A new livestream hosted by EA's Motive Studios showcased many of the most interesting changes the Dead Space remake will be making compared to the original, although it's clear the game remains very faithful to the original vision. Aside from the obvious graphical improvements, major changes to some of the game's environments, encounters, and decision-making have helped modernize and enhance the Dead Space experience.
First announced at EA Play back in 2021, the Dead Space remake immediately grabbed the attention of longtime fans of the franchise who haven't seen a new entry from the series since 2013's Dead Space 3. The game utilizes EA's Frostbite engine which famously brought the spectacular sights of Star Wars Battlefront 2 and Star Wars Squadrons to life, while Dead Space's visuals are further improved thanks to the redesigned character and environment assets. With the official release date recently revealed to be January 27, 2023, sci-fi horror fans won't have to wait much longer before getting back into the Ishimura.
The livestream featuring Motive's Creative Director Roman Campos-Oriola and Senior Producer Philippe Ducharme celebrates the 14th anniversary of Dead Space, which was released the same day back on October 14, 2008. Over the course of the stream, a variety of gameplay scenarios were showcased throughout several of the game's chapters showing how the remake's changes impact the game. One of the biggest changes to the game is its new seamless interconnected nature, with the Ishimura's sections no longer being divided by tram ride loading screens. Exploring the game will now be one uninterrupted sequence.
Another major improvement with the Dead Space remake comes in the form of the AI "intensity director," which dynamically adjusts gameplay elements in order to control the tension and surprise the player. Upon backtracking to previous areas, Isaac may find that the ambient lighting has changed and that entirely different enemies have shown up in these areas. This will make every room feel more intense, as it's no longer a simple case of memorizing enemy spawns. In one section, Isaac has to make the choice between turning off the oxygen in an area and relying on oxygen canisters, or turning off the lights and traversing in the darkness.
Isaac Clarke is now fully voiced in the Dead Space remake as well, which will give him some more agency as a character and provide some more context leading into Dead Space 2 and 3. The developers stated that as a rule, Isaac will generally only speak while spoken to rather than talk to himself in quiet moments so that players can stay immersed during exploration. Despite many substantial changes, it's surprising how well the remake has stayed true to its predecessor.
Dead Space will release on January 27, 2023, on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.