Is Dead Space Remake Game Worth it? Review

Dead Space Remake game is the remake of the legendary Dead Space game. It has been a while since we have gotten a Dead Space game. The series is now coming back with the remake of the first game in the series. It is coming back to the era when linear games are getting starting to become a thing of the past. With the survival horror linear experience of Dead Space Remake, the franchise is back. The original game was the best survival horror and the remake does justice to the original. It not only captures the essence of the original but also adds stuff without ruining it.

I did not expect much from it given the track record of EA but it is not bad. There are little and smart changes here and there. Dead Space Remake smothers out the rough bits and adds more fun. There are more secrets, refinements, story changes, side quests, exploration, and tweaks to combat. The changes are not massive but they are smart. Graphics and sound are better since it is a remake of the original.

Making a remake is a delicate process since developers need to stay close to the original while also introducing changes and not going too far with these changes.  The game is being developed by Motive Studios which has successfully helped it stay in middle. There are new things in the game that makes it better while still retaining the essence of the original. All the changes make it different for the better. Players can see the respect that the developers have for the original.

Plot (Spoiler Free)

Dead Space Remake game takes place 500 years in the future. Humanity has moved beyond the Earth. You take control of an engineer named Isaac Clark who along with a small team investigates a Planet Cracker called Ishimura. Planet Crackers are ships used to mine material from planets. After boarding the ship the team finds out that something strange is happening. The crew of the ship has been infested with Necromorphes. You have to find your way out of the ship in an action survival horror fashion and save your girlfriend who use to work on the ship.

Narrative

The narrative has seen some major changes in a good way. It retains the linear dreadful progression but also adds something extra to the story. The story of Isaac on the Ishimura is a big deal as Ishimura plays a major role in the game. There are not too many changes as the main theme remains the same. Mistry, psychological horror, and conspiracies are still as prevalent and effective as the original.  There are some improvements to the story.

A lot of cut scene has been redone and rewritten with changes from simple conversation to complete redone of dialogues that add more tension and changes scenes. Some changes add more tension alter sequences and even make events more impactful. The entire game has been shot through a single camera with no loading screen in between. It has the same UI as the original and the addition of the one-shot camera without any cuts makes it a smoother and more memorable experience.

Characters

Unlike the original game, Isaac now has a voice and he is not just a silent protagonist in the Dead Space Remake. He now has an active role in the story and does not act as a passive observer. Isaac converses with the characters and reacts to the events and revelations. Such a change makes him an emotional character that feels more relatable. He does not take off his helmet that often.

Isaac will receive a radio call to do something and he will do it while also using voice to communicate. He feels more like an engineer thanks to all these additions. There is a balance in his speech as he will not talk all the time. Such a way of communication persists in the feel of the game as being a survival horror.

A Balanced Experience

Balancing is a major plus point for the Dead Space Remake game. It has balance in pacing, enemy verity, environment, and resources such as health and armor drops. The setting of the Dead Space Remake also has balance in puzzles, exploration, intense combat, and all the things that made Dead Space such a good game. Dead Space Remake changes are balanced helping it land in that good zone between action and dread.

The sound design is good and adds more intensity to the general feel of the game. You can hear, the banging, screeching, and other such sounds in the distance. The fact that players cannot differentiate between enemy sounds and ambient sounds makes it such a good design. Such a sound design keeps the player on their toes and makes the dread more fluid.

Environmental effects such as light flickers, sparks, neon lights, and blood splatter all look quite good. Environmental textures garbage, gore, and the areas of the ship are good. The Ishimura actually feels like a place where people use to work. It is not just a simple bland spaceship as it houses all kinds of environments that you would expect from a real planet cracker.

Ishimura is More than A Ship

The atmosphere is a big part of a game and can have a major impact on any game. Survival horror games are no different as the environment is a major part to deliver a good experience. Ishimura in Dead Space Remake game is more than a setting. The ship’s environment has been put to good use to provide a good experience. Ishimura has been brought to life with sounds of enemies such as grueling, banging, and rushing footsteps in vents. Flicking lights and splattered blood makes it feels like a Dead Space game. It takes the good stuff from the survival horror genre and put it to good use. Ishimura will keep you on edge by throwing surprises at you from dark corners.

The Dreaded Feeling

Dead Space Remake is a dark game with a lot of hidden dark corners. Darkness adds more dread to the game and elevates its general feel. There is a randomness to the spawning of enemies. Enemies can pop up sometimes, even when you feel safe which keeps you on edge throughout. The game wants you to keep on your toes by keeping the dread alive.

Gameplay has seen minimal changes and provides expectable results. However, these changes bring major improvements. Dead Space Remake is still a good survival horror game that strikes a good balance between dread and action that other games struggle with.

Combat

Gameplay also has some changes as explained earlier, though these changes are not always about combat. There are minimal changes to combat but these are good changes since combat was the key focus of the original. Like the original game, Dead Space Remake encourages limp cutting instead of headshots. The loop of taking down enemies through limp cutting is still good.

Avoiding necromorphs attacks, pacing, timing shots, using abilities, and environments are the core loop of the game. The new peeling system gives step by step damage loop a visual representation. You can see the decaying skin of enemies as you shoot them. The more you damage the enemy the more their skin will be revealed. It adds more aesthetics to the game and also contributes towards the betterment of combat. The skin peeling system acts as the visual representation of health and the name Dead Space truly shines.

Feel Overwhelmed

Dead Space Remake game wants you to feel overwhelmed during combat. It wants you to use all of your abilities to take enemies down. Use stasis to slow enemies and telekinesis to throw stuff at enemies while also keeping an eye on different types of Necromorphs. You have more stuff to throw at enemies compared to the original. Nothing feels repetitive as every encounter is unique.

Weapons

The sounds of some guns are not good and weapons have different alternate fire modes. The combination of alt fire mode and rewarding upgrade paths adds more customization. Changes to the overall combat make you want to use all you have. One weapon does not feel overpowered compared to others. Legendary plasma cutter is still good but other weapons do not feel as useless as the original. Weapons can be upgraded using nodes. There are changes to the weapon and progression system which makes the upgradation system better.

General Gameplay

The visuals are good and everything looks well. Necromorphs look gruesome, mincing, and disgusting with a good amount of detail. The decaying bodies of Necromorphs and the decaying environment of Ishimura add dread to the game. Dead Space Remake creates a good atmosphere with small and big changes that will remain with you even after closing the game.

Hallucinations, whispers, and jump scares will keep you rigid. Isaac’s heartbeat will react to what is happening on screen which helps in capturing the essence of horror. Zero gravity area has seen a major change as now it provides total freedom. It gives 360 freedom of exploration. You can aim and shoot while floating in Zero G. Fighting in Zero-G feels good due to the freedom.

Exploration

Exploration has seen major upgrades in Dead Space Remake. Ishimura is now a single map with no load screen or separate decks. You can go from one part of it to the other with no loading screen in between. Ishimura has new rooms and some alterations are made to fit everything together seamlessly.

The final area that is close to the marker can feel a bit stale. It feels the same and there is not much improvement in the environment. It goes on for a bit long which goes against the rest of the feeling that the game provides.

All these additions make everything more complete. There are big set pieces and puzzles that have been overhauled. Some are improved while others have been completely changed. New and better puzzles have been added. Side quest goes in flow with puzzles and the general feel of the game.

The new security clearance system has been introduced in the Dead Space Remake game. As you progress you will gain more security clearance which will open more rooms and lockers. Such rooms and lockers are scattered throughout Ishimura. It encourages you to come back to the old area to explore the areas that were previously locked. The locked room has rewards, ammo, consumables, audio text logs, and even side quests. Such incentives encourage you to explore and make New Game Plus more exciting.

Side Quests

Contradictory to the original Dead Space game Dead Space Remake has side quests. There are plenty of side quests that are meaningful additions to the core gameplay experience. The addition of side quests not only improves exploration but also improves the story to a great degree. Side quests offer more lore, back stories, and add details of secondary characters. The addition of backstory to the secondary characters makes them feel livelier. Isaac’s girlfriend Nicole has more screen time now which sheds more light on their connection.

Verdict

Dead Space Remake is not a long game and it can be completed in 10 to 15 hours depending on the exploration. It is a challenging and good game that can be really good for die-hard fans. If you have recently played the original Dead Space then it might not be to your liking. It is a good remake that changes stuff where needed and keeps where changes are not needed. The result is a polished and memorable experience.

The game has good graphics and sound but the price might be subjective to the number of changes it has. It turned out a good game for a remake. There is even a secret ending. It is a bigger, better, and more polished Dead Space that players are fans of. If you are a fan of Dead Space and other such games then Dead Space Remake is a good choice.