Now that the Dead Space remake has been postponed to 2023, developer Motive Studios can spend more time fine-tuning the game for players. There have already been tangible improvements to the graphics and audio, so it is with high hopes that other important aspects such as gameplay will follow suit. But one thing the Dead Space remake has to get right is its portrayal of main protagonist Isaac Clarke.
Unlike many games in the 2000s that starred soldier protagonists, the original Dead Space cast everyman Isaac Clarke in the lead role. An engineer by profession, Isaac is sent as part of a repair crew to fix the USG Ishimura. The planet cracking spaceship was tasked to mine the planet Aegis VII until communications onboard the ship went dark, save for a distress signal. It is here where the majority of Dead Space takes place, as Isaac and his companions fight the Necromorphs - reanimated corpses of the Ishimura crew - and attempt to repair the ship so they can escape.
Repurposed Tools For Survival
Rather than gunning his way through hordes of Necromorphs, Isaac Clarke uses his wits and engineering knowledge to survive. He isn't a battle-hardened veteran, so he doesn't have immediate access to military hardware. Instead, Isaac starts with his handy plasma cutter to chop off the Necromorphs' limbs. This is a recurring theme throughout Dead Space, where players find blueprints for multiple engineering tools which are repurposed for combat.
Strategic dismemberment is at the core of Dead Space gameplay. Since Necromorphs can't be killed with headshots, Isaac must cut off their limbs in order to stop their advance. This adds an almost puzzle-like element to combat where instead of mindlessly aiming for a single weak point, Dead Space players have to get creative with their tools and how they cut apart their adversaries. Different Necromorphs have different anatomies and weak points, so Isaac has to keep on his toes and use that creative mind he nurtured back in engineering school to deal with them.
Puzzle Solving Is A Big Part Of Who Isaac Is
Apart from the puzzle-like elements of combat, Dead Space also has traditional puzzles. Since Isaac and company are trying to fix the USG Ishimura, there is a lot of working with machinery. This usually involves Isaac using his Kinesis or Statis Module to move or slow down heavy machinery to make it easy to work with.
When viewed in the context of the Dead Space world, it is very believable that engineers onboard the USG Ishimura would use such tools to repair the ship. Maintenance and repair bays are littered with posters and equipment that complement Isaac's tools. Statis module recharge stations can be found in areas that need it, while zero gravity areas have panels that Isaac can stick his engineering suit's boots onto. Whenever players are tasked with repairing the ship, it isn't hard to see that Isaac himself is familiar with fixing all sorts of mechanical equipment.
Narrative Will Dictate How Experienced Isaac Is
Since this is a remake of the first Dead Space, Motive Studios won't have as hard a time coming up with a story. The first Dead Space was a story of survival, where Isaac Clarke had to fix the USG Ishimura and find his missing girlfriend Nicole Brennan while fending off Necromorphs. However, it has been said that Isaac Clarke's original voice actor, Gunner Wright, will be voicing the character in the Dead Space remake. Apart from grunts and screams, Isaac was a silent protagonist in Dead Space. He only started talking more in Dead Space 2, where Wright got to show more of the character's nuances and personality. With Isaac confirmed to speak throughout the Dead Space remake, he could have a chance to talk a bit about his engineer background, going into detail about how he learned to do certain things.
Giving Isaac a voice in the Dead Space remake would give him more methods of expression. Panic, doubt, and dread are just some of the feelings players never got to see from Isaac since he never talked and always had his helmet on. Unlike Dead Space 2, Isaac isn't experienced in handling the Necromorph threat yet. Letting Gunner Wright portray a greenhorn Isaac Clarke who isn't suffering from bouts of dementia will give players something to look forward to (he might even be nerdy since he isn't jaded yet). Motive Studios has a lot of expectations to meet, but if it gets the main character right, then a lot of critical pieces will fall into place.
The Dead Space remake is set to release in early 2023 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.