5/5 ★ – Hill417's review of Dead Space.

One problem that I have while playing horror games (specifically action horror games) is that I will always get tensed up, spooked over every little sound and act hesitant to look around every corner, fearing whatever nightmare was about to jump at me. However when I get halfway through the second act that sense of fear has dissipated because I’ve been getting stronger and stronger with new weapons and powerful upgrades. With the case of Dead Space, even when it was time for my showdown with the final boss, I never dropped my guard, that sense of fear and tension never left my system no matter how strong I got. Our story begins with Issac Clarke, on his way with a small crew on a repair mission to the USS Ishimura, which is in the middle of a mining operation, but when mutated monstrosities known as Necromorphs causes the group to be separated Issac seeks to repair the ship to give them a fighting chance for survival and to see if his girlfriend Nicole (who happens to work on the ship), is still alive. However the more you explore this forsaken ship you learn that there was much more to this mining operation. Our guns aren’t so much as firearms, but more like elaborate construction weapons and they are pretty cool and unique. We have the trusty Plasma Cutter, a Flamethrower, Ripcutter (basically a saw gun). Then as we progress we get some much more interesting weapons like the Line Gun which is a heavier even stronger version of the Plasma Cutter and the Force gun which makes enemies implode on site. Yet even with these stronger weapons I still had this uneasy feeling. One moment early on taught me the hard way. I was trying to repair a section o the ship, there was so much noise happening that I could not hear the Necromorph break through the vent behind me so it took me by surprise. When I had to go outside the ship into zero gravity, a projectile formed of acid came out of nowhere, to my horror these things can breathes in space. It always seemed like there was a new twist around every corner. Speaking of twist, because this is a remake the devs took a couple of liberties and decided to add some side quest that flesh out some of aspects like Nicole and Issac’s relationship, the origins of the Hunter (the regenerative monster that hunts you) and the fates of a couple of crew members. The Nicole side quest does help add more character to Issac and because I have a reason to go off the beaten path and pick up more data logs. The more I found the more invested I got in the world and found myself appreciating the world building. Even more liberties were taken as if you start a new game plus walkthrough, you will get more credits and a brand new suit, but most importantly, there will be a new set of collectibles to find and if you get them all, than you will unlock a new secret ending that wasn’t in the original. I guess my only criticism is the flying with your jet boots. Yeah I understand it wasn’t a huge focal point and you don’t use them that often, but controlling Issac in zero gravity just never felt natural. But that is my only gripe. Dead Space (2023) is a remake worth playing whether if you’ve played the original or are equipping a plasma cutter for the first time.