The original Dead Space came out in 2008, but it is still a timeless classic for fans of horror games that left a huge impact on the horror genre at the time. It boasted brilliant sound design, an expansive universe, and a unique mechanic of dismembering enemies rather than shooting them in the head. The USG Ishimura is a well-realized setting for the game and the horrors that occurred are as interesting as they are creepy. Space is a great setting for horror and Dead Space made the most of it, but it was still 2008 and the game definitely benefited from the touch-ups.
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The Dead Space Remake is a faithful adaptation of the original title and even receivedpraise from the original creatorfor being faithful. The plethora of added changes never feels wedged in unnecessarily which really shows the care taken with each one. Alongside the new next-generation polish there are a lot of mechanics that got added as well as new story beats that got added to accommodate the new and improved Dead Space so here is a list of the 10 biggest differences.
10Fleshed Out Gore
One of the graphical touch-ups afforded by newer technology is the addition of a new and improved look and feel to the dismemberment of Necromorphs. Isaac’s arsenal of makeshift weapons has much better damage feedback and really shows off the damage you are doing to them.
Their flesh can be melted off, and the skin can be ripped off them as you peel the muscle from their bone until all that remains is the skeletal frame of what it was. Once you peel back a few layers the limbs are much easier to cut off which can encourage the use of multiple weapons to soften them up. It is now much easier to know when your shot will cut through the limb because you may see how much muscle, bone, and flesh is actually holding them together.
9Zero Gravity Sections
The zero gravity in the original Dead Space was all about jumping from point to point keeping Isaac anchored in the zero gravity environment rather than the flight system that allows Isaac full control in zero gravity areas allowing you to fly around and move freely in the environments. This option has a lot more mobility to it and is used to create interesting puzzles that make good use of the three-dimensional space.
The remake has adopted the freedom of movement in zero gravity that the other games had which is a welcome feature since in the original game it always felt clunky. Flying around is much more enjoyable to do, but some sections had to be redesigned to incorporate this system. Being able to fly around the environment freely just feels better and creates more tension as an ambush could come from any direction. This is a great feature to bring over from the other games, and it really makes it feel more next-gen in the new heavily detailed areas.
8Reworked Turret Section
One controversial section of the original Dead Space required Isaac to use the ship’s ADS guns manually to protect the Ishimura from asteroids in Chapter Four in the form of a turret section. This entire section has been changed entirely from doing a turret section and protecting the ship by shooting asteroids before they can destroy the hull. Instead, in the remake, it has been changed to redirecting certain sections of the ship’s power to the ADS systems before going out into space and manually recalibrating the guns yourself.
So while you are still shooting the asteroids it doesn’t feel as tedious and actually feels like something an engineer might have to do in this situation. By giving the guns targeting data by shooting enough asteroids to recalibrate the system they are able to shoot automatically, and your work is done. This change is a culmination of the new zero gravity and feedback from the community about the turret section being a terrible idea for a horror game and definitely solved the weird out-of-place feeling this chapter had in the original.
7Side Quests
Another impactful change the remake does is it connects the various sections of the Ishimura with thetram systemthat you’re able to unlock as you explore the ship. This change opens up the ship to you which is important with the addition of three side quests that you can complete over the course of the main story which will require you to backtrack around the ship as you get higher security clearance. One side quest for example follows Nicole, who is the reason Isaac is even on this ship to begin with, as you uncover what she was doing on the ship which gives her character more depth and actually fits the whole purpose Isaac is even on the ship.
Another side quest involves getting the highest possible security clearance by scavenging the RIGs of important crew members which can let you access some extra rooms and find weapon upgrades. These brand-new missions are nice optional tasks for Isaac to do that also give insight into the other members of the crew and how the outbreak happened as well as prompt you to revisit areas later in the game once you have the ability to get behind higher security clearance doors.
6Weapon Alt-Fires and Upgrade Paths
A few of the tools in Isaac’s arsenal got reworked to have different alternate fires which make them a bit stronger at their respective purpose during fights. ThePulse Riflegets another new alt fire in the form of aproximity mine, and theLine Cuttergot a very powerfullaser trip wirethat can fry enemies that walk through them. Additionally, the new weapon upgrades that you may find around the world or purchase in shops give weapons up to three special abilities, as well as additional node slots to further increase their power.
This all works much better to promote exploration and reward you for checking every nook of the ship while also giving you other things to buy from the shop if you have the money to spare. There are also no longer empty nodes in the upgrade tree anymore to make each node investment have value and make for fewer moments where you would spend nodes and get no immediate value from them. Some of the new stand-out weapons are theFlamethrowerwhich has afirewallas its new alt-fire which can create space and even swiftly kill Guardians. The new gore favors a lot of these weapons as well really letting you see the damage you deal.
5Kinesis Attacks
Kinesis attacks are another feature carried over from the other games that were not in the original Dead Space which gives Isaac the ability to impale enemies with their own claws using Kinesis. This small change actually changes a lot as your environment is now much more important as you’re able to use that instead of shooting precious ammo.
Normally the Kinesis tool is used for solving puzzles and grabbing loot from afar, so the inclusion of offensive options is very welcome and adds some depth to the combat and makes both your stasis and Kinesis powerful combat additions rather than limiting them to puzzle-solving and ship repair. Being able to use the claws that you cut off from enemies into weapons always feels so satisfying, and pinning Necromorphs to walls never gets old.
4The Leviathan Boss
The Leviathanboss fight has been extended to a two-part fight in the form of ejecting it into space and then fighting it later as it clings to the ship which replacesThe Slugfight that was in the original. You need to get it to let go of the ship, so you’re able to radio the Valor and tell them to not open the escape pod with a Slasher in it. The first encounter is for the most part the same besides fighting it in the new zero gravity and ejecting the monster out of Hydroponics, restoring the air.
The second time you fight it in the remake you have to employ a similar strategy from before when you had to recalibrate the ADS canons. You use the turrets similarly you shot down asteroids, only this time you are aiming at weak spots on the Leviathan while dodging its attacks. This is a homage to the fight in the original Dead Space when you use the turret to fight The Slug which serves a similar story purpose but is a different sort of fight altogether.
3Isaac Gets A Voice
In the original Dead Space Isaac was a silent protagonist and often just followed the orders given to him and got bossed around by the team despite being the Engineer of the group who would be the one calling the shots in matters regarding the repair of the ship. Silent protagonists are pretty hit or miss, and some people may prefer the more immersive experience and isolated feeling to the game, but the other games thrived on a voiced Isaac and the remake had to shift some story beats around to accommodate his newfound agency.
Overall, this change adds a lot to the story and is really fleshed out with Isaac even delivering lines in a more exasperated manner when he is low on health, or being less than pleased when his gun runs out of ammo in the middle of a heated moment. Isaac has a voice and all the little details and story moments changed are nice touches and really make it feel like a different game despite being the same story.
2Secret Ending
The remake added a secret ending that can be seen at the end of New Game+, If you want to get this ending yourself here is a guide onhow to unlock the secret ending. This new ending is acquired by collecting all the Marker Fragments scattered around the ship. This new ending shows a more corrupted form of Isaac where the Marker seems to have a little more control over his mind, and he even gets some new dialogue to reflect his newfound interests.
This ending is a nice touch and gives even more reasons to play through the game again as if you needed another one. The secret ending is a nice touch for fans that know how the story plays out in the sequel and getting to see hints at that in a remake is pretty great fan service that would be a welcome addition if they remake the other games in the series.
1Security Clearance
Gone are the days of saving a power node at all times to have one in case you run across a door that needed one to open. In the original Dead Space, this is how areas with good loot or secrets were locked off to the player which required them to always have a spare power node.
In the remake, this has been replaced withSecurity Clearancewhich will increase as you progress through the story and allow access to these loot rooms, as well as other goodies that you can find later by revisiting these areas to open the doors you couldn’t your first run through. The side quest to get the highest security clearance is required to get certain weapon upgrades, so it can be nice to do if you want to deck out your arsenal to its fullest potential.
NEXT:Dead Space Remake: Complete Guide And Walkthrough
