As Isaac Clarke, players will navigate their way through the terrifying USG Ishimura in Dead Space. This horror title proves that survival is an instinct, as Isaac Clarke will do anything to escape the ship and leave the Ishimura for the dead and the damned, even if that means killing them again and again.
There are plenty of horrors awaiting players in Dead Space, and as a standalone game, it’s a great entry into the classic trope of sci-fi horror. However, Dead Space received numerous sequels, yet, despite the years between them, the original Dead Space still does things better than its sequels.
6 World Building
It’s always a gamble for a brand-new franchise to create. Dead Space was a new property that brought some great things into the gaming world. From Plasma Cutters, RIG Suits, and Necromorphs. What Dead Space accomplished with its world-building is brilliant on many levels and has been the inspiration to other sci-fi horrors since.
Without what the original Dead Space brought to the scene, the game series would never have embarked in the direction that it did. The game created an iconic look for its character and an iconic weapon and only built on top of that for the sequel. The first is always the best when it came to giving Dead Space its identity.
5 Suspense
Many didn’t know what to expect when they first landed on the USG Ishimura. What awaited them was a nightmare of epic proportions. The suspense in the original Dead Space exceeds the sequels for the unexpected. The sequels had an element of knowledge about them. Players were aware of corridors and vents, whereas the original Dead Space had the element of surprise. It was brand new.
Not only were players not able to tell when an attack was coming from a terrifying Necromorph, but the fact that they were on an abandoned and bloodied space station, with a sound design to make the skin crawl bolstered the horror elements of this suspenseful game.
4 Lighting
Lighting is a very crucial element to video games, but to horror in particular. Obscuring certain elements gives in to players’ paranoia as they walk through corridors with poor lighting or flickering lenses. Lighting can be used as a great tool for fear, and Dead Space excels at it.
The lighting in the original Dead Space was revolutionary, and it further added to just how alone and scary Dead Space truly was. Players would lurk across corridors, scared to dare take another step because of the flickering lights that may obscure the Necromorph heading towards them.
3 Self-Contained
By no means is Dead Space a simple story, but when compared to its sequel, it seems to keep itself contained within its journey. Some may argue that Dead Space does indeed set up a story, but the ending can easily be left as a standalone thing, something that shows Isaac Clarke’s fear as he escapes or begs the question if he ever escaped at all.
When it came time for the Dead Space sequels, it seemed that cliffhangers were the inevitable way to drive up audience demand for new games. Sequel bait can sometimes be a good thing, but in the original Dead Space, there was no need. There was something much scarier, not knowing if the story was truly over or not, and the debate on whether Isaac Clarke managed to survive his deathly encounter with the Necromorphs.
2 Fear Of The Unknown
Because Dead Space was an original IP, it created many of the beloved and disgusting Necromorphs that returned for the sequels. It felt as if every chapter would throw something new, grotesque, and straight-up murderous at the player, whether it was a grueling and intense boss fight or a brand new enemy type that forced the player to change their playstyle.
The complete fear of a new enemy being around the corner meant that players had to improvise and adapt and hide in their RIG suit. This was rarely considered for the sequels, as enemies past the original Dead Space were more or less the same, and players knew how to deal with them. Shoot off those disgusting limbs.
1 Silent Protagonist
Consider it an upside that Isaac Clarke is left without a voice in the original Dead Space. Although Gunner Wright's performance in the sequels makes the character feel alive, the lack of a voice for the first game adds to the immersion. Players are put into the shoes of a voiceless character, thus becoming this character.
Isaac Clarke’s grunts and erratic breathing as he stomps on Necromorphs and is stabbed is exactly how gamers playing would react. With maybe a tad bit more fright or tears. By giving Isaac no voice, the Dead Space team gave him the voice of the player, adding to the level of immersion players will feel through this tense horror title.
Dead Space is available now on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. A remake of the game is currently in development for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.