After years on the shelf, Dead Space fans were excited to hear rumors of the franchise’s looming return. These leaks turned out to be accurate at EA Play Live, as the show ended with a reveal that the horror franchise is making a comeback. While players will not be experiencing a new entry in the series, as developer Visceral Games disbanded years ago, EA Motive will be crafting a full remake of the original game.
With the Dead Space remake exclusive to next-gen consoles and PC, Motive can take full advantage of the technological advancements made by the new consoles. With features like 3D audio, haptic feedback, and adaptive triggers able to add to the experience, and load screens confirmed to be nonexistent, there is a lot for fans to be excited about. While the concept of a faithful remake is exciting, though, there are a few features from the sequels that can be added to make Dead Space’s big comeback even better.
Adding Dead Space 2’s Voiced Protagonist And Enemy Variety To The Dead Space Remake
Perhaps the biggest change that should be made in the Dead Space remake has to do with Isaac’s character. In the sequels, Isaac’s story became more interesting and personal, as he morphed into his own character with defining traits and deep relationships. However, it was much harder to connect with Isaac Clarke in the first game. Isaac did not talk about the situation he was in, being a silent protagonist apart from his grunts and screams.
While silent video game protagonists can work, they are hard to make interesting in the horror genre. After all, hearing a character’s thoughts on the action at hand could make a major difference to the feel of certain moments. Beyond that, Isaac having a voice simply makes him a more realistic character. The first game features some shocking moments as well as big reveals regarding the Marker and the fate of Nicole, so Isaac remaining tight-lipped about what is happening around him is strange. While his face should remain hidden so that the game’s ending still works, there is no reason that Isaac should not talk if he can grunt and yell.
Outside of giving Isaac his voice before the second game, Motive should look to work in the sequel’s expanded enemy lineup. The second Dead Space game featured some of the most grotesque enemies in the series, with The Pack being a standout example. These small white creatures were fast and always attacked in numbers, and while they were easy to kill, the way they would pounce on Isaac was terrifying. With them once being children, too, they are only outdone by the Crawlers, which are explosive infants. With the dog-like Stalkers offering some intense jumpscares, adding all these Necromorph types into the original game would be for the best.
While Motive should be careful to keep the remake horror-focused, adding an extra set piece moment with some of these enemy types here and there could be a lot of fun. Dead Space 2 struck the perfect balance between action and horror, and the remake should strive to do the same. With Dead Space 2’s pacing being perfect, as players never had a chance to truly rest, the updated version of the original game can capture that same feel. While the opening moments should be slower so that the Ishimura can be established properly as the game’s setting, keeping the Necromorph spawns consistent and varied afterwards would go a long way to making Dead Space remake more intense.
Adding Dead Space 3’s Hallucinations And Custom Weapons To The Dead Space Remake
The black sheep of the family, plenty has been said about what Dead Space 3 does wrong. After all, the game’s co-op focus was undoubtedly a step in the wrong direction, as it took away the isolation that players should feel when playing a Dead Space game. From a story perspective, the decision to include a love triangle arc was odd, and the Awakened DLC left players with many questions that will ultimately go unanswered. Worst of all, the game was almost entirely action-based, with only a few true scares to be had.
However, for all of Dead Space 3’s flaws, there are a few things from the game that are worth bringing back. For starters, hallucinations should return, as the feature was a nice way to show the impact of the Marker. The one good thing about the game having co-op play in Dead Space was how hallucinations were used, as one player could be having a terrifying experience in an elevator while another sees absolutely nothing. Not only did these make for fun moments between players over voice chat, but the sequences served as a nice way to progress the relationship between Isaac and Carver.
While Dead Space remake’s features thankfully do not include co-op, hallucinations should still come back. After all, the game does feature a Marker, and Isaac could begin to lose his sanity as the he comes closer to it. These moments could provide a perfect opportunity to add some voiceover for Isaac, and showing the character hallucinating before the game’s ending would make it less confusing to new players. Aside from allowing for a better transition into Dead Space 2, hallucinations could make multiple playthroughs more interesting. If hallucinations are randomized, and there is a large variety of them, players could see different things on different playthroughs.
Alongside an expansive hallucination mechanic that makes the game more replayable, Dead Space 3’s weapon crafting system should return. While it should not include microtransactions, as such a decision would infuriate fans, letting players mix and match weapons was a huge draw for the third game. Being able to put a Plasma Cutter and Line Gun together was extremely cool, as it let players switch between weapon types with ease. Players could make and name their own guns, setting up Isaac and Carver so that they had the perfect playstyle to match each player’s needs. With features like adaptive triggers existing on the PS5’s DaulSense controller, switching between the firing modes could be even easier.
With Callisto Protocol looking promising, the Dead Space remake needs to do everything it can to be the best that it can be. While a perfect recreation of the 2008 game would surely be excellent, as it is beloved for a reason, games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake prove that significant changes can pay off. Adding in features from the sequels would be risky, but it could also be rewarding. Hallucinations and voice acting could make Isaac as interesting as he was in Dead Space 2 and 3, while more enemy variety would hardly be a bad thing. With weapon crafting being another feature that would add more layers to the gameplay, there is plenty that the remake could take from the sequels to truly blow fans away.
The Dead Space remake is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.