Isaac gains new weapons and abilities at a rapid pace, and these tools flow into each other smoothly during locked-room combat scenes. Kinesis is incredibly useful as well, allowing Isaac to pick up and hurl objects at any time, with unlimited duration. Shooting the necromorphs’ long limbs will always be more powerful than a headshot stomping on mutant corpses still releases goodies (and any lingering player frustration), and the stasis ability remains a critical tool in managing enemies, temporarily freezing them in place. The secondary mechanism on the flamethrower, for instance, deploys a wall of fire rather than an explosive orb, and it’s an ultra-satisfying way to cut off encroaching hordes. Isaac has his classic arsenal of improvised and scavenged weapons, including the plasma cutter, disc ripper and flamethrower, but with some modern updates. In an action-horror game, this feeling is paramount. Never too rich, though - asset management underscores the game’s tension, and Isaac is constantly at risk of running out of ammo, stasis energy, oxygen or health. I found myself checking every corner for glowing boxes to stomp on or shiny bits of ammo and credits, and my exploration was often richly rewarded. In the remake, the Ishimura is a maze of twisting metal corridors and locked rooms, and it’s bursting with secrets. Stores and upgrade benches are scattered around the USG Ishimura, the main ship where the nightmare unfolds, powered by credits and nodes that players find while slicing their way through the monsters onboard. The remake uses the same immersion system, alongside a pop-up inventory that doesn’t interrupt gameplay. Dead Space was the game that introduced HUD-less horror environments, incorporating health and ability meters into Isaac’s suit, rather than displaying static indicators over every scene. Dead Space came out at the height of EA’s golden era, a year after the first Mass Effect and a month before Mirror’s Edge, and it defined the sci-fi horror genre in a way that persists today. Turns out, great game design is timeless. The Dead Space remake is big, beautiful and better than the original, while maintaining the magic that made the first game an instant classic.

As a fan of the 2008 game, playing the new Dead Space is a cozy experience, even amid all the terror, death and gore.

This precise moment, frozen between horrific brutality and a comforting embrace, captures the essence of the Dead Space remake. In the split second before a necromorph slides its arm blades into Isaac Clarke’s stomach, it looks like the massive monster is giving him a bloody, snarling, over-excited hug.

Dead space trilogy remastered