Dead Space (Remastered) – Back to the Ishimura

Another classic game has got the treatment of being redone with better graphics and gameplay, and that game is Dead Space.

It took me a long time to finish the original game but I breezed through this remaster in less time than I thought. It is faithful and yet provides some changes that were either necessary or to give the game’s story more depth. I had originally wishlisted this remaster before upgrading my PC and decided to wait until after I did before playing.

For this review, I already covered story aspects in my original review. So this will mainly focus on gameplay and other changes I saw.

The game’s graphics look great and set a darker tone for the game’s environment, everything is very detailed. The only thing I thought was unusual in terms of visuals was Isaac’s face was completely different this time. Some say it’s because they wanted to have it resemble Gunner Wright’s face. Speaking of which, one of the biggest changes in this remaster was there is more dialogue because Isaac is no longer a silent protagonist.

I like that, it gives the story more depth as he travels through the Ishimura. The other characters don’t seem to have changed except, as I said, now they have more dialogue. Overall when it comes to story, the game is more cinematic.

When it comes to gameplay, the same as usual, survival horror to keep your eyes and ears open. Some Necromorphs I noticed didn’t make the same noises like the Exploders, but I was always able to tell if a Guardian was nearby. Cut their limbs off to slow them down. Some of them I don’t recall encountering before like the ones where I had to aim for the arms instead.

I was able to find all the weapons in the game and chose to carry the Plasma Cutter, Pulse Rifle, Line Gun, and Contact Beam. I don’t know why I never used the Contact Beam before in other games because it’s really powerful. I like how I just eventually unlock all the weapons instead of having to buy them in the store. Some new features in gameplay include having to rewire power between sources like doors and elevators, and Isaac can also get a security level clearance that allows him to access certain rooms and lockers throughout the ship. This can be upgraded over time, and there is a side mission where you have to find all the RIGs of deceased crew members to get maximum override.

So, yes there are side missions in this game and I was able to travel to different areas of the Ishimura and back to do many of them. One of them was quite interesting where I learned about the origins of the hunter Necromorph, how it used to be a man named Harris until Dr. Mercer, crazy Unitologist, inserted Necromorph tissue into the former’s cranium. It’s pretty disturbing. I also pursued Nicole’s research, and it seemed like she was almost succumbing to Unitology. Why else would she tell Isaac in a hallucination to make them whole?

What also made playing through this game much smoother was the biggest changes made to gameplay. For instance, Isaac gets those hover boots he can use in zero gravity. I hated the jumping from wall to wall all the time, and at certain parts of the game, this was extremely useful such as the fight against the Leviathan and placing the beacon on the asteroid. They also made the part with the ADS cannons much easier too, that made me rage quit in the original game!

Also, I had lots of fun fighting the Hive Mind this time, I think that’s because it had a bit more challenge without being too frustrating and it only held me upside down once. If you loved the original game, then this remaster is for you.