Although November games have already arrived on PS Plus, I feel I should cover Dead Space whose review is overdue because I had too much fun with Dead Island 2. Fuck it. Sorry team.
Although you've been waiting for me, believe me, I've been waiting for the new Dead Space sequel for much longer! I first encountered the original in 2008 on a computer that definitely couldn't run such a game at the time, and the boom was a real spectacle when it came.
I heard about Dead Space from my rich friend who was playing it on his iPod while we were waiting for German class. First of all, I was fascinated by how such a small device could drive such graphics, and even more so the game itself. The notion of space horror has been tried since the very beginning of modern gaming with System Shoch, but this was different. This was bloody.
Gore was more heavily pixelated up until then, and if it was, it was in rare games like the first F.E.A.R. Dead Space had everything, top graphics, tension, action and above all atmosphere.
The opening credits where Isaac and the team approach Ishimura to find his girlfriend Nicole, who sent him a message and decided to ghost him, is one of the best scenes in gaming. Plus, unlike Isaac and crew, the player immediately realizes that Ishimura is a scenario where everyone will have problems, even if you don't know the story.
Already in that scene, you feel that feeling of isolation and endless darkness that will follow you until the end of the game. The Ishimura looks like a ship's hull, huge, damaged and cold - a metal giant where every corner says something like:
Every corridor, every corner of the ship has its own character, at the same time claustrophobic and endless, as if you are trapped in a labyrinth that deliberately leads you into deadly traps.
Plus, the enemy designs are just… disturbing.
While investigating, Isaac discovers the terrible truth about the Marker, a mysterious artifact that sends ominous visions and has the power to "reanimate" the dead in necromorph form. Marker is the center of the Unitologist cult, a religion that believes in ascension through transformation, but these "ascensions" are actually the horrific mutation of humans into bloodthirsty monsters.
But the point is that necromorphs are not classic zombies, and that's great!
Yes, there are the classic grotesque faces, but the necromorphs in Dead Space are something else entirely. While classic zombies just roam around and attack, necromorphs are creatures whose limbs and bones have been turned into weapons. Their hands end in sharp, bony ears that cut through the body, and protruding fingers and deformed limbs make them real nightmares.
To stop them, you have to literally cut off their limbs - the head is not enough. The Marker transformed them into killing machines that act almost instinctively, without consciousness, but with one mission - to eliminate everyone on the Ishimura. And it is their design and brute force that make them a threat that is difficult to escape and almost impossible to forget.
As you make your way through Ishimura, you encounter all different forms of necromorphs, each one more terrifying than the last. There's everything from bouncing babies to indestructible enemies that you'll have to use level design to solve.
The most impressive thing is how the game uses light and shadows. Not everything is black and white!
Dead Space uses subtle nuances, from dim fluorescent lights that momentarily reveal a threat, to red alarms and flashing lights that further heighten the sense of danger. And when you think you've found a safe place, the shadow moves, a sound rings through the metal, and you realize you can't see anything, and the necromorphs are all around you.
The strongest scene in the game was when I was walking through the corridor, the light disappeared, I can't see anything with the flashlight, the music changes, I hear a bunch of monsters and then it happens... Nothing.
The main thing that makes Dead Space so unique isn't the horror and jumpscares – it's the way it makes you feel powerless and yet powerful at the same time. Isaac is not a classic hero - he does not have military equipment or an arsenal of weapons like some space marines. He is just an engineer, an ordinary character who is stuck in hell and has to use his tools to survive. Literally tools. The character is practically shooting zombie aliens with a flight lamp on steroids.
Yes, a big plus, Isaac talks in this continuation of the story, which is great because now we have his thoughts directly, although there was something special in listening to his screams while something was tearing him apart without additional comments.
Isaac is cool. The character is a pure geek who became an accidental hero. At least in your case.
Nema gro municije, ne možeš ih ube tako da ih izrešetaš, nego da followsš jednostavne upute s početka games - CUT THEIR LIMBS OFF.
What a good introduction that is.
But the atmosphere - well, that's where Dead Space is a real master. Even while walking through empty corridors, the game does not give you peace. Darkness, narrow areas, flickering lights, sounds of machines echoing through the void, and then quiet, almost inaudible footsteps. All the elements in Dead Space are arranged in such a way that they constantly keep you on edge. A hallway that looks empty? Just wait, it won't stay that way for long. You pass the valve and see nothing... but the sounds inside it are not silence. You're never sure when a necromorph is going to jump out of a wall, because there are no safe spaces in Dead Space. Every door is a door to hell.
And, of course, there's the sound. Dead Space perfectly uses sound as another layer of horror. Soft noises coming from the depths of the ship, that occasional metal screeching, and then a sudden bang - all of this literally pushes you forward, but does not give you peace. You feel as if the ship is breathing down your neck, as if Ishimura has his will and enjoys watching you fight for every step forward.
What sets Dead Space apart from other horror games is precisely that tension – it's constant, it never lets up. You can come across ammo and feel a moment of relief, but as soon as you move on, that feeling disappears. Feeling safe? It doesn't exist.
And it is precisely in this constant tension that Dead Space excels. Everything in the game works against you, from limited resources to creepy enemies that never stop hunting you. Every second you spend on the Ishimura makes you question every step you take – is it worth going to that next corridor for a scrap of ammo or risking your life to fight a monster that might be lurking around the corner? Isaac doesn't have the luxury of choice; he must survive, fight and explore the hell he finds himself in.
The atmosphere, details and story make Dead Space a masterpiece of space horror. Each new encounter with the necromorphs, each sound in the corridors and each horror the Marker contorts before Isaac's eyes deepens the sense of isolation and horror.
Dead Space literally redefined space horror, and this remake brings all that brilliance in a more modern guise, allowing new generations to feel the fear that this game gave us all back in 2008. Although many horror games over the years have tried to surpass Dead Space in atmosphere and tension (I'm looking at you, Callisto Protocol), few have managed to achieve that perfect combination of claustrophobic horror, brutal gameplay and visually impressive enemy design.
Dead Space remake brings not only an eerie atmosphere but also superb gameplay that perfectly combines horror, action and RPG elements. The RPG upgrade system gives you the freedom to customize Isaac and his gear to suit your own play style. Each tool, from the legendary Plazma Cutter to the Pulse Rifle, can be upgraded to make it even more deadly, and each weapon can be customized to your fighting style.
The Kinesis module is an absolutely brilliant addition to the gameplay - with it you can manipulate the environment, pull objects, even use parts of the environment as weapons. There's nothing better than grabbing a piece of sharp metal shards and launching it into a necromorph, or pulling boxes to open a new path.
The most impressive part of the gameplay is the flight through weightlessness. In the Dead Space remake, every zero-gravity sequence is so realistically executed that you literally feel the weight of space. The thing is, I float in space every weekend, so I can make a quality assessment.
The silence, the feeling of helplessness while floating in the dark spaces of the ship, while the necromorphs are literally sailing towards you from all directions - these are the moments that make Dead Space unforgettable.
Weightlessness changes the way you move, fight and perceive the environment, creating a sense of panic because you no longer have the ground under your feet, and enemies can come from any direction.
The remake made the game even better - it refreshed the graphics, deepened Isaac as a character, but didn't lose that same creepy feeling that gets under your skin. I really hope the same treatment is given to Dead Space 2, which is my favorite sequel. That second installment fantastically built on everything the first established, expanding the story, adding even creepier settings and more tense action.
As for Dead Space 3...well, I'd really like them to make a brand new sequel because the original was a big failure. Dead Space 3 went too far into the action genre, losing that creepy, claustrophobic horror feel. The new Dead Space 3 could get the series back on track, focusing on a real horror atmosphere and terrifying stories about the Marker and the Necromorphs, instead of action and co-op.
The Dead Space remake showed that the series still has incredible potential - colorful dead characters, the perfect dose of horror and a memorable atmosphere. If EA continues in this direction, the future of Dead Space looks bright again… or rather, terrifyingly dark, just as it should be.
