Horror Meets Sci-Fi

Published October 17, 2008

Dead Space™ for Xbox 360® strives to give the survival-horror genre a revitalizing shot in the undead arm. With blockbuster production values, outstanding visuals, and a chilling isolation that sends tingles of terror jolting up and down your spine, it succeeds.

I don't think this is what Isaac signed on for.

You play as Isaac Clarke, an engineer dispatched to the suddenly silent USG Ishimura, a space vessel specializing in massive-scale resource mining. Alas, the Ishimura's lack of communication is related less to faulty machinery and more to catastrophic horror.

In short, you can blow their head clean off and they'll still pin you against the wall and tear you to pieces.

Isaac discovers this first hand after his ship's botched landing leads to an eerily deserted docking bay. This is soon thrown into chaos by the shrieking bloodlust of the game's first Necromorph, a creature whose bone and sinew may once have been human, but whose body is now only mutated corruption with a mind bent solely on murder.

Welcome to the USG Ishimura. Enjoy your stay.

A Tale Never Broken
Discovering what disturbing events led to the Ishimura's blood-soaked fate and finding a way off the ship is what drives the story from beginning to end. How Dead Space handles this drama is unique.

From the moment you take control of Isaac, there are no traditional cutscenes, no out-of-character moments that break you from the game's immersion. Everything you see, Isaac sees. Much of the story's context is handled through literally dozens of audio, text, and video logs left scattered about by crewmembers whose fates are best left unimagined. The player and Isaac discover everything together.

Going HUD-less
Long-time gamers will notice from the outset one of the game's most remarkable features, a complete lack of a Heads up Display. Every bit of in-game data you require is either built into Isaac's suit, projects from that suit, or is showcased on your weapon.

That can't be good for him.

Isaac's "health bar" runs up the back of his suit, his Stasis meter sits on his shoulder, and his ammo counters are projected as holographs when he raises his gun. The in-game map, video logs, inventory screen, and data logs are all projected in real-time from his suit.

It's this HUD-less approach that removes all artificiality from the equation, helping the player immerse entirely into the world, and as a result, each terrifying moment carries with it an impact not possible in other games.

Dismembering the Necromorph
The Necromorphs themselves may animate the bodies of fallen crewmembers, but they do not retain the frailties of the human frame. In short, you can blow their head clean off and they'll still pin you against the wall and tear you to pieces.

Instead, dismemberment is the order of the day. Isaac must take careful aim with the hope of shearing off arms and legs in order to kill the monsters. It fits with the survival-horror theme, and forces gamers to shift from traditional shooter strategies. In turn, the tension level in each battle gets ratcheted up well beyond what it would have been if headshots still ruled the scene.

Isaac's Arsenal
Isaac is no soldier. He's an engineer and he moves, fights, dresses, and thinks like one. In fact, your first weapon is no gun at all, but rather a futuristic Plasma Cutter that thankfully slices right through Necromorph flesh.

Luckily, you'll get your hands on a Pulse Rifle, Flamethrower, Line Gun (a powerful three-shot slicer), and much else besides to bolster your arsenal. Every weapon boasts a secondary fire function, and whether it's shifting the Plasma Cutter's three-shot reticle from vertical to horizontal, employing the Line Gun's timed mine, or the Flamethrower's one-shot pulse, they all come in handy.

Because Isaac's an engineer, he can also utilize workbenches throughout the Ishimura to upgrade his weapons and equipment, including his suit, and his Stasis and Kinesis abilities.

Just a little more down.

Isaac's Stasis ability allows him to cover enemies and parts of the environment in a Stasis field, effectively slowing them down. This is particularly great in combat as so many of the Necromorphs move at alarming speed.

Kinesis on the other hand allows Isaac to grab hold of parts of the environment and fire them off at enemies. It's a great tool in its own right, but perhaps its primary asset is in helping you conserve ammo.

Zero-G
Whether from the Necromorph infestation or the pummeling it's taken from space debris, the Ishimura has suffered hull breaches throughout its structure. When you encounter such a place, you'll find yourself in a zero-g environment, able to leap and soar from wall to wall, floor to ceiling, and anywhere in between.

It's when you're in zero-g combat you realize just how terrifyingly disorienting a truly 3-D environment can be. Threats appear from any direction at any time, and every leap you take requires intense focus if you hope to keep accurate tabs on your surroundings. It's a uniquely appropriate environment for survival-horror.

Dead Space for Xbox 360 puts survival-horror games back on the map with the kind of tension-filled terror normally reserved for movies. It simultaneously delights and disturbs you, and best of all, it never lets up and never lets you breathe. The dread is always there and that's just what the genre needs.

Article by Ryan Treit