Howdy, my fellow gamers! How do you do on this fine day? I am doing quite well as I realize how many old games are being remade and given a new life. Believe it or not, I played the original Dead Space when it came out in 2008, and it gave me night terrors. It was a damn scary game and something brand new that I experienced.
The game also introduced me to a new genre of video games, “sci-fi horror.” Until that point, I had no idea horror games even existed because I mainly played Counter-Strike 1.6 or some good ol’ Super Mario on the SNES. Anyways, when I heard that EA was remaking Dead Space, I was so damn excited about playing it that I couldn’t wait for it to come out.
Let me tell you that the game truly lives up to its original 2008 version and gives a perfect example of how remakes should be done for older games not remasters because those are different. Most people get it confused and think it’s the same thing when it isn’t. Anyway, today in this article, I’ll list the biggest differences between the original 2008 version and the new remake that was released two weeks ago. With that, let’s get into this article!
14. Sound Design
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“The sounds of agony fill me up!”
When a game is being remade, that means every single aspect of the game is being changed, for better or for worse, but in the case of Dead Space, it’s for the better. The game’s sound design and sounds in general have all been changed to fit it better.
They have added multiple new crisp sound effects and some brand new atmospheric sounds that will always keep you on the edge of your seat. Without good sound design and atmospheric music, the game may feel lacking; thankfully, that’s not the case here.
13. Graphics
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“Whoa, it looks so damn kawaii!”
The next most obvious thing that’s changed from the original is the graphics, and boy, do they look fabulous. The devs made sure that every single part of the Ishimura looks amazing and that there are no low-rez textures in the game.
Everything is up to the standard of what we expect from a 2023 game. The game is pure eye candy, and sometimes it’s really hard to look away from a horrific yet beautiful scene. If you’re someone who loves taking screenshots, you’ll have a fun time!
12. Little details
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“Thank you for putting in so much effort!”
Now, what’s that one saying, “Little details make the game,” that is so true for this remake. The devs put their all into the game and I could spend a whole article talking about the tiny details that they have made!
But my favorite little detail that they added to the game is that when your suit gets bloody from a fight, you can see the blood slowly dripping down. This little detail is my favorite! Also, you can spot a lot of tiny details in the weapon animations.
11. No Loading Screens
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“Welcome to the future!”
One big difference from the original 2008 version is that the remake has no loading screens. The only time you’ll be taken away from your character is when turning on the game or when you die.
Otherwise, there are no loading screens, and you will constantly be able to control your character, similar to how it works in any Valve game which is great from a narrative perspective, and I think it's a great addition to the game.
10. Level Design
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“This wasn’t here before was it?”
Even though they stayed true to the original game, the developers have taken some steps to make the level design slightly different. They didn’t change a lot, and someone who hasn't played Dead Space in a long time might not even notice the difference.
But those who played it recently will notice the new level design and even some new areas that were added to the ship. It’s also a great new addition to the game that I’m glad they added, as I and other people who played the 2008 version can remember the old Ishimura pretty damn well.
9. Side Quests
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“I don’t wanna go in there.”
Another big difference in the game is that the developers added new side quests. The interesting thing about these side quests is that they run parallel to the main story and can’t be just completed in a single chapter, which is a good choice in my opinion.
In some cases, you’ll have to backtrack your way around the Ishimura to get to a location previously locked for you. I highly recommend that you do these side quests, as they will give you brand-new content to explore that wasn’t in the original game.
8. Character Design
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“You can see their damn pores on the skin.”
The character models are a noticeable difference in the remake when compared to the 2008 version. They still play the same role as they did in the older version but with much more details to their face and facial animations.
Every character was updated so that it suits the game with a way more realistic look. I do wish that our boy Isaac got a beard, as it would make him way more badass than he already is.
7. Necromorph Design
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“Hey wanna go out with my best friend? I swear she’s pretty!”
As the characters got updated, the necromorphs did too, and they look way damn scarier in this remake. I love their new design. They also added different variations of the necromorphs so that it doesn’t feel like you’re killing the same creature over and over again.
If you have an eye for details, you can even spot some necromorphs wearing Ishimura uniforms, which is pretty neat. But the best thing added is the gore difference between the original and the remake.
6. New And Improved Animations
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“Now slide to the left, slide to the right…”
As you might have guessed, in the same way that they updated everything in the game, they also updated the animations and reworked them from the ground up. The normal walking animation for Isaac feels a bit clunky which is a bummer.
But other than that, everything else is just great. Oh, and I can’t forget that the animations of necromorphs are way creepier than in the original and might be one of the first few differences you notice about those hideous creatures.
5. 0 Gravity Sections
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“I can fly now!”
One big difference from the 2008 version is that they added a brand new flying mechanic in the zero-gravity sections. In the 2008 version, the only thing that Isaac could do was jump from platform to platform and stick onto them with his magnetic boots, but I am so glad they ditched it and implemented this.
At first, it might be a bit disorienting to fly around, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly, so don’t worry about that. Thanks to this change, these sections won’t feel like a chore anymore, and a lot of people will now take their time to explore those areas, whereas, in the previous game, most people just jumped from point A to point B to get out of those sections as quickly as possible.
4. Alternative/Secret Ending
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“How do you kill this thing?”
Now, I won’t be going into too much detail here, so that way I don’t spoil the game for you and ruin the surprise. But what I will mention is that you will be surprised by the ending, especially if you managed to get the secret one, as it’s completely different from the 2008 version.
This is a huge welcome to the game, and if you don’t get this ending on your first playthrough, don’t worry, you can just replay the game again. On top of that, this is a huge difference that many people, including me, did not expect to see.
3. Voiced Protagonist
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“I am not mute anymore!”
Another welcome addition to the game is a voiced protagonist. Because in the 2008 version, Isaac doesn’t utter a single word. There were huge controversies when this was announced.
Since a lot of people thought it would take away that horror factor and feel from the game, but instead it amplified it. Additionally, it also increased the immersion factor, and the storytelling was much better in my opinion.
2. Gameplay Differences
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“Swiggity swoony, I'm coming for dat booty..”
The gameplay changes are some of the most significant ones they have made. Now the gameplay loop has stayed the same, which is run, shoot, and kill. But what they did add is a “peeling system” to the enemies, so each time you hit them in their limbs, body parts will start falling off until the enemy dies.
They have also added a new gameplay feature called “circuit breakers.” These little boxes allow you to reroute power to another part of the ship by disabling the lights, or vice versa. This allows for added replayability as well as many other minor gameplay changes that you will find out about when you play the game!
1. FSR/DLSS
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“So much power!”
The biggest difference that they added to the game is the new technology offered by AMD and NVIDIA. Those new technologies are FSR 2.0 or DLSS, which are available to anyone if the GPU supports it. Now, why are these so important? Well, FSR or DLSS allows you to play on high or ultra settings without dropping frames. They do that by upscaling the picture while you’re on a lower resolution without dropping the quality of the picture.
It’s quite handy because, in some areas of the game, it can become quite intense on your PC. This is also a huge difference in the game because the 2008 version, if played at more than 59 FPS, would start bugging out a lot or sometimes not even work properly, so many people if they wanted to play it, would have to settle for 30 FPS.
As one of many people who sold his soul to Riot Games and spent many sleepless nights playing their game, Mumin has managed to keep his sanity and has learned to control his anger and rise above.
