While 2023's Dead Space mostly retains the original's linear nature, Motive Studio has taken the liberty of adding side content that will lengthen the new game's playtime. As players progress through the main story, they will unlock items that allow them to open previously inaccessible areas and containers. This gives the new Dead Space a more Legend of Zelda-like vibe as opposed to the 2008 game's more straightforward approach.
Security level-locked doors and containers, side missions, missed collectibles - these give players incentives to go back and fully explore the U.S.G. Ishimura. These rewards can take the form of new upgrades for Isaac or his weapons, Dead Space Credits to spend at the store, or hidden lore that builds on the game's world. But while some of the game's side activities can be tracked using Isaac's handy dandy locator, there are others that require players to rely on the game's confusing map.
Dead Space's Map is Easy to Navigate For Side Missions
Getting the easily-locatable secondary objectives out of the way, side missions usually have multiple steps that are found throughout different parts of the U.S.G. Ishimura. Players can easily find side mission objectives by switching their active mission using the Missions tab on Isaac's RIG display in Dead Space. This will change their in-game locator color to yellow and redirect them to their new goal. There are no extra steps needed afterward as all players have to do is follow the bright yellow light.
Dead Space's Map and Markers Don't Help With Containers and Extra Loot
Locked security doors, master override doors, and master override containers are a little more complex. While their security levels are highlighted on the Map tab of Isaac's RIG, there is no way to find all of them without sifting through every level of every section of Dead Space's U.S.G. Ishimura. It is extremely easy to miss doors and containers that are tucked away in the most obscure areas of the map. Some would argue that making a mental map or writing down the location of each locked door and container would help, but this is difficult considering some events of the main campaign change the ship's layout.
Still, having markers on the map is preferable to having no markers at all - which is what Dead Space's locked security containers implement. Without any icons on the map, finding each locked security container becomes quite the challenge without memorizing their locations. When compared to collectibles that are meant to be hidden like Dead Space's New Game + mode's 12 Marker Fragments, locked security containers are far more numerous and their contents aren't always worth the trek. The problem is, it can be hard to tell which locked security containers have good rewards, so completionists are better off checking all of them anyway.
Dead Space's map can be extremely frustrating for players, especially toward the end of the game. This is when players typically begin scrambling to clean up side missions and find all the schematics and Isaac's tool upgrades - some of which are tucked away inside master override containers or behind locked security doors. Adding visible markers for locked security container markers and allowing players to create their own custom waypoints are just a few ways the game can make backtracking easier. Since the locator is such a useful tool, players should be allowed to use it to navigate to wherever they want. This won't just make completing the game easier but will lessen the amount of time players have to pull up Dead Space's less-than-stellar map.
Dead Space is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
