{"id":97121,"date":"2022-10-14T17:36:47","date_gmt":"2022-10-14T17:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/dead-space-remake-hands-on-preview\/"},"modified":"2022-10-14T17:36:47","modified_gmt":"2022-10-14T17:36:47","slug":"dead-space-remake-hands-on-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/dead-space-remake-hands-on-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"Dead Space Remake Hands-On Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As far as I’m concerned, the original 2008 Dead Space still looks and plays pretty good today. Its art design alone goes a long way toward keeping it looking fresh amongst 2022’s next-gen dazzlers. <\/p>\n

But despite that enduring appeal, Dead Space is yet another classic game getting the full remake treatment, and where developer EA Motive seemingly uncovered the most space for improvement is in the margins and fine details. <\/p>\n

No matter how well I think the original holds up, it’s admittedly nothing compared to what EA Motive showed off to the press during our lengthy preview of the upcoming remake. <\/p>\n

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My time with this preview build reminded me just how gnarly Dead Space was in the first place. While gruesome games were admittedly in their golden era during the mid-2000s (think of how popular Gears of War was back then), Dead Space really tried to outdo the competition. I definitely blocked the Necromorph babies from my memory, but here they are ready to skewer you through the head if you aren’t too careful.<\/p>\n

The USG Ishimura where Dead Space is set is reborn, hissing, and more sinister than ever. The Ishimura is hands-down the least welcoming ship in any universe, and being able to see this rust-colored behemoth in even greater detail is breathtaking.<\/p>\n

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It can also be fully explored without any loading screens or cutscenes. To be able to freely walk through this terrifying labyrinth only makes one of gaming’s greatest locations even more glorious. Motive has made a big deal about the new tech like this found underneath the hood, from the peeling system that gives the Necromorphs even more layers to surgically hack away, to audio tech that dynamically reacts to whether Isaac is hurt or not. <\/p>\n

But beyond these cosmetic changes, Motive has introduced one more impressive trick to add a layer of intensity that didn’t exist previously: The Intensity Director. The Intensity Director was developed to solve an interesting side-effect of the remake’s more open map. <\/p>\n

While Dead Space originally relied on scripting terrifying moments for maximum scares, this Ishimura deserves to be explored to its fullest. But that means if you backtrack, you might not be worried about going into certain rooms that you’ve already cleared.<\/p>\n

The Intensity Director says ‘not so fast.’ Its presence isn’t overtly advertised, but it’s always there to shake things up or disturb you in new ways if you’re ever feeling too safe. According to Motive there are hundreds of events that can play out depending on the \u201cdice roll,\u201d from environmental effects like light and smoke to Necromorph spawns \u2013 some can be very subtle, and t took a couple of instances of backtracking for me to think to myself, \u201cwait did this room always hiss?\u201d<\/p>\n