The WWE Superstar, Austin Creed, walks the audience to a long dark corridor teasing them about EA Play’s final announcement – Dead Space. The camera zooms past Creed’s biceps and enters the dark void. After prolonged darkness, large, metal doors slide open to reveal the insides of a mining ship. Sparks flutter down from the ceiling until the room slowly fades to dark. Our attention is then drawn to a blood smear, which points to the twitching movements of a horrifying creature. The last scene shows a man hunched over a workbench. As the vial on his back turns green, he stands straight up, rejuvenated. The Dead Space Remake is officially announced. A beloved horror game returns after a long train of rumors, but it’s still a long way off. Even though details are scarce, we’ve scoured the internet to unveil a few facts about the anticipated game. 5. Rebuilt From the Ground Up The definition of a remake is blurry, fluctuating betweensimilar terms like reboot and remaster. An important question in any reinterpretation is whether the game will change significantly or merely receive a new, prettier overall look. In the case of Dead Space, an IGN interview suggests that sound, gameplay, and visuals will be rebuilt from the ground up. First of all, Dead Space will utilize the Frostbite Engine, famous for running the Battlefield and Madden games. Despite their stunning visuals, Frostbite has a reputation for being a difficult tool to use outside of an FPS context. As a result, EA Motive is prepared to overcome obstacles to make Dead Space look its best. To accomplish that Motive must thoroughly rebuild everything, which includes re-shooting the animations. Suffice it to say, the project is much more than a simple port or upgrade. 4. It’s Only On NextGenMost games release simultaneously on the old and new generation, making PS5 and Series X exclusives hard to come by. It was a bit shocking to see only the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC logos displayed after the Dead Space trailer. Sometimes old software can damage a cross-generational game’s quality, a problem Dead Space won’t face.The remake will take full advantage of the new consoles and their built-in features. The most apparent advantage is the lack of loading due to the console’s solid-state drives. The original Dead Space tried to keep players out of menus at all times. Upgrades and healing were done in-game, but it couldn’t entirely accomplish this task. Loading screens often undermined the immersion, so the original vision may finally be realized with this remake. Additionally, Dead Space will incorporate 3D Audio so players can accurately determine the location of wailing Necromorphs or closing doors. 3. There Won’t Be MicrotransactionsWhereas Dead Space 1 and 2 were single-player adventures, Dead Space 3 included cooperative play. In the worst-case scenario, multiplayer inclusion breeds microtransactions, a system that heavily contributed to Dead Space 3’s downfall. The spending of real-world money could not integrate into the Dead Space formula and ultimately felt like a greedy standard for EA games. EA Motive’s Senior Producer, Phil Ducharme, called Dead Space 3’s microtransactions a mistake and promised it won’t happen again. Interestingly enough, Ducharme was discussing several ill-viewed Dead Space mechanics, but honed in on microtransactions as his primary example. It seems to be a disgusting feature, even for game developers, therefore, we can take his promise at face value. Besides, microtransactions always bring negative press and do not belong in a single-player experience. 2. It’s Made With Fan FeedbackDead Space is an important and beloved franchise for many people, which puts a lot of pressure on EA Motive. They must revolutionize the game while pleasing a dedicated fanbase who grew up with the claustrophobic horror adventure. The goal of Motive is to achieve success by obtaining fan feedback from the very beginning of the project. In most cases, fan feedback comes near a project’s end, but Motive is allowing fan input to shape every part of the development process. According to an IGN interview, Motive picked community members to participate in a council that consistently provides feedback during development. The concept grew from a fear of ignoring fan desires with the final product. The counsel helps Motive stay in tune with their fan base and receive feedback in the midst of development. In most cases, developers don’t receive feedback until the game launches or right before the testing phase. Hopefully, Motive’s approach will minimize the need for patches and continued support after the launch. 1. The Story Will ChangeWe don’t want to get too hyperbolic. Dead Space will still receive the same overarching story, but a few minor adjustments will be made along the way. The Dead Space 1 story is the foundation that every upcoming game must adhere to in the developer’s mind. With that said, Dead Space 2 and 3 introduce new concepts that were not fleshed out in the original. Motive will reshape some story elements to create a more cohesive experience free of plot holes. The developers continued to praise the original’s story, only changing it to reference or expound on a later concept. This is always a welcome addition that only remakes can do with their comprehensive view of the overarching story.We’ve discussed changes to the Dead Space formula, but at the same time, we’re confident Motive can keep everything that made Dead Space great. Near the end of the launch trailer, the phrase, “cut off their limbs” is plastered on the wall with blood. A shot to the face won’t stop an angry Necromorph, it must be completely decimated. This invokes a gameplay mechanic of shooting off limbs to slow or limit the enemy’s attacks. Dead Space’s limb cutting feature is its most iconic and Motive is definitely leaning into it. The trailer showed off striking visuals and also gave us a bloody message. In essence, it told fans that, yes, Dead Space will be different, but we’ll never lose the concepts that made it unique. Stay tuned to Gaming Instincts via Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook for more gaming news.
A Nintendo Switch trailer was also released.
According to SteamDB.
An announcement trailer was also released.