Last July, EA announced that its 2008 horror game, Dead Space, would get a top-to-bottom remake in the near future. Thanks to a developer livestream today (May 12), we finally know exactly when we’ll be able to play it: January 27, 2023. Furthermore, the livestream provided more than an hour of information about what fans can expect from the remake, including updated visuals and the same atmospheric sense of dread.
Three employees from Dead Space developer Motive hosted a livestream on YouTube: senior producer Philippe Ducharme, creative director Roman Campos-Oriola and art director Mike Yazijian. Over the course of about an hour, they discussed the art direction of the Dead Space remake, and revealed the game’s release date along the way.
The livestream covered a lot of territory, from updating graphics to modern consoles, to satisfying fan expectations. The three explained that Motive wants to “honor the legacy” of the cult-classic series, and create a sci-fi world that feels lived-in and scary, rather than sterile or comfortable. They also touched on the symbolism of the terrifying Necromorphs, for those of you who like a little analysis along with your survival/horror.
If anything, the remarkable thing about the Dead Space remake is just how faithful it appears to be to the original game. You can expect the same weapons, the same levels, the same structure and even the same environmental decorations. To make players feel more immersed, the developers are paying special attention to the audio design, particularly since the PS5 and Xbox Series X are capable of much more subtle sounds than their predecessors.
For those who never played the original Dead Space, it’s an action/horror game that debuted for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 back in 2008. You play as Isaac Clarke, an engineer aboard the USG Ishimura, a futuristic starship beset by monsters. What set Dead Space apart from a lot of other third-person shooters is that Clarke’s terrifying foes, the Necromorphs, had weak points in their limbs rather than their heads, which meant that strategic (and gory) dismemberment was key to success.
The game spawned two sequels and a few spinoffs, although the franchise has been pretty quiet since 2013. Fans have been clamoring for a new entry ever since then, and while a remake isn’t that, exactly, it’s at least a place to start. Dead Space will finally get a new(ish) entry come January – assuming it doesn’t get delayed, as Starfield did.
