Dead Space Review

 (Originally published to Glitchwave on 10/20/2025)

[Image from glitchwave.com]

Dead Space

Developer: Visceral Games

Publisher: EA

Genre(s): Action Horror, Third-Person Shooter

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Release Date: October 13, 2008

You can tell the amount of reverence, or lack thereof, I hold for Dead Space when I’ve been referring to it as “Resident Evil 4 with aliens” for the good part of a decade and a half. There’s no contempt with this comparison, as it’s simply an observation based on its surface-level similarities. It’s a third-person, action-horror shooter viewed by the player through RE4’s patented over-the-shoulder perspective, after all. The fundamental difference between the old guard and Dead Space is that it cranks the dosage of Resident Evil’s thematic science-fiction elements to the lofty degree of the futuristic space-age that exists far beyond biological experimentation in a contemporary setting. If I sound like a Cynical Cindy by making these connections, I’d like to disclaim that this was the basis of my old attitude that deterred me from playing Dead Space when it was a hot commodity during the Xbox 360’s heyday. The pattern I’ve noticed across the history of horror media is that space seems to be a conceptual final frontier on equal measure to that of human discovery and or colonization. What is Ridley Scott’s Alien but not John Carpenter’s Halloween taking place beyond Earth’s atmosphere? Are a group of characters not being picked off one by one by a horrifyingly tenacious killer who lurks in the dark, even though the setting is a space station located over the starry outer limits? Even though Alien clearly copied a sizable bit of Halloween’s slasher template, I’ve always found the fears of Alien to be far more effective than those of its ostensible inspiration because the space setting played a significant part in elevating the material. Upon my reflection, while I never expected it to surpass Resident Evil 4, I decided to approach Dead Space with a more open-minded attitude and not automatically deride it as EA’s hacky attempt to capitalize on copying the generational-defining giants while they were still relevant. Upon actually playing Dead Space, I soon learned that I didn’t even know the fucking half of it.

Confronting a hostile alien species usually comes as an inadvertent consequence to simply existing beyond the comforting familiarity of Earth. In this instance, however, investigating a distress call in an intergalactic society that habitually fracks alien planets for their resources should expect a bit of hostile backlash from some freaky extraterrestrials. Once the crew of the USG Kellion docks on the “planet cracker” USG Ishimura, they are immediately bombarded by unspeakable terrors that reduce a few members of the fleet to a gluey mess of organs and bones. Isaac Clarke, the crew’s designated engineer, survives the bushwacking and becomes separated from his peers in the process of getting the hell out of dodge. Zach Hammond and Kendra Daniels, the two remaining Kellion executives, consistently monitor Isaac and attempt to guide him through the abandoned halls of the multilayered, intricate Ishimura spacecraft to survive the adversarial conditions. Isaac also has some personal stakes in traversing through the Ishimura other than finding a safe egress, for his lover, Ms. Nicole Brennan, worked on the Ishimura and is curious to see if she remains alive and breathing aboard the vacant vessel. If you couldn’t tell from how many plot points revolve around this man, Isaac is Dead Space’s playable protagonist. The Kellion’s handyman is essentially another nondescript dude in a bulky spacesuit, but that sort of general characterization has never harmed the mass appeal of a video game protagonist before, if the success of Halo can serve as a reference. Still, rendering Isaac as a mute was not a wise decision on the part of the developers, for this classic video game trope is only suitable in games where either all communications are displayed entirely in text, or the narrative sits in the nosebleeds for the gameplay to take center stage. At least Master Chief evidently has a button on his suit that his commanding officers can press to utter something confidently heroic or patriotic when need be, giving him the benefit of the doubt that he’s the “strong, silent type.” The fallacy of Isaac’s complete silence in a dialogue-intensive game with a pronounced narrative at the forefront is unfitting and awkward. The immortal tagline is that no one can hear you scream in space, not speak, EA.

In fact, all the sounds that Isaac manages to utter from his vocal cords are screaming, and boy, does Dead Space give the man an abundance of reasons to scream! Not only do the uninhabitable, uncertain conditions make space travel a terrifying prospect for us humans, but the ramshackled, shadowy corridors of the abandoned Ishimura spacecraft exude a palpably dread-inducing atmosphere that is as dense as the darkest brands of molasses. We get the impression from visiting the various sectors of the Ishimura that it was formally a floating monument of human achievement, establishing an ergonomic, competent system in such a desolate, uncharted realm beyond the confines of Earth’s comforting soil. Now, its flickering lighting schematics, malfunctioning doors, and blood-smeared walls all serve as visual signifiers that prove humanity's incompatibility with the outer reaches of the cosmos. To give the player a relatively comprehensive detailing of how this marvelous establishment crumbled without clogging up the ongoing events of the present day, audio tapes litter the dimly lit hallways of various Ishimura staff members cataloging the events that led to the spacecraft’s total erosion of order. Hmm, a silent protagonist traversing through a sublime, yet tattered and deleterious environment that exists in an oxygenless realm beyond normal human capacities, whose lore is exposited via optional collectibles no less? For every gamer who was alive and sentient in the late 2000s, the bells of BioShock should’ve rang more resolutely than someone saying the polite phrase of “would you kindly?” Dead Space already takes a liberal helping from Resident Evil 4, so why wouldn’t it also dip into the elements of the other then-current gaming golden God? While I laughed out loud when I first noticed the uncanny similarities between Dead Space and BioShock, I can’t deny that my curiosity of how the Ishimura enterprise became this destitute was effectively piqued. Not on equal measure to BioShock, however, because Rapture’s unique identity outside of its deterioration made exploring it inherently more intriguing.

If the subtle touches of the Ishimura’s empty atmosphere don’t succeed in instilling feelings of fright, the monsters that creep and crawl throughout its corridors are sure to do their duty in forcing the player to have involuntary bowel movements. The enemies of Dead Space are the “necromorphs,” the corpses of deceased humans and other forms of decayed flesh reanimated into creatures so indescribably grotesque that they rival anything ever depicted on a death metal album cover. These cosmic abominations also come in several different breeds, diversifying the combat depending on the physicality of the specific necromorphs. The standard ones are referred to as “slashers,” with long, protracted appendages of a praying mantis. Leapers will arch their ropey tails at Isaac to cut him with the scythe-like protuberance on its end, while the winged “infectors” will stab Isaac through the throat with their needle-like horns if they get the chance. Do not underestimate the smaller necromorphs like the Lurkers or the bite-sized critters that burst out of the “pregnant” necromorphs, for they’ll still decimate Isaac if they’re not dealt with accordingly. How Isaac defends himself from the legions of unspeakable horrors that populate the Ishimura is actually one of Dead Space’s more innovative attributes. In fretful instances of close cornered encounters with the hostile necromorphs, the game ensures the player that targeting their limbs is the most effective method of dispatching them. Their arms or legs will fly off their malformed bodies, leaving them in a vulnerable, handicapped state like Monty Python’s Black Knight, where usually one or two more bullets or vigorous stomping will cease their manic rage. If the necromorphs do not have pronounced limbs like the slashers, they’ll usually expose another tendril or other long member to shoot. It signals to the player that Dead Space’s combat methodology of amputating necromorphs is pervasive, which is impressive considering the range of necromorph designs. On the other side of the coin, failing to eradicate the necromorphs will result in some pretty gruesome deaths for Isaac, and seeing this man get dismembered, decapitated, disemboweled, devoured, and so forth, surprisingly underscores some streaks of personality from the character. I can’t say for certain that Dead Space’s emphasis on bodily severance is a totally fresh mechanic, but I’ll give them full credit because it isn’t present in either game I’ve been comparing it to.

Believe it or not, Dead Space also bestows plenty of other distinctive gameplay mechanics that aren’t ripped from RE4 or BioShock. That is, unless you can draw connections between Isaac’s two special powers and Rapture’s patented plasmids. Isaac’s hands possess both the powers of stasis and kinesis, and it’s unclear whether or not harnessing either of these abilities makes him gifted or if Dead Space is suggesting that these will be a common human adaptation with centuries of evolution. Nevertheless, unleashing the blue mist of stasis will slow the movement of necromorphs down to a glacial pace, which will prove to be quite helpful when dealing with “exploders” and brutes whose backsides are the only vulnerable areas of their bodies. Kinesis, on the other hand, allows Isaac to pick up and carry objects from a distance, which may include flammable tanks that explode on impact. Usually, both special abilities will be utilized for the periodic Zelda dungeon-esque puzzle sections that might involve slowing a mechanism or manipulating it with either ability, respectively. While Isaac’s kinesis is inexhaustible, he’ll have to keep injecting his suit with stasis packs to keep freezing enemies in their tracks. Often located beside these stasis packs in Isaac’s luggage is an item that replenishes something else that coincides with Dead Space’s distinctive mechanics. Rapture’s location hundreds of leagues under the sea provided a vital piece of context that elevated the magnificence of the metropolis, but the only interaction the player had with the water that encircled them in unfathomable mass was whenever it leaked through the cracks in the glass and flooded the floor.

Conversely, Dead Space features several segments where Isaac is forced to charge headfirst into the pure, merciless depths of space to get his hands dirty (or his lungs deprived). While in areas with no oxygen, Isaac’s suit comes equipped with an air reserve that allows him to breathe normally for approximately a minute before his blood probably bubbles up in his throat and his head inflates like a balloon. These sections are genuinely heart-racing, considering the conditions, especially when the player exhausts the air tanks needed to prolong Isaac’s time traversing the suffocating immensity of outer space. Usually, the extended period is warranted because the necromorphs evidently don’t need oxygen to function and will distract Isaac from the ticking timer by trying to maim him as always. If these sections are liable to give the player anxiety that chokes them as rigorously as the fleeting oxygen sources choke our protagonist, they might prefer the other intermittent sections. I can’t explain the science behind them, but some areas outside of an airlock feature anti-gravitational properties. Isaac can leap like a bullfrog onto any surface and walk freely on them without the weight of another well-known Isaac’s scientific association subduing them. Dead Space is the only horror game I know that includes sections where the player can gleefully shout “whee!” without any irony involved, but reorienting Isaac after he sticks to the wall like Spider-Man can be a tad nauseating. Not only do these segments effectively inject some thrilling variety into the mix of the third-person shooter gameplay, but both sporadic activities utilize the potential of a space setting masterfully. However, I can’t sing the same praises for whenever Isaac must man a fixed cannon to defend the Ishimura from showers of meteors. If the spaceship’s designers were really concerned about how the blunt impact of a hurling space rock could affect the Ishimura’s stability, they should’ve put some consideration into fixing their easily jammable means of collision prevention.

But mostly, Dead Space’s primal gameplay focus is shooting the nightmarish necromorphs from a third-person perspective angled entirely from Isaac’s backside. Because the necromorph legion is varied like the ranks in an army, Isaac’s arsenal needs to match their eclecticism to bode well with any combat scenario. Behind their laser scope and digital visors, the game can’t deceive me into believing that the Plasma Cutter and the Pulse Rifle are glorified, futuristic versions of our modern handgun and assault rifle. The Force Gun functions similarly to your run-of-the-mill shotgun with its extreme short-ranged propulsion, except that its forcefulness is propelled by air instead of gunpowder. Is it more energy efficient? Some of the more unorthodox weaponry at Isaac’s disposal that takes advantage of the science-fiction conceptual forefront include the laser cannon Contact Beam, the wider-encompassing shot of the Line Gun, and The Ripper, which launches a gyrating saw blade that extends about a meter away from the gun with an invisible tether. Isaac is also equipped with a flamethrower, but don’t get too excited and assume that you’ll be disintegrating necromorphs in a literal blaze of glory. Without a doubt, Dead Space’s fire spurter is the most tepid flamethrower that I’ve ever had the displeasure of using. They might as well have stuck Isaac with a Super Soaker to fend off the several species of the savage undead.

Sure, the range and damage output of this pitiful flamethrower can be enhanced, but that initiates the broader conversation on Dead Space’s flawed upgrade system. To improve the various attributes of Isaac’s arsenal, he must first find an object that resembles a can of Altoids, called a “node,” and then find a workbench where the nodes can be allocated towards enhancements. Each weapon has its own individual skill tree, where linking branches with the nodes will lead to landing on slots where different attributes like damage and reloading speed will become marginally easier and or more effective. The prevailing issue with financing Isaac’s upgrades with a collectible is that the amount of nodes strewn about the Ishimura is disproportionate to the number of slots needed to increase any weapon’s stats. The nodes aren’t rare by any stretch of the imagination, for the cabinets that typically house them are fairly prevalent, and they can even be purchased at any store location for a moderate number of credits. Still, every upgrade tree, no matter the weapon, features so many blank spaces that just serve as connective joints between enhancements that it might require at least three nodes before a single attribute sees any progress. Not to mention, Isaac’s health, stasis, and kinesis need to be attended to, and they also require nodes to enhance. Priorities will have to be heavily considered to fare a chance against the necromorph hordes, which will unfortunately result in some weapons festering in Isaac’s inventory. No wonder everyone swears by the Plasma Cutter as their steadfast companion throughout the game, even though one would believe it to be the weakest of Isaac’s weaponry. I thought that its favorability was due to its horizontal shooting modification that greatly aided in amputating necromorphs, but now I’ve realized that it being the starting weapon gives the player more opportunities to upgrade it.

Still, despite its proven longevity, the player will have to swap the Plasma Cutter in favor of Isaac’s other tools because there isn’t enough ammunition on the Ishimura to feasibly fuel it for the entire duration of Isaac’s mission. In saying this, I’m not saying that I subscribe to the popular notion that Dead Space falls under the survival horror umbrella. Just because survival is a pertinent element to the narrative doesn’t mean it automatically shares commonality with one of the earliest examples of horror in the gaming medium. For one, progression in a survival horror title is circuitously utility-gated, while Dead Space is as flatline linear as a 100-yard dash. The game even implements BioShock’s manual waypoint feature that gives the player an exact visual directional reference to their current objective. Secondly, the necromorphs are too quick and vicious for the player to ever humor a window of darting past them to conserve ammunition. Lastly, in relation to my previous point, supplies aren’t the least bit scarce. Lockers, caches, and the motionless bodies of necromorphs will offer and or excrete tons of ammunition and health items to accommodate any hectic encounters the player will endure. Plus, what survival horror game features a one-stop shop for any conceivable item commonly placed like a checkpoint? Was the door leading to the Spencer Mansion emporium just rusted shut after years of inactivity? If anything, Dead Space is a specific example of a “situational horror” game, where scenarios might prove to be particularly hair-raising and stress-inducing depending on the player’s inadvertent ill-equippedness. I’ve always belabored the importance of keeping your stasis packs on hand for traversal segments, but hitting a brick wall on account of lacking specific weapons might happen as commonly due to the varied physicalities of enemies. For instance, the stationary Guardians will eviscerate Isaac with a single tendril slash if he dares to confront it in its close and personal spaces. Because the majority of Isaac’s weapons are only functional at a shorter range, only a select few of them can penetrate the enemy’s weak spots. Lurkers won’t cease crawling around the walls if Isaac blasts them with the Force Gun or flamethrower, and lord help you if Isaac can no longer immobilize a Brute if his stasis meter is expended. The only way to reorient Isaac for situations such as these is to retreat back to a shop and revive these guns from the stock inventory. This ordeal might prove to be tedious not only because of backtracking, but also because the player can’t mark its location with the waypoint generator. A 3D map is available to use as a visual reference, but its settings can’t be rearranged to hone in on a specific area. The ultra specificity of some enemies’ weaknesses throws a monkey wrench into the sound survival horror logic of conserving the heavy-duty ammunition for heftier foes, and there’s no way that the player has the foresight to prepare themselves to have the appropriate gun for every combat scenario.

The opportunity to reorganize Isaac’s arsenal at a store will, however, always be placed in the near vicinity outside the domain of one of Dead Space’s meager number of bosses. The Leviathan at the game’s middle point and the Hive Mind that climaxes the primary story arc are essentially the same fight against two similar necromorph behemoths with salient yellow weak spots to exploit and critically damage. While these fights are thrilling and include different phases, so Isaac can potentially give the Plasma Cutter a well-deserved break, they’re a bit unsubstantial from a narrative perspective. Fortunately, the game seems to agree and tries to establish an overarching antagonist of greater substance. To my dismay, the root of the chaos and bloody tragedy that befalls Dead Space is nothing but a Macguffin. Pandora's Box in this case is the “Red Marker,” an intergalactic pillar that emits waves that cause many horrific afflictions, namely the necromorph infection. It’s also a sought-after holy relic by the Unitologists, a dominant religious sect in the Dead Space universe, who unearthed the Red Marker from the planet Aegis VII. Essentially, the Unitologists are all Ian Holm’s robot character from Alien, fundamentalists who insanely believe that the monsters are a superior species and their frequent annihilating of humans is just ecological proof of evidence. Challus Mercer, an Ishimura medical officer and a high-ranking member of the Unitologist church, is the prime human instigator of Unitology lunacy when he’s a giant pain in Isaac’s ass on behalf of his wacky beliefs. Still, he’s only situated as a secondary antagonist, along with his impervious necromorph project that shows he’s done his survival horror homework. Kendra almost becomes the game's twist villain when she goes to homicidal lengths to ensure that the Marker falls into the hands of the intergalactic government and kills the opposing Dr. Kyne. Still, her demise at the hand of the Hive Mind sort of nips her heel turn in the bud before she ever becomes a real thorn in Isaac’s side. Revealing that all interactions with Nicole were Solaris-esque hallucinations caused by the Marker and disappointing our protagonist as a result just points the primary villain position towards this ambiguously evil entity. It seems like there are significant traces of Dead Space inserting something of a larger, more substantial thematic scope by propping up religion as the main source of strife and suffering. Yet, the game tends to divert our attention back towards the Red Marker and the necromorph contagion it caused. I don’t know, it seems like something meatier than the obvious, surface-level problem was bubbling up just to have it suppressed in the end.

Damn, I guess Dead Space does deserve the credit that I’ve been ignorantly denying it since the days of my acne-riddled adolescence. I was still correct that Dead Space does liberally borrow a heaping load of elements from Resident Evil 4, and now I’ve discovered that the Dead Space mosquito has also sucked on the shoulder of BioShock and drained its lifeblood on equal measure. Yet, I admit that my initial, dismissive statement was entirely reductive. Resident Evil 4 and BioShock merely serve as the templates upon which Dead Space constructs a considerable discernment effort that uses its space backdrop brilliantly. Dead Space does feature some unfortunate hiccups in many spots, but at least I can say that they are issues distinct to Dead Space’s formula instead of derivatively trying to hit a spot already stricken with much less impact. With some sprucing up and reworking, Dead Space could easily see itself on an equal pedestal to the multiple series that inspired it. Good artists copy, great artists steal, yadda yadda yadda.