Motive certainly has a lot to live up to in terms of its upcoming remake of Visceral Games and EA’s Dead Space. The highly anticipated remake was officially announced in summer 2021, and while there are many fans who would be excited for anything at all from the beloved science-fiction survival horror franchise, there are also many who would argue that Dead Space was not in need of a remaster or a remake. Indeed, the modern era of remakes and remasters may seem redundant or superfluous to some without passionate development teams behind them.
Remakes in general present a double-edged sword due to nostalgic resentment, particularly if players deem the original to be a timeless classic. It may not be possible to satisfy all fans: On the one hand, fans anticipate complete overhauls in gameplay in order to have it make sense as a remake. But on the other hand, fans will want the remake to remain piously faithful to the original. Motive has clearly expressed how passionate they are about the remake, and are making an effort to perfect it for the fans, which is evident in what has been displayed recently.
Dead Space’s Transparency Buys Motive a Lot of Goodwill
Motive has been entirely transparent with fans since the Dead Space remake’s announcement. Motive initially shared development footage for a new feature in the remake, where layered flesh tissue on the gangly necromorph corpses will sustain more plasma cutter shots, and each layer of tissue sliced apart will reveal more tissue beneath before the limb is finally severed.
If this is a taste of what fans can expect from the remake, Motive’s Dead Space appears to be aiming for a faithful representation of the original, while enhancing the experience greatly and improving immersion more than what was perhaps possible back in 2008. This represents the first time in a long time that a AAA title with such high anticipation was shown to fans in an alpha state in order to build that foundational connection with fans and have them perceive the title’s development.
Developers can often leave fans in the dark about certain projects until more information is ready to be publicly shared. While this is understandable from an advertising or marketing standpoint, it also means that fans are potentially left to toss and turn for years before another shred of news is made available to them.
This is commonly seen from AAA titles at high-end studios whose IPs are popular enough that the developers can trust fans to wait until big-budgeted cinematic trailers air. Motive’s transparency disrupts that mold, and instead shows fans that they are passionate about the Dead Space remake. Ultimately, that will go a long way in earning fans’ trust and respect from now until it launches.
Motive’s Passion for Dead Space Can Only Result in a Better Product
Recently, Motive aired an audio live-stream for the Dead Space remake that showcased a remarkable amount of auditory enhancements that will create a great depth to the game’s atmosphere and immersion. Confirmation for the Dead Space remake’s rumored release window accompanied a showcase of audio improvements. These improvements were doled out in separate videos for deep-dives on the audio, which included updated audio for Dead Space's plasma cutter and plasma rifle.
However, among these developer deep-dives were details for an entirely new auditory experience in Dead Space dubbed the ALIVE System. The ALIVE System effectively monitors Isaac Clarke’s limbic system responses in order to generate authentic reactions in gameplay that are dependent on specific factors that can affect the character, such as injury or fatigue. This was a huge announcement for a unique system that will control Isaac’s heart rate, respiratory regulation, and how his exertion is expressed through scripted dialogue.
The fact that Motive feels comfortable enough to share all of these details at such an early stage demonstrates that the developer is excited for players to have a glimpse at the new structural features that will redefine Dead Space in its remake. Another benefit to transparency and passion shown from the developer is that if another delay is necessary for the final product to achieve the quality it needs, fans may be more willing to accept that after publicly seeing all the hard work that has gone into it since its announcement.
Motive’s Livestreams and Early Alpha Footage Bode Well for Future Updates
It is undetermined yet if Motive’s Dead Space will take any liberties with the original’s story or add new sequences besides content cut from the original. It is entirely possible, being a remake and not a simple remaster, that such additions or erasures may occur. As for gameplay and what has been shown recently, it seems as if Motive wishes to modernize Dead Space, rather than overwrite or extrapolate from it entirely. If the remake is a critical success, it seems preferable that more Dead Space content should come from Motive.
Dead Space’s first installment, released in 2008, elicits dread from every inch of the Ishimura. The original game is perpetually steeped in moments that are alarming or shock the player, whether a necromorph emerges suddenly through a wall’s ventilation duct or players are firing rapidly at the remaining limbs on an approaching necromorph with a red RIG. It is clear at the moment that Motive has no intention of muddying that water, and instead wishes only to amplify the authenticity that players experience.
Motive’s Dead Space remake hopes to escalate that tension with even more adaptive and reactive auditory cues from Isaac that will alert the player to his particular status. It is important to note that besides the limb tissue degradation in necromorphs, the only features and mechanics Motive has detailed have been auditory. In that sense, the features introduced are substantial and yet only relate to audio thus far.
In the future, fans might expect deep-dives on other aspects of the remake’s development, such as potential changes made to the original game’s character models, divisive antigravity gameplay, or systems UI like the interactive, holographic map. Dead Space 2 was able to rectify some of these gripes, and it will be interesting to see if Motive leans on refinements made in either of Dead Space’s sequels for its remake. Motive is making its development decisions with the fans in mind, and the passion that they express is evident in all the new and meaningful features that are soon to enhance the experience in Dead Space’s remake.
The Dead Space remake releases in early 2023 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.