Dead Space is one of the most beloved horror games of all time, and 14 years after the original game’s release, the series is set to come back with an ambitious remake rebuilt from the ground up. A lengthy trailer released by EA on October 14 — the original game’s anniversary — gives us our best look yet at the reimagining of Dead Space. In particular, the trailer has quite a few little details that show how the remake will expand on the original while enhancing the horrors found within the halls of the U.S.G. Ishimura. With that, here are five vital details from Dead Space’s latest trailer.
5. More Exploration Options
Developer Motive Studio has previously talked about how the Ishimura will be one seamless location rather than areas connected by a tram, but we finally got our first look at how that will work. The trailer opens at the beginning of Chapter 3, with Isaac making his way through the main hangar. In the original game this area was essentially one walkway that you’d occasionally pass through, but this time the massive hangar can be explored by flying around in Zero-G.
EA recently announced that the Ishimura will be a completely seamless experience with no load screens, and based on the new trailer it’s clear that Motive is adding plenty of new exploration elements into the mix.
4. New HUD Elements
An interesting little detail is that the module you have equipped now appears on Isaac’s weapons hud. For example, in the trailer you can see a little magnet next to the ammo account, signifying that Isaac has the kinesis module equipped.
Another interesting little HUD element happens when you’re in Zero-G, with a short line of text appearing on Isaac’s back saying “Press Z to take off.” This is a helpful signifier that should make it much easier to know when you can use Zero-G movement. Dead Space has always been about featuring immersive HUD elements, and these two small instances could suggest we’ll see some other little tweaks.
3. New Gameplay Choices
One of the most interesting sections of the trailer is when Isaac enters the Fuel Management Office. After exploring and finding the card to the office, there are three switches inside that Isaac can flip. The original game had sections where you’d have to navigate without light or use oxygen tanks when life support was down. Here, however, Isaac can choose whether to disable the lights or life support, in order to turn on the refuel station.
Of course, playing without lights versus without oxygen can provide hugely different experiences. If Motive integrated even more of these kinds of choices into the full game it could make Dead Space feel more dynamic, and create more replay value at the same time.
2. Smoke and Other Visual Effects
The Dead Space remake has all of the dynamic dismemberment you’d expect, but there’s another interesting detail in the trailer as well.
Like in the original, one combat section sees Isaac stuck in a decontamination room as he has to fight off Necromorphs. This section has been hugely enhanced in the remake, with the decontamination process layering the floor with smoke. Not only does this make the scene more atmospheric, but it also obscures your vision making it much harder to see the Lurkers that skulk along the ground.
1. Full Zero-G Movement and Combat
Probably the biggest change to the Dead Space remake is complete freedom of movement in Zero-G, something that originally wasn’t introduced until Dead Space 2. This is fully shown off in the section where Isaac goes to the centrifuge. In the original game, Zero-G required the player to pick a point to jump to, letting Isaac get on the walls and ceiling.
This new freedom of movement completely changes how this section plays out, making it much easier to get the centrifuge started. At the same time, however, it means that players need to be much more aware of their surroundings as Necromorphs can come flying in from any direction. These new changes put Dead Space more in line with the second and third games, and seem to significantly amp up the tension.
Dead Space launches on January 27, 2023, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
