Abandoned spaceships and survival horror is a match made in gamer heaven. The fantastically creepy Dead Space makes good use of the synergy, delivering the perfect blend of chills and gore for a must-play title. You play the role of an engineer named Isaac Clarke, member of an emergency maintenance crew out to check out the seemingly empty USG Ishimura. You quickly realize that it is not quite as empty as you would like, when enemies that look like cloning experiments between a human a praying mantis and a switchblade begin attacking. The monsters seem to be just about everywhere, in many shapes and sizes, and frequently stand between you and your job.
Trying to outrun them to the next door is not usually a good option, since the doors all take several seconds to open. Hazard pay does not begin to cover all the work Isaac does on the ship. The ship itself is a crumbling disaster, with several gaping holes in the hull already and a vital system failing every time you turn around. Your quest to repair the ship and make sense of what led to the unsettling scene on the ship leads to some intense battles involving swarms of baddies or giant bosses, and occasionally both. Along the way, your contact with your crew and the audio and text logs you find begin to piece together the reasons you keep stepping over dead bodies. The story and atmosphere are movie-quality, or at the very least horror movie-quality; complete with romantic-interest sub-plot.
There are plenty of jumpy moments, especially since most of the enemies in the game have an uncanny knack for stealth. Even some of the largest and most dangerous monsters in the game have the ability to sneak right up on you without you hearing a peep, before introducing your head to the business end of their pointy arms. Many of the enemies make solid use of both the ceiling and air vents to flank you just when you think you are safe. Those thirsting for blood and guts will fall hard for the gory way you dispatch of the monsters. As you quickly learn, shooting enemies in the body does not do much good. Instead, you need to aim for their limbs and dismember them. Shooting off two to three limbs normally does the trick, although it is common for enemies to play possum and wait for you to come close enough to attack again. You need to make good use of your arsenal, since certain weapons work much better against each enemy than others do. One of the larger varieties in the game actually regenerates limbs and requires a little more thought to defeat. In the spirit of ‘it’s all fun till someone looses an eye’, dismemberment is cool until it happens to you. Your deaths, which happen frequently in the tough game, are perhaps twice as brutal as anything you dish out.
Since Isaac is an engineer, the weapon and suit upgrades fit right in. Power nodes strewn throughout the ship can be used at upgrade benches to boost your existing gear. Each weapon and skill you have, including your suit, has its own unique upgrade tree. The tree begins empty, as you place your found nodes in the empty slots to unlock upgrades to particular attributes. The system works great, and since the game has the option to play again with all your upgraded gear intact, it is worth tracking down each node you can find. The weapons in the game are excellent to begin with, but your ability to increase their ammo capacity, reload times, and damage make them even better. In addition to the regular weaponry, or as regular as a saw gun gets, you have two powers at your disposal to solve minor puzzles and assist with your beheadings. Stasis slows down your targeted item or enemy, making it easier to deal with malfunctioning doors. Since it uses your stored stasis power, you need to use it wisely on enemies. The game wisely provides a stasis recharge station just before every puzzle that requires it. Keneisis allows you to pick up and move objects as you wish, allowing you to collect out of reach inventory items. The times you need to use the powers to get past an obstacle are obvious, but your use of them in battle that can make a difference. In all, the game controls extremely well. Your weapons and skills are easy to use thanks to solid aiming mechanics and tight controls for movement.
Dead Space keeps you on the run by severely limiting the ammunition and health packs. Even when you have them, the on-screen menu does not pause the action; leaving you vulnerable to enemy attacks when needing to boost your health. Regardless of how well you learn to conserve ammo, there are plenty of times where you simply run out and need to make a mad dash for the next door with a monster or two slicing at your heels. It makes for a harrowing experience, especially when you are hurt enough that a single slice can take you out. You can purchase items from the automated stores you find in each level, but money is nearly as scarce. Budgeting your found money becomes an issue too, as you decide how much ammo and health you need to buy before a big battle, while attempting to save up for the next suit upgrade. Straying from the direct path of your current objective will occasionally net you an extra item or two, but there are usually a few razor-armed monsters to go along with them. When you do find ammo, it is typically just enough to take out one or two enemies. At the very least, the items in the game are clearly visible thanks to the overstated glow they have in contrast to the shadowy ship. It would be annoying in most games, but given how limited everything is here, it is welcome help. What is annoying is the inventory cap, which frequently forces you to drop an item to pick up and use a health pack, before picking back up the item you dropped.
Sound can make or break a survival horror game, and the sonic portion of Dead Space is amazing. The creaks and groans of the ship are excellent at keeping the palpable tension up when the eerie score, reminiscent of Lost, is not giving you goosebumps. The score erupts and backs off at just the right moments, save for the few false starts where it scares the bejesus out of you for no other reason than to remind you how effective it is. Much the gameplay is a solitary experience, but the voice acting for the members of your team and the few you find on the ship is top-notch, maintaining the cinematic quality of the game. The visual style is equally impressive, with the ship receiving a distressed look that fits the story. The scribbled warnings in chalk and blood on the walls enhance the desolate and dangerous atmosphere. Isaac’s suit and always-visible health bar look great, and the on-screen presentation of your inventory and communications is easy on the eyes.
The creature design is solid. Even if they are all really just blood-stained cousins, they each have unique attacks and quirks to watch for. Some of the more robust enemies even spew smaller creatures, which either scurry towards you or fire projectiles. The simple neon-blue line that pops up, by clicking the right-stick, to point you toward your current objective is a nice touch that keeps you from getting lost in the twisty corridors. Dead Space is essentially your opportunity to play through a sci-fi horror flick; which is just about every gamer’s fantasy. It is a near-perfect package for those looking for to get their survival horror fix.
