Dead Space matures like wine. I mean the one original from 2008, which started one of my favorite series. I’m not just talking about nostalgia, a few months ago I remembered the original to prepare a little for remake and also shortened the wait. At the same time, I was surprised how well the number one stood the test of time and how well it plays even after less than 15 years. It goes to show what a great start the new brand has been and that it hasn’t aged too well in terms of gameplay or atmosphere. It even stayed creepy, which is far from a given after all this time in horror movies given the evolving technology. After all, it is paradoxical that today the original is called a classic sci-fi survival horror, while at the time purists called it more of an action in spooky settings. Ironically a remake from the studio Motive arrived on the market only shortly after the title The Callisto Protocol, which is the spiritual successor to the Dead Space saga. So how did Glen Schofield’s revamped version of the modern classic fare without Glen Schofield?
At least from the point of view of the average score, the verdict is quite clear, and inexorable mathematics says that it is the EA remake that comes out victorious from the Dead Space versus The Callisto Protocol duel.
Due to circumstances, we received review copies only after the embargo fell and on the same day when the players themselves started playing the game, there is no point in playing hide and seek anymore. Undoubtedly, you have noticed foreign reviews, maybe you have already read the feedback from the fans, or you have started the remake yourself. The new product is getting excellent marks, perhaps even higher than even the biggest optimists had hoped for. At least from the point of view of the average score, the verdict is quite clear, and inexorable mathematics says that it is the EA remake that comes out victorious from the Dead Space versus The Callisto Protocol duel. But it would be boring to settle for such a statement. Although I may not come up with any breakthroughs a few days after release, I will share my own observations and experiences with you. And if you are still hesitating whether to return to the Ishimura, or even if you are just about to go here for the very first time, I will help you get an idea of what awaits you on board.
At the beginning, we will recap only the most basic, because there is probably no player who has not at least read about Dead Space. We are talking about the dark future of the 26th century, which is a mixture of several different science fiction classics. Alien, Event Horizon, or Thing are most often mentioned. But the story can remind you of Solaris or Sunshine. Isaac Clarke and his colleagues head to the mining ship USG Ishimura, which is in orbit around the planet Aegis VII, to plunder its natural wealth. But perhaps in the end the greedy crew found more than they were looking for. Something has gone wrong and it’s up to you to find out what happened to the ship. And yes, you also have a personal interest in this mission, as you are also searching for your friend Nicole. It is her presence that drives the protagonist and forces him to continue despite the madness that surrounds him. However, in order not to be limited to a simple description, I must point out at this point that Dead Space is still up-to-date. In my opinion, the story is still the driving force of the game, and the changes and expansions that make it a bit richer and interesting for the veterans are also part of it.
However, before I proceed to the list of modifications and novelties, at least for the sake of form, I will remind you that you will have a quest of at least 10 hours, depending on how much you get carried away by exploring and completing side activities. And it will also depend on your skill. If you try to get the most out of the content, even the first playthrough will easily take 5 hours longer. You watch the action from a third-person point of view, the vast majority of the time you are isolated from your colleagues and you have to rely only on yourself during fights. The distinguishing mark of the series is, for example, its typical weapons, resembling in some cases different tools. Then there are the enemies in the form of mutated necromorphs, on which some feints apply, often involving surgically precise shooting of various limbs and tentacles. The series also became famous for stasis and kinetic energy, which we use not only in combat, but also when solving logic puzzles. They can even be effectively combined in different ways, but also combined with the aforementioned jerking of the legs and hands. In practice, with the help of the energy cutter and stasis, you can, for example, first slow down the enemy, then remove a stump and throw it at him, or hit him by stomping on his head. You should carefully explore the environment, improve your suit and equipment, and sell what is of no use to you.
However, you probably know all that anyway. Therefore, despite trying to balance the review, I have to accept the fact that this article cannot quite replace the analysis of the original game. Instead, it is necessary to focus on what most of you probably expect – that is, the evaluation of the remake of the game itself, which perhaps does not need a closer introduction due to its fame. However, I must emphasize right from the beginning of this chapter that a truly honest and thorough overview of all changes and news is more for analysis than a classic review. You can already find such on the Internet and they have many pages, or tens of minutes. The fact is that Dead Space has gone through a really thorough rejuvenation. Paradoxically, it may not be apparent at first glance, because the authors have reached into the game with the skill of a watchmaker and the honesty of a restorer who walks away from his work without often being recognized, but behind him remains the feeling that this is exactly how it should be.
A mention that used to be drowned out, for example, somewhere in the diary, and yet plays an important role, is now part of the conversation so that the player does not miss it.
Of course, I can’t promise you that all the changes and news will be to your liking. There are really a lot of them in total, even if individually they can sometimes have a marginal effect. In some places, the authors significantly expanded the story and lore of the game. And not only with the help of text or audio diaries, but also new dialogues and animations. The previously silent protagonist himself now speaks, which often affected the tone of certain situations. He is voiced by a dub from two and three, and Isaac also has a new face. After all, other characters are also proud of their new dubbing and face. Although the “mute” protagonist, constantly hidden under the mask, had something in him, I have to appreciate that it is not a change for its own sake, but it meaningfully expanded and enriched the entire narrative. This also applies to the side quests, which also provide additional information about the background of the events here and the motivations of individual characters. However, I will return to their content later. The developers also expanded the important information minimum that players must not miss. A mention that used to be drowned out, for example, somewhere in the diary, and yet plays an important role, is now part of the conversation so that the player does not miss it. A typical example is what happened to Isaac’s family and what is his relationship with the local church.
When I got a taste of the side missions, I have to emphasize right from the start that they can be evaluated from a double perspective. In terms of gameplay, it’s nothing very exploratory or stimulating. It is usually a series of interconnected mini-quests, the goal of which is to find something, get somewhere, collect something, or activate something. That in itself probably wouldn’t satisfy you very much and wouldn’t motivate you to fulfill them. The reward is the extended story. And I have to say, quite tempting. This is directly related to how the Ishimura ship opened up compared to the original. Well, to be more precise, it opens gradually, but once you start unlocking, exploring and connecting individual sections, the game doesn’t keep chasing you towards the next chapter, but you can usually go back to previously visited places. You won’t come across loading screens here, they are hidden as skillfully as possible. The whole ship is one big map, you can travel there and back on it. Not only with a traditional train, but also in its own way thanks to new bridges, corridors and rooms that were not there before, or whose doors were never opened. It may sound disrespectful to the original game, because the authors do it sensitively, it feels completely natural and you wouldn’t even notice what has changed.
This way you will visit some new locations, but not only side quests will take you here. You gradually increase your level of security and get to where you couldn’t at first. So you return to an older location willingly, even if the story doesn’t ask you to. You will be rewarded not only with something in your inventory, but also with a scare or an unexpected portion of fear. The so-called Intensity Director makes sure that you come across some surprises even where you’ve already been. This dynamic system is designed to scare players with various effects and shocks. While I can’t tell exactly what’s scripted and what’s a random effect, it worked for me quite a bit and I was more startled by the game than by other recent horror movies. The game is not one of the scariest, but it can be really exciting in places. This can sometimes be related to another novelty, which is reworked puzzles and logical tasks. In many places you will come across previously missing energy switches. In order to turn something on, it’s not enough just to insert the battery, often you also need to turn something off. And then there are situations where you even have to choose. Do you prefer to travel in the dark, but with oxygen, or do you choose light, but without air? Such changes were successful.
The developers have also reworked movement in zero gravity, which may not appeal to everyone on paper, but in practice it is definitely a change for the better. You can also come across news in fights. Regular enemies may be surprised by the more complex structure of the body when they poke their limbs, but the boss fights have also received changes, which I still rate as very successful and fun even after many years. And speaking of combat, we can’t forget another novelty. You will now encounter new weapons directly in the environment with fallen unfortunates. Some have partially reworked functionality and improvements, and I found that to be a welcome change as well. And finally, without further details, it should not be left out that the game offers a New Game+ mode after completion, which, in addition to the usual, also comes with one surprise.
Dead Space doesn’t look bad at all, but it looks worse than I hoped. At least in this respect, The Callisto Protocol clearly wins, if you’ll forgive me for the simile when it’s offered directly.
Of course, a remake review cannot do without an evaluation of the technical side. The game received new graphics and improved sound. Dubbing has already been mentioned, but the sound effects or little things like the heartbeat when the hero sees something disturbing are also worth paying attention to. However, you will undoubtedly pay more attention to the visual aspect. I’ll start with the good one. The authors offer slightly better destruction and physics. But in neither case are these revolutionary changes. However, it pleases. Thanks to new details and models, the game feels even more violent in places. It has traditionally served various graphics modes on the console. There are two here – performance and quality. Framerate is almost always my preference now, and Dead Space was no exception. But you will notice the degradation of the image right away. However, I was even more surprised that I encountered quite a few visual errors on the PS5. I doubted a few things during development, but it wasn’t the graphics. It’s ironic that it was the one that fell short of my expectations. Don’t be fooled by my complaints, Dead Space doesn’t look bad at all, it just looks worse than I hoped. At least in this respect, The Callisto Protocol clearly wins, if you’ll forgive me for the simile when it’s offered directly. Of course, the remake is much nicer than the original game. In a direct comparison, one has to admire all the little things, lighting, smoke and other effects. But on closer inspection, I feel that the graphics are not top-notch. Which one would expect for a remake. It’s more like the kind of standard you expect from a big company like EA. Even with her, however, I am surprised by the sometimes jagged image or various fragments and artifacts, for example in the faces of the characters. The title otherwise supports specific features of the DualSense controller. Its use is not bad, but I probably expected more considering the promises.
And we are at the end. That being said, not all news may appeal to you. Such as the absence of an official localization that the original had. We’re all different, but I’d venture to say that most of the changes should appeal to fans and work universally. And you don’t have to doubt the foundations under the surface of the remake, Dead Space remained a great game. The best thing about the news is still the content from 2008. The improved versions of the older ones still need to be a little stricter. It’s not a completely new original title, but it’s an honest upgrade.
