Review – Dead Space (PC, PS3, X360)

After years of digesting countless horror and science fiction films one begins to develop a sort of extracurricular survival instinct. Never spend a weekend in an old, abandoned cabin in the woods. Never approach the corpse of a seemingly deceased monster in order to verify that it’s dead – it probably isn’t. And never, ever, respond to a deep space distress signal.

The crew aboard the USG Kellion should have watched more movies.

Responding to a distress signal emitting from the USG Ishimura – a massive, planet-cracking mining vessel – the crew of the USG Kellion experience technical difficulties that force them to dock. After a turbulent and treacherous landing, the crew set out to explore the derelict mining vessel in hopes to learn more about what transpired there. One such crew member is Isaac Clarke, a ship specialist, engineer, and the protagonist of our story. It’s not long before all hell breaks loose, and Isaac is separated from the rest of his crew. Surviving members scatter to more isolated areas of the ship, keeping Isaac abreast of their condition via radio and video communications. Being the only remaining engineer, Isaac is soon tasked with the job of restoring power and navigations to the USG Ishimura – and so begins the story of EA’s Dead Space.

While investigating the many rooms and corridors of the Ishimura, Isaac will encounter a variety of creatures known as Necromorphs. Necromorphs are a necrotic parasite of unknown origin that use human corpses as hosts, making every body you see a possible threat. The strange nature of these parasites give birth to the core mechanic of Dead Space – ’strategic dismemberment’. Our well-honed combat instincts would have us train our cross hairs on an adversary’s head, but in Dead Space, this tactic is almost always ineffective. The Necromorphs typically enter and reside within a corpse’s extremities, forcing you to make arm and leg shots instead of head shots. To compliment this strategy, the weapons of Dead Space typically discharge their ordinance in shapes and patterns. The Line Gun, for instance, discharges a line of energy that is capable of severing limbs, and its secondary fire toggles the weapon between horizontal and vertical line mode. Either mode can be ideal for targeting arms and legs, and will cut with surgical precision in the hands of a veteran.

Controlling Isaac feels great. The situations that you’ll put him in will no doubt evoke a sense of horror and helplessness, but unlike most survival horror games, this sensation does not stem from stiff and awkward controls. Every movement Isaac makes feels deliberate and precise, even when exploring areas in zero gravity. Dealing with the unrelenting Necromorphs can be stressful enough, the last thing we’d need would be sloppy controls on top of that.

Putting his engineering degree to the test, Isaac is capable of upgrading and modifying his equipment. Engineering workbenches can be found throughout the USG Ishimura that enable Isaac to slot power nodes into his equipment. Each piece of equipment features branching paths of power node slots, each of which will upgrade the respective equipment in a specific way. You can increase the defensive capabilities of your armour, improve the rate of fire and damage of your weapons, and even improve the capacity of your oxygen reserves. Nodes can be difficult to find, but if you manage to salvage enough junk throughout your missions, selling it all to one of the many automated shops could earn you enough to purchase a node or two. Shops are also ideal for restocking ammo and healing supplies, as well as developing new weapons and equipment from any engineering plans you happen to find.

Dead Space’s visual presentation is phenomenal, creating an atmosphere that is not only creepy and terrifying, but entirely believable. The space ship and weapon designs are heavy and mechanical, with each piece and component having a realistic-looking purpose. The creature and character models are equally well designed, each sporting smooth animations and crisp textures. And each sub-type of Necromorph possesses its own unique look and character, while still adhering to the overall design of their species.  The dynamic lighting in the game can really help capture the mood, causing stark shadows to dance about on walls, and brings vibrant dashes of colour to an otherwise drab-looking ship.

And to further immerse the player, EA have opted not to use a HUD (heads-up display). Instead, all critical information is represented and rendered in-game. The ammo reading on your gun is your only indication of how many shots remain, and the blue energy circuit that travels up the back of Isaac’s suit is actually his life bar. Accessing shops and workbenches will spawn a holographic interface before you instead of taking you to a separate screen, and communicating with other characters is done via a small holographic image originating from Isaac’s arm. Furthermore, the computer in Isaac’s suit features floor plans for the USG Ishimura. If you’re ever lost on the way to your objective, Isaac’s suit can illuminate the floor with a path to be travelled.

The sound design is also superb. The voice actors fail on their delivery of a few lines, but are otherwise very professional. Very little music is heard in the game, but when it cues up, you’re in for a nice, creepy treat. The real stars of the sound design, however, are the environment and creature sound effects. Hearing the distant moan of a Necromorph as you wander down a dark corridor will send a shiver up your spine, and the rattling and creaking of the USG Ishimura can make it sound like a monster in its own right. Survival horror games are all about atmosphere, and the sound design in Dead Space helps deliver it in spades.

Unfortunately, Dead Space leans toward the easy side of the difficulty spectrum. The easier difficulties are ideal for survival horror beginners, but even the harder ones will be of little challenge to genre veterans. Obtaining an abundance of power nodes can be easy if you adopt the proper strategy, and ammo and health items are rarely in short supply. The enemy AI is generally intelligent, but once you develop tactics for dealing with them, they can become significantly easier. You should expect to sink about 12 hours into clearing the game if you’re new to the genre, but veterans should be capable of doing it in 8 hours.

The story may be derivative of so many things to come before it, but there are enough new ideas in Dead Space to keep it feeling fresh. The innovative visual design and clever gameplay really help this new property stand out from its genre peers – a collection of stale sequels with little new to offer. The game may not be perfect, but it’s a brilliant start. We look forward to seeing what the future of the Dead Space franchise offers.