EA and Motive have dropped the launch trailer for Dead Space, the grand remake of the action horror classic that will release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC on 27th January 2023.
There’s a fair bit of story packed into the trailer, showing snippets from the opening of the game, a bit of machiavellian dialogue from the deluded idiot that’s set on unleashing the necromoph horror upon the universe, but there’s also plenty of quick cuts of action, big explosions, and glimpses of new gameplay elements that weren’t a part of the original game.
Looking to put their own stamp on the game and bring it up to date, EA Motive are making changes to modernise some of the storytelling and gameplay, some of which will be a little controversial. For one thing, Isaac has a voice in the remake, with Gunner Wright reprising the role from Dead Space 2 and 3. They’re also bringing certain elements from later games to feature in this retelling of the original, to bind them into a more cohesive whole, fleshing out secondary characters and giving them more screentime, from Nicole and Mercer, to Jacob Temple and Elizabeth Cross who were previously only in voice notes. They’re even adding new side quests that you can go back through the ship to complete.
The game will feature a single cut camera style, as popularised by 2018’s God of War, with players having to navigate between the different areas of the USG Ishimura without hopping onto the ship’s tram system. That’s led to some brand new areas and gameplay changes, so Isaac is now able to fly through zero-G areas, which can transform some encounters where you previously had to leap and reattach to surfaces. And there’s also a power subsystem feature that forces you to sacrifice certain ship systems to power another, changing the gameplay challenge that you’ll then face.
One of our most wanted games of 2023, Dead Space looks to rekindle the action horror magic of the 2008 original, the project having been officially announced at EA Play Live 2021, and with EA reportedly a little envious of the success and popularity of Capcom’s recent run of Resident Evil remakes. All through its public development, there’s been debate over whether this will be the better successor to the Xbox 360 and PS3 originals, or The Callisto Protocol, which developed by some of the creators of Dead Space at their new studio Striking Distance. Callisto Protocol divided opinion upon release, making some significantly different gameplay choices, but it’s great to see more action horror in general.
Source: EA
