Highlights
- Dead Space revolutionized the horror genre with its unique setting and brutal combat, making it a memorable experience.
- The game immerses players in the horror by requiring them to tactically dismember enemies and embrace brutality to survive.
- Dead Spac e's puzzles are realistic and ingrained in the game's world, adding to the cohesive experience along with the protagonist's mechanics background and the game's approach to horror.
Dead Space is something of a legendary game at this point. Initially released in 2008, the title was a huge hit for the horror genre and inspired numerous sequels. Like its original release, the remake from early this year found itself highly celebrated. With heavy inspiration drawn from Resident Evil 4, Dead Space packed a survival horror framework with action game set pieces. While RE4 retained many of the series' more subdued survival horror elements, Dead Space reveled in being an over-the-top and violent action game. Resident Evil is perhaps the most revered horror franchise in gaming, and while it has inspired many excellent titles, it's time for Dead Space to become the template for future horror games.
Dead Space was something of an anomaly at its release. While Resident Evil 4 had allowed for players to dismember their adversaries, Dead Space amplified it to a new level. Chopping off enemies' limbs is something that players need to do tactically. The title's setting in a darkly-lit spacecraft, the USG Ishimura, also stands out from the crowd. The unique setting and approach to story telling combined with its grotesque and brutal violence delivered players a memorable experience. Dead Space is a game filled with dread and certain doom, and it stands at odds with much of what is popular in the horror genre today.
Dead Space Makes The Player A Part Of The Horror
When the player finds their first weapon in Dead Space, the plasma cutter, the phrase "cut off their limbs" is written on the wall behind it in blood. After an initial combat encounter, the player learns that shooting Necromorphs in the head will do nothing, and that they have to cut Necromorphs into pieces. Combat in Dead Space is, from the very first encounter, truly horrific. The player may be acting in self-defense, but to survive one must embrace brutality. Resident Evil rewards quick kills with headshots; in contrast, Dead Space requires the player to fight as grotesquely as its monsters do.
Dead Space's no longer silent protagonist, Isaac Clarke, is surrounded by doom, and not just because of monsters. Before the spread of the Necromorphs, the USG Ishimura was a mining vessel that destroyed planets. The ship is in ruin when Isaac arrives, and soon his whole team is killed as he helplessly watches. This sense of dread grows as the player explores the ship. The space setting allows for movement in zero gravity at points which feel unique in the genre, and the brief segments outside the Ishimura highlight how alone Isaac and the player are in this ship. This isolation in combination with the game's brutal combat create a real sense of hopelessness.
Dead Space Changed Survival Horror Puzzles
Dead Space isn't just great for its environment and brutal combat; it is a game with many excellent puzzles. Resident Evil's puzzles, while fun, are often abstract and gamey, lacking realism and believability. Dead Space relies on puzzles that are based in repairing circuits and using machinery. Isaac is a mechanic, so these puzzles feel engrained in the world and share the same thematic pulp as his arsenal of makeshift weapons. The game's stasis packs allow for time manipulation, and some puzzles make use of zero gravity. Puzzle solving in Dead Space is tactile and makes sense in the context of Isaac's character and the game's setting
Dead Space is a modern masterpiece due in no small part to its cohesion. Isaac is a mechanic and this is reflected in his weapons, tools, and approach to combat. Resident Evil 4 Remake features enhanced dismemberment and the ability to shoot while moving, two things that set the original Dead Space apart from the original RE4. Dead Space's fast and brutal approach to horror still stands out over a decade later, and the remake is one of the best horror games to come out in 2023. While the influence of Resident Evil has moved the horror genre forward, it's time for more games to draw inspiration from Dead Space's unique approach to the genre, just as Resident Evil 4 Remake has done.
Dead Space is out now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
