Review | Dead Space Remake

13 years ago Dead Space was a truly wonderful horror experience that followed the RE4 formula of “looting when shooting”, and following the good horror survival formula (only in space!) it made to the top of what the genre has to offer. Remake of a game that still holds its own is not needed. But, all the gamers out there that never experience the game will be truly happy (if they crave for some action-space stuff!).

Dead Space is a 2023 survival horror video game developed by Motive Studio and published by Electronic Arts. A remake has been developed by EA Redwood Shores, and it was released on January 27, 2023, for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. There is no excuse other than the price not to play this game!

Welcome to Ishimura, where dismembered limbs are like a hello, and your Plasma Cutter is your best friend. Probably the best weapon to play with. There is plenty to survive and to kill.

I will try to keep this short, so this review is my take on how I liked the game that I’ve completed couple of times on the pre-previous generation of consoles. And of course, recently after Callisto Protocol, which proved to be a fail (somewhat).

Dead Space is still the best horror space survival game out there. The first game from the series is for me personally the best. I always loved how they incorporated limb dismemberment and various weapons that are constantly keeping you entertained as you progress the game. Maybe the story is not the best one, but it serves its purpose.

You are Isaac, an engineer who ends up in space station Ishimura with his team. Of course, your wife (or is she his girlfriend?) is here, and you discover a bunch of weird sh*t on the board. Your team is soon to be dismembered by experimental humans who are related to Marker – something they’ve been digging up from Earth’s core and researching on the station. Long story short – it’s a typical horror story you have to live through to survive and leave the station.

The atmosphere and the sound are amazing! Hearing Isaac how his heart beat increases when he's in panic mode is one of many details you can enjoy through your headset. The game is a bit dark though, increase your brightness.

This time around you are blessed with better graphics, real side-quests (instead of logs like in the original), no more loading screens, small adjustments in level design (like some new puzzles, and slightly altered locations), and an alternative ending. They also added couple of QOL improvements to the game, so your experience here will be the ultimate one. For example, you can float freely in zero-gravity spaces, while in the original you were limited with your movement there.

Nothing above stands out, so don’t think you’ve been deprived so far. I also think that the running is much faster here, making it much easier to avoid enemy attacks.

The gun shooting is 10 times better than the whole gameplay in Callisto Protocol. I love the weapons, I love their alternative shooting options, I love how the environment feels useful, how you use explosives to destroy enemies, freeze them… It feels like a real game, instead of titling the right analogue stick like in Callisto. Weapon system and upgrades are really what Callisto should’ve been in the end, and it feels immediately.

I'm a bit sad that there isn't more boss battles. I loved upgrading my weapons and carrying the best ones. Some like a shotgun type can peel the skin of enemies, making them vulnerable for dismemberment. And some enemies you just have to shoot from behing in the joins to cut their limbs of. Such a variety in the gameplay.

My experience was fun. I must admit, I still remember the original quite well, so my second run was a bit boring. I felt like I’ve seen this too many times, like I know everything by that point, so playing remakes of fresh games that are still quite playable is not the best thing out there.

I think that this remake was not needed at all, but like I said, the newcomers will surely enjoy.

Of course, I have to mention the stasis and kinetics in this game – the real implementation of the glove supernatural powers that are just bad in Callisto. Callisto Protocol is such a rip off. Now when I replayed the Dead Space, it feels on every corner, every inch and everything is straight up copied and made worse somehow.

Out of everything that stands up, I would also like to mention out the atmosphere and the sound. They are both the biggest selling point of this remake. Alongside with the gun shooting of course, plus the graphics which I don’t care for as much, but the graphics are awesome. You can also see blood on your suit when you splatter enemy intestines, especially when you stomp them (love the stomping!)

Are you ready to face the Marker and witness the goodies called the alternative ending? You'll have to beat the game twice though. Dead Space Remake is such a wonderfull, gore experience. Not scary, even the jump scares are not scary, but all of that adds to the atmosphere.

Is this game worth the 80 EUR price tag? No. Sorry, but remakes of existing games needs to tone down their prices. It’s not like they’re inventing something, or that they do so much to change the game we once knew and played. Still, for new players out there it may be worth it.

Dead Space Remake is one of the best remakes out there, it feels good, it plays good, and it looks good! It reminds us that older games still shine, and that similar new ones doesn’t stand a chance. Isaac, are you ready for more remakes? EA sure is, but I hope they will stop here and do the sequel, I’m not a fan of the second and the third game in the series.