After years of fans begging and pleading, EA is finally bringing Dead Space back in the form of a remake. The new title will recreate the franchise's debut title. At the moment all fans have to go on is a short trailer and some promises from the publisher.
This is more than enough to get players' imaginations racing, however. The entries below detail the most important things about the upcoming remake and the things we want most from it. As long as fans are afraid to go to sleep at night with the lights off after playing, we will be happy.
9 What We Know: Expanded Story From The Original
The original Dead Space does a great job at introducing a world and the concept of Necromorphs, but the actual journey through the Ishimura is more motivated by gameplay than an actual plot. Most of the chapters involve little more than going to a part of the ship in order to escape it.
The remake will follow in the original's footsteps but already promises to expand upon the basic narrative. Elements from future games will be a part of the story, tying the game in with the overarching lore.
8 What We Know: Exclusively For Next-Generation Consoles
The line between console generations is still blurred. Most games are coming out on both generations of Xbox and PlayStation. Notable exceptions to this include Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Returnal.
It is hard to tell how this practice will hold up by the time the Dead Space remake comes out, but the revival of this survival horror franchise is going to release exclusively on the current generation of consoles. It will take full advantage of the current hardware, not having to hold anything back in order to run on PS4 or Xbox One.
7 What We Want: Diegetic HUD
The original series did a lot of subtle things few games were doing before. These little touches all added up to something truly special. One of the most important design aspects was the Diegetic HUD. Every menu and piece of the UI was a part of the game world, from the shops to Isaac Clarke's health bar.
We sincerely hope the remake retains this aspect of the design. While only a small detail, it helps with immersion. Doing it would also help fans understand the team tackling the remake appreciates what makes Dead Space unique.
6 What We Know: Zero Load Screens
Despite being a remake, the team has ambitious plans for Dead Space. No load screens are already a part of the plan. Notable games without load times include 2018's God of War and Resident Evil: Village.
The original Dead Space has load times in between chapters, but it is fairly seamless compared to other linear action and horror games of the time. No loading in a horror title means less time for respite.
5 What We Want: 60 Frame Per Second
This generation is offering players a lot of choice in terms of performance. Most games have at least two modes; one prioritizing resolution over frame rate and vice versa. While some prefer playing with as crystal clear an image as possible, many would rather play with a smooth frame rate.
We hope this practice does not change as the generation goes on and Dead Space offers a 60 frames per second option. Let's not rule out 120 frames per second, either.
4 What We Know: No Microtransactions
Many fans feel Dead Space 3 ruined the franchise with its focus on cooperative gameplay and a heavier dose of action. On top of these was also the addition of microtransactions.
These are annoying in competitive multiplayer games and feel like a sin outright in a narrative-focused campaign. The developer has already assuaged fans' concerns regarding microtransactions in this remake. There are no plans to have any of them within the title. We sincerely hope the company does not go back on its promise.
3 What We Want: A Remaster Of The Original
We don't have a release date for the remake and work has not been going on for too long. With this in mind, we very well may be waiting for two years or so for this game.
In the meantime, why doesn't EA release a remaster of the debut entry to remind people why Dead Space is so great in the first place. Xbox owners at least have backward compatibility to help them access this classic, but PlayStation owners have to hook up their PS3 to play it.
2 What We Know: It Will Run On The Frostbite Engine
Dead Space's remake is set to run on the frostbite engine, notable for running the Battlefield franchise. In the right hands, the engine can make for some absolutely dazzling visual presentations.
The destructible environments of Battlefield also give us hope for Dead Space including the same feature. The engine has never let people down when it comes to straightforward shooters.
1 What We Want: Advanced AI
The original Dead Space remains unpredictable because of the dynamic enemy placements. Necromorphs will not necessarily show up in the same places on a second playthrough.
The remake should take this idea a step further. Dead Space's enemies are scary enough just from their design. Imagine how menacing they would be with intelligent AI driving their actions.