One of the things 2023's Dead Space improves upon the original is how it makes the U.S.G. Ishimura feel like a single, cohesive environment. By doing away with the exclusive tram/chapter system and implementing new methods of traveling from deck to deck, Motive Studio makes it seem as though players are exploring the inside of a massive, dying, mechanical beast. Jumping off of this metaphor, Isaac Clarke and the rest of the U.S.G. Kellion repair crew are foreign bodies sent to help deal with the fatal Necromorph illness that is plaguing the once great ship.
But Dead Space's success with reinventing the U.S.G. Ishimura is a double-edged sword. Because the ship is so interconnected, Motive Studio now has its work cut out for it should it ever develop a Dead Space 2 remake. Titan Station, better known as The Sprawl, is an even bigger location in the franchise's world, and it would take a lot of work to make it feel just as cohesive as the Dead Space remake's U.S.G. Ishimura.
What Is The Sprawl?
Titan Station, also known as The Sprawl, is an Earth Government Colonial Alliance space station located on Titan -- one of Saturn's moons. Known as the place of the first ever planet crack, mining operations on Titan eventually led to the creation of the space station. It is here where workers and their loved ones reside and live their daily lives. Residential areas, schools, shopping districts, and even a local Unitology center are just a few of the areas that can be found in The Sprawl and are meant to give citizens a sense of respite and normalcy from planet cracking.
It is here where Dead Space 2's story primarily takes place. After the Site 12 Marker's influence spreads across the station, The Sprawl quickly becomes a site of another Necromorph outbreak. The majority of The Sprawl's populace are killed and turned into Necromorphs while others are driven mad by either the Marker's signal or the horrors their neighbors have committed.
Because of his previous encounter with both Necromorphs and a Red Marker, Isaac Clarke is more experienced and keeps most of his mental faculties intact. He still sees apparitions of his dead girlfriend, Nicole Brennan, but the knowledge of her death helps keep him grounded while fighting the terrors aboard The Sprawl. Now on a quest to stop another Necromorph outbreak, Isaac must work with the remaining survivors to reach the space station's Government Sector where the Marker he helped create is located.
Interconnecting The Sprawl Is A Tall Order
While Dead Space 2 doesn't have a tram system like the original Dead Space, the game still implements a chapter system and rather linear gameplay. Players are funneled from one location to the next and are occasionally met with points of no return that prevent them from backtracking to previously explored areas. While these concepts were already hard to stomach in Dead Space's U.S.G. Ishimura, it makes even less sense when implemented in Dead Space 2. The Sprawl is supposed to be a huge, interconnected space station that is divided into the Public and Government sectors. Provided players aren't commuting between the sectors, the locations found in Dead Space 2 should have multiple ways to travel to and from them. These include places like the Titan Memorial Medical Center, Titan Heights apartments, and Concourse Shopping Center - all of which are supposed to be easily accessible from each location.
Should a Dead Space 2 remake ever come to fruition, its version of The Sprawl should feel just as interconnected, if not more so, than the Dead Space remake's U.S.G. Ishimura. Isaac should be freely able to explore parts of The Sprawl to complete side missions and collect previously missed collectibles and resources. An interconnected space station would also make good use of Motive Studio's Intensity Director, which sees a lot of use in 2023's Dead Space as it adds new scares depending on the player's location.
There can be points of no return, such as before Isaac enters the Government Sector where the Site 12 Marker is located, but these should be explicitly cited by the game before players progress any further (much like the point of no return at the end of Chapter 11: Alternate Solutions in 2023's Dead Space). The Dead Space remake proves that Motive Studio can create a sense of exploration and interconnectivity in a game with a primarily linear narrative. If the studio manages to expand these elements to a much larger scale, it can make The Sprawl a more memorable place in the remake than the original Dead Space 2.
Dead Space is available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.