Developer: EA Redwood Shores
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Rrp: £6.79 (Origin), £9.99 (Steam) and £14.99 (Gog.com)
Released: 20th October 2008
Available on: Steam, Gog.com and Origin
Played Using: An Xbox 360 Control Pad
It was just supposed to be repair mission, an urgent one, sure. Typically the most deadly thing you deal with is your Plasma Cutter and all you have to do with that is not point it at yourself. But these things? The walking twisted reanimated things that stalk the ship? How do you deal with that? It was supposed to be a repair mission…
What is Dead Space? Based on the tags on Steam calling it an action sci-fi horror game would be fair, but I think of it more as a horror thriller. Sure it does have action and plenty of it, but to me that isn’t the defining characteristic of this game. This game likes to build tension and then culminate that building tension with something grotesque and horrific that you do, indeed, need to fight.
You play as an engineer named Isaac Clarke (a not so subtle reference to sci-fi author Isaac Asimov and Arthur C Clarke), who’s been brought as part of a repair crew to the USG Ishimura.
So lets start off by talking about how this game builds the tension. Now I could go on about the sound design or the visuals and don’t worry I will, but there’s one thing specifically that I want to point out… the camera. The camera has been deliberately placed very close to Isaacs back, meaning that the players character model actually takes up a fairly significant portion of the screen. This reduces the visibility that the player has and creates a sense of claustrophobia, especially as Isaac navigates his way through the narrow corridors that fill the ship. I’ll admit that at first I absolutely hated this design choice, all I wanted to do was zoom the camera out, even if only a little.
But after playing the game for a while I grew an appreciation for it.
Its very clear from the design of the ships interior and the sound design that the games creators took some very heavy cues from the film Alien. And to be honest, if you’re going to pick a horror set in space Alien is a damned good choice.
Lastly there’s body language of our protagonist, Isaac. Isaac is an engineer rather than a soldier, and this reflects in the way he fights, which is quite sloppy and clearly without training, but also in his body language. If you look he’s hunched slightly, almost cowering and very clearly afraid but still determined.
For me, the horror on show in this game isn’t all about the imminent danger of Isaac being torn to shreds. I’d say the main thing that provides the horror is the enemies, or more precisely, what they’ve been created from. The fact that every enemy without exception is created from the twisted remains of humans is to me one of the most disturbing themes of the game. The idea that nothing is sacred, that even in death your body will be taken and twisted, in some cases I actually question whether the people are even dead and are being forced to witness what they’re body has become.
The designers have been quite clever and found a way to display necessary information such as health without filling screen with a HUD. As I mentioned earlier the camera is kept close to Isaacs back, causing him to obscure a portion of the left side of the screen. On his back running along his spine is a bar that is lit up representing Isaacs health, meaning that the obscured area is more than just dead space (sorry it was just too good an opportunity to miss).
The inventory is less cleverly hidden but works well within the theming of the game, as it is displayed as a hologram projected from Isaacs chest. The game doesn’t pause while you are navigating the inventory, meaning that you can be quite easily caught unawares. I could go on about some of the other clever space saving and immersive ways the designers achieved things but I think it might detract from the experience knowing ahead of playing it.
In another move that subverts expectations is the fact that your required to shoot off the limbs of the necromorphs to kill them. You’d think that would make the game easier, but it really doesn’t. If the enemies were human it would, but since these things are twisted abominations their limbs aren’t placed where we expect and don’t exactly move in the manner we humans are accustomed to. Oh and headshots are almost worthless.
Fairly early on in the game you find an item called a stasis module. This module allows you to slow down time on a given object or enemy or push and pull inanimate objects within a limited range. You’ll use this item to access areas that otherwise would be cut off from you, but its also very handy against the necromorphs. Of course such a potent item can’t be used forever, it has a power source and requires recharging from time to time. Thankfully there are stasis recharge stations and stasis packs scatted throughout the ship.
As you wander the Ishimura you’ll find items called power nodes. These power nodes are dual in purpose as they can be used to open certain locked doors, that will allow the player to raid some usually fairly nice items. However more importantly power nodes can be used at a bench to upgrade Isaacs weapons, rig and stasis module.
There’s a new game plus mode which lets you keep all the equipment and upgrades from your previous game. Although, I’m not sure why you’d want to play that as when I tried it I found it removed all the sense of tension from the experience. I knew full well how to defeat the necromorphs and when they would appear. I also knew that I was more than equipped enough to be able to defeat them without too much issue. Kinda’ takes away from the whole challenge of the game.
In my book this is a very firm recommendation to anyone even remotely interested in horror.
This is the first game in a very long time to actually make me panic shoot. Not just jump from a scare chord or yelp from a sudden event but actually freak out and start to fire in a panic.
If this appeals to you perhaps try;
The Evil Within
Alien Isolation
Resident Evil 4
