ve unlocked access to it. This along with many other small shifts in gameplay direction help keep this game feeling fresh not just for new players but returning players too. It brings forward all the best elements of the original games functionality while seamlessly improving on it at every opportunity.

On a design level this is probably where the remake’s improvements are most apparent. Being based solely on current-gen hardware, the Dead Space remake knocks it out of the park with its audio and visual design. Every horrific element of the original game’s design has been brought forward into a new era with no expense spared on fully realising it’s detailing. Environments are rendered in crisp 4K resolution with every bit of blood, rust and body parts littered all throughout. There’s an impressive attention to detail in recreating some of the bigger set pieces with larger scale and variation too. On the audio front this game just oozes atmosphere. Wearing a full 3D headphone set is a recommendation I highly make with this game because the sense of paranoia is embeds in you is so memorable. You hear the ship groan and shriek as it lingers in the vast emptiness of space. The Necromorphs themselves look and sound so much more terrifying thanks to the leap in technology as well. 

Motive’s Dead Space is the epitome of what a remake should be. It drives at every single moment to be that classic horror experience we all loved back in 2008 but it utilises every creative function it has available within it. All of my minor gripes from the original game have conveniently been addressed in some way or form in this game and it makes it such a definitive way to experience this title for new and old players alike. I am fully on board with Motive Studio at this point. They’ve proved quite clearly, they get game development and put all of their assets into producing some incredible experiences. I can only hope they get the opportunity to remake Dead Space 2 and 3 in the future.