Review

Played "Dead Space": A little dusty, but still the sci-fi horror king

30.1.2023

Translation: machine translated

The "Dead Space" remake makes the horror classic more contemporary. Although the gameplay no longer seems quite so fresh, the game still provides eerily beautiful moments of terror.

USG Ishimura. When the name of the legendary planet-cracker is mentioned for the first time during the intro and the spaceship emerges from behind two meteorites, I get goosebumps. It's been a long time since I was last here. 15 years, to be precise. The original "Dead Space" was released in 2008. EA allowed the now-defunct studio Visceral Games to make two sequels until protagonist Isaac Clark died his last gruesome death. Now the cunning communications engineer is back to face the horror that awaits him on board the Ishimura once again.

New studio, new engine

The "Dead Space" remake was developed from scratch. Motive Studio, which last worked on "Star Wars Squadron", is responsible for the remake. The previous engine has been replaced by Frostbite, which Dice developed for "Battlefield". As a result, the game shines in new splendour and doesn't even have to hide behind "The Callisto Protocol". This was developed to a large extent by the same people as "Dead Space", but does not come close to the quality of the original.

The design of the spacesuit is timeless.
Source: EA

This doesn't mean that the "Dead Space" remake doesn't show its age. Many gameplay elements, such as rewiring circuits or swapping batteries, aren't the most original pastimes. But there are also some harmonious moments. When you connect house-sized, rotating devices to turbines in zero gravity. The rumble when they start spinning goes through your bones. Then you really feel like you're on board a gigantic spaceship.

Horror can also be subtle

The sound design still puts most horror games in the shade. There are constant groans, rumbles and hisses, accompanied by a tinkling soundtrack that pulls your fingernails back. Marvellous. Even if it has a little too many jumpscares for me, I can say after just a few hours: "Dead Space" is still the undisputed sci-fi horror king in 2023. No matter how many explicit death animations you add to "The Callisto Protocol" with the season pass. "Dead Space" doesn't need that. It can also do subtle horror. For example, when you float weightlessly through airless rooms and almost all sounds disappear with the oxygen. Then, when a nightmarish monster stalks you from a dark corner, the deafening pounding of your heartbeat shatters all silence. This is what good horror should be like.

"Dead Space" was provided to us by EA. The game is available for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series. <p

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Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.

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Played "Dead Space": A little dusty, but still the sci-fi horror king

New studio, new engine

Horror can also be subtle

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