Just like its movie industry cousin, the video game industry is starting to churn out some reboots of classic properties. While remasters of previous-gen games have been a staple of the industry for a few decades now, remaking a game from the ground-up is a much more recent trend. In just the last few years, popular franchises like Resident Evil, Final Fantasy, and The Legend of Zelda have all had the remake treatment, turning some of the most beloved video games into modern experiences. One of the most anticipated upcoming games, the Dead Space Remake, is one such project.
Though developer Motive Studios doesn't have a great deal of experience, having only worked on Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and Squadrons, the team's passion for the Dead Space property is clear. From the little snippets eager fans have been shown, it's clear that Motive really cares about this project, and the developer's transparency goes a long way in keeping fans of the original's minds open. In its latest set of developer livestreams, Motive revealed its innovative ALIVE system, a complex audio program that should make the Dead Space Remake feel even more immersive than the original.
Explaining Dead Space Remake's ALIVE System
Standing for "Adrenaline, Limbic System Response, Intelligent Dialogue, Vitals, and Exertions," the ALIVE system dictates how Isaac will sound during the Dead Space Remake. Isaac's breathing patterns, grunts, and other noises will all be based on each of these factors.
For example, if Isaac experiences a jump-scare, his adrenaline will spike, causing his breathing to speed up. If Isaac needs to exert himself, either by climbing over obstacles or curb-stomping a Necromorph, then his heart rate will spike, and the player will be able to hear the character's gasps and wheezes.
This complex audio system will also be affected by the amount of damage that Isaac has taken. If Isaac's on low health, then he'll sound more anxious and exasperated. The audio will also change depending on the difficulty of a combat encounter, such as if there's an overwhelming number of enemies in one room.
Isaac's dialogue will also be greatly affected by this ALIVE system, with his status dictating the specific voice line the players will hear. Marvel's Spider-Man used a similar system, albeit a little more simplistic, whereby players would hear a more exasperated voice line if they were swinging or in the middle of combat. This may be one of the most pivotal changes in the remake, as the original Dead Space's Isaac was mute throughout the game.
Audio design is one of the most important aspects of the original Dead Space, and is often one of the most integral elements of any piece of media in the horror genre. Seeing such a complex and innovative system being used in the Dead Space Remake is pretty impressive, even if the build shown off was fairly barebones. The livestream also hinted at the amount of research Motive has put into this system, using the statistics of an average male of Isaac's age and BMI to determine his likely resting heart-rate.
The original Dead Space managed to create an incredibly atmospheric horror experience, and the Dead Space Remake looks as though it's going capture the same sense of dread and fear with its ALIVE system. Pairing this audio system with the remake's Frostbite engine, its crisp new visuals, and teased new gameplay mechanics, and it seems as though the Dead Space Remake is going to really set itself apart from its predecessor.
The Dead Space remake releases in early 2023 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
