PlayBack: Dead Space

My relationship with Dead Space may have soured somewhat over the years, yet it still holds a special place in my heart. This was partly due to how I came across the progressive sci-fi/horror hybrid: while flipping through the pages of video game magazine.

Remember those? Personally, I struggle to, though what’s always stuck with me is that feeling of excitement. It must have been late 2007 at the time and, despite the rapid growth of online gaming sites and communities, many of us still relied on glossy paperbacks for our news intake. Unless they were front-page cover stories, upcoming titles were usually teased with one or two columns and a screenshot with no link to a NeoGAF thread packed to the rafters with every juicy detail.

Enough reminiscing, though. When it launched on Halloween back in 2008, Dead Space was refreshing to say the least. At its core it was just a regular third person shooter though a myriad of nuances helped the game to stand out.

Best Bit

Chief among those nuances was the amount of detail EA Redwood Shores (now Visceral Games) put into the game’s environment. For those who don’t know, Dead Space mostly takes place on the USG Ishimura, a “Planet Cracker” sent to Aegis VII. In the distant future humanity has gone further and further into space, either colonising planets or literally tearing them apart for resources. This latest job is different, however, and when a certain artefact is recovered from the surface a blackout follows. Call in specialist engineer, Isaac Clarke.

Chapter by chapter, players led their silent avatar through a series of settings, all bearing the same, slick sci-fi aesthetic. Dining halls, nurseries, laboratories, hydroponics, docking stations, all bearing the authentic look of a futuristic vessel cast into space. What really set these environments apart, however, was how well Visceral manipulated them to reflect the relentless spread of an unknown infestation. A juxtaposition of sterile, metal interiors next to pulsating mounds of flesh, soaked in ichor and receding the shadows.

Visual fidelity is one thing, though audio design was what ultimately gave Dead Space that iconic sense of atmosphere. Whether slowly building or suddenly throttling the player, it was spot-on almost all the time and backed up by some truly haunting spoken dialogue. One thing I still remember was how a twisted cover of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” was used to market the game to great effect.

Worst Bit

When the credits started to roll, I put my controller to one side and felt rather content. Though not exactly ground-breaking, Dead Space reanimated that perfect cluster of elements that had began to fade from the horror game genre.

However, upon recently revisiting the game, it had certainly lost some of that impact. A few of the jump scares still managed to get me, though everything else was predictable and the story didn’t provide much in the way of substance. Though there’s plenty of enjoyment to be had from the assortment of novels, comic books – and even films – the game itself was straightforward A to B romp with a mostly throwaway cast.

The gameplay has also lost some of its pizazz too. The unpredictable nature of the Necromorphs made for an enthralling shooting experience the first time around, but felt drawn out the second time, especially when ramping up the difficulty setting.

These complaints, as I’m sure some will be quick to point out, aren’t entirely fair though. Of course, I’m comparing Dead Space to what’s on the market right now, almost six years after the game made its fantastic debut. I’m not saying the game hasn’t aged well (hell, it looks damn gorgeous) though, like even the best horror films, you can’t simply jump back in and expect the same thrill ride.

As it stands, Dead Space is still a highly recommendable game. If you’ve yet to try the series then it’s an unbeatable entry point and a modern milestone of its genre. Over the years Dead Space may have become more and more of a shooter than an actual horror game, though the original still has perfect form. At least the first time around.