Fans of the original Dead Space will be looking forward to seeing EA Motive’s take on the beloved title in the upcoming Dead Space remake. Set to release next January, it’s fair to say that this is probably one of the most hotly-anticipated game remakes in the history of the industry. With a lot to live up to, EA Motive has recently given fans a bit more detail about what to expect.
The iconic horror survival game from 2008 has been rebuilt from the ground up in an entirely new game engine known as Frostbite. While players will obviously be expecting overhauled and improved visuals, the developers at EA Motive have now shared some further insights into how the remake will actually deliver gameplay improvements too.
In a blog post shared on the EA website, the developers have discussed their methodology for remaking such a landmark title, as well as revealed a couple of surprising details about how the game will be experienced. Most interestingly, the action will take place as “one sequential shot” from start to finish, the post reveals. Senior Producer Philippe Ducharme explains that “from the moment you start the game to the moment you end the game, there are no camera cuts or load screens—unless you die.” Ducharme further elaborates on this, explaining that players will be able to explore without interruptions. The Ishimura is now fully interconnected, so you can walk from Point A to Point Z, visit the entire ship, and revisit locations you’ve already completed to pick up things you might have missed—that’s all new. It’s now a completely unbroken experience.”
The blog post also reveals how the team at EA Motive incorporated the advice and input of some hardcore Dead Space fans when working on the remake. Collaborating with them as a so-called “Community Council,” EA Motive kept in regular, six-weekly contact with these super fans, giving them full access to the project in order to help inform and enhance the development of the Dead Space remake. As the game’s Project Technical Director David Robillard explains, this practice is unusual for development studios, however, for EA Motive, the potential privacy gamble seems to be one that they believe is worth taking. “In my experience, it’s very rare; I’ve seen only a few other titles do something like this,” Robillard remarks, “I don’t know why it’s very rare, because it seems like every time you do it you get really good results.”
The Dead Space remake will also benefit massively from the use of the Frostbite engine, specifically in terms of graphics and overall visual quality. The original’s signature atmospheric lighting and gory combat will also see major enhancements as a result of this new technology. As Robillard explains, “with the computational power we have now, we’re able to push lighting much, much, much further, both from a pure lighting perspective and also a shadowing perspective.” These advancements will apply to the game’s “‘peeling’ and dismemberment system” too, meaning that players can get even more up close and personal with the rending of flesh and bone in combat encounters.
For the full interview with EA Motive’s key developers, you can check out the blog post in full on the EA blog. The Dead Space remake launches on January 27 next year and will be available on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC.
