With a tentative early 2023 release window, EA's Dead Space remake is more tangible than ever. The developers at Motive Studios have been updating fans about the game's progress on the Dead Space YouTube channel, and while some of it still looks rough at this stage, it feels like they're on the right track.
One piece of the Dead Space puzzle that the team is focused on getting right is making sure Motive retains its distinct look, sound, and feel. With the series' iconic plasma cutter at the forefront of Isaac Clarke's arsenal, players can bet it is the first thing the developers have to get right when it comes to combating Dead Space's necromorphs.
The Plasma Cutter Represents Everything Dead Space Stands For
The plasma cutter is really interwoven with Dead Space's DNA. Good audio design, a minimalist UI, and strategic dismemberment pertain are iconic parts of the series as a whole, and more often than not the word "tool" is used because the plasma cutter is not a gun. It is an engineering tool that uses charged plasma bolts to split dense materials. Isaac Clarke is an engineer tasked with repairing the U.S.G. Ishimura, so it only makes sense for Dead Space's lore that he carries one around.
It just so happens that charged plasma also works wonders against the reanimated dead. From a gameplay perspective, the plasma cutter is the jack-of-all-trades tool of Dead Space. Players start every game with it and can finish the adventure with just their plasma cutter (there are even achievements related to this feat). Having such an achievement is fitting, considering the plasma cutter is quite possibly the most versatile tool in Isaac's arsenal. This versatility stems from the plasma cutter's two firing modes, which allow players to turn a line of plasma bolts either horizontal or vertical.
For those who have never played a Dead Space title, strategic dismemberment is important. Players fight an alien infection that reanimates the corpses of any dead life form, turning them into horrifying necromorphs. Headshots are discouraged; instead, players have to dismember the limbs of their enemies to ensure they won't come back.
Dead Space Offers One Tool To Rule Them All
Having a tool that can sever limbs from different angles is perfect for Isaac Clarke. With the plasma cutter in hand, players are funneled into a high-stakes Tetris game where severing the limbs means survival and missing necromorphs can result in death. Players can aim for the necromorphs' sharp mandibles to cause more damage, or they can aim for appendages like the legs to slow them down. Depending on the type of necromorph, severing different limbs brings about a number of results.
The plasma cutter is unique in that its alternate firing mode does the exact same thing as its primary mode; it just changes the orientation of the plasma. Other tools, like the line gun or the pulse rifle, have alternate modes that rely more on explosive damage than strategic dismemberment (for reference, the original Dead Space had the line gun fire mines, meanwhile the plasma rifle fired in a 360-degree cone around the player). While other tools and weapons deviate from the series' core, the plasma cutter has always remained true to what makes Dead Space stand out.
This versatility in dismemberment, coupled with superb audio design and minimalist UI that is prevalent throughout every part of Dead Space, is what makes the plasma cutter a staple of the series. Players have already seen how Motive Studios is hard at work on perfecting the sound in Dead Space remake, so now fans just have to wait and see whether they nail the other aspects.
The Dead Space remake is set to release in early 2023 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
