EA Play Live 2021 has finally happened, and with it came a number of reveals and more details on some of EA's biggest upcoming titles. Leading up to the event some of the company's biggest games were confirmed to not be making an appearance, including the new entries to series such as Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Skate. However, fans were promised a look at a brand new mode for Battlefield 2042, while a leak claimed that a Dead Space remake would also be shown. Those leaks were proven true, as the final trailer of the show gave fans a first look at a remake of Dead Space developed by Motive.
The Dead Space Remake teaser shown at the event was brief, but it did show off the impressive new visuals that players can expect from the remake. The end of the trailer also revealed that Dead Space is being completely rebuilt using the Frostbite engine, while EA has confirmed since that the remake will only be available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. While the remake not being playable to fans who have not been able to get their hands on a next-gen console yet is unfortunate, the remake leaving the old generation of consoles behind is a big deal for the remake and could lead to some exciting improvements on the original game.
How the Dead Space Remake Could Improve its Atmosphere
The original Dead Space was released all the way back in 2008, so there are definitely some visual improvements that can be made to the game. This could be very big for Dead Space Remake as it will be a massive boon to recreating, and possibly improving the original game's atmosphere. Atmosphere plays a massive role in making Dead Space as terrifying as it is, and the remake being able to take advantage of all the new hardware without having to scale anything back for older consoles will be huge. It is that exact reason that the reveal teaser showed off the game's improved visuals in Dead Space's iconic world.
One big new visual feature could be Dead Space Remake taking advantage of the ray-tracing features that are available on the new consoles and PC. The improved lighting could be huge for the game, especially with the game's classic HUD display on Isaac's back. Leaving the old generation of consoles behind would allow Dead Space Remake to take full advantage of this new lighting too, and would let the game completely develop environments and encounters around it being implemented. With all of the next-gen consoles' power behind it, Dead Space Remake could take the series to new heights.
How the Dead Space Remake Could Add New Features With New Hardware
One of the standout new features of the PlayStation 5 is the DualSense controller. It is so widely praised that even Head of Xbox Phil Spencer had a lot of kind words to say about its new features. Dead Space Remake ditching the old consoles increases the chance of the game taking full advantage of new hardware like the DualSense, which could be huge for the game. Features like adaptive triggers or haptic feedback could add a lot to encounters across the game. Dead Space Remake introducing features like the trigger of weapons feeling different or haptic feedback indicating an approaching Necromorph could revolutionize what it feels like to play a Dead Space game.
Another big hardware feature that Dead Space Remake could take advantage of on both consoles is their decreased load times. With both consoles boasting solid-state hard drives, next-gen console load times are drastically reduced, which could be big for the development of Dead Space Remake. Not only does it mean that players should be able to jump back into the game faster after dying, but it also will likely have a big effect on the game's design. Having faster loading has led to many games featuring massive open worlds with the game's loading of different sections hidden in the background to not disturb a player's gameplay. This could be implemented into Dead Space Remake as well, which could lead to the game easily being one of the biggest in the series with a lot of areas to explore.
What the Dead Space Remake Could Lead To
Rumors and leaks about Dead Space Remake have largely been proven to be true thus far. One aspect of the rumors that have not been confirmed yet is that the game is reportedly inspired by the likes of Resident Evil 2 Remake, which will lead to Dead Space Remake being a full re-imagining of the game. Resident Evil 2 Remake is the perfect inspiration for Dead Space Remake.
A re-imagining of Dead Space could bring some excellent changes to the series to bring the game up to modern standards while keeping the many aspects of the original that fans of the series love. This approach will help attract new survival horror fans to the series, which could also lead to the remake performing well enough to re-invigorate the franchise. With the recent announcement of the new horror game by Dead Space's original creators Callisto Protocol, Dead Space Remake being a reimagining could also help it stand out from its new competition and give it a fresh identity all its own.
The Dead Space Remake announcement is undoubtedly an exciting development for Dead Space fans. The series lying dormant for the previous console generation had many fans reasonably worried that the series was finished for good, so it is great that that is not the case. While some fans have been worried that Dead Space has been forgotten, the remake will hopefully reinvigorate the series and lead to some great new survival horror games in the future. Hopefully, fans will get some more news on what to expect from Dead Space Remake sometime in the near future.
Dead Space Remake is in development for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.