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Dead Space is Back: Remake Announced of Sci-Fi Horror Classic

Dead Space can now be added to the long list of remade video game classics.

The science-fiction horror game, originally released in 2008, was a massive success that influenced an entire generation of games within space/horror genre. Despite the success of Dead Space and its immediate sequel, following the lackluster release of Dead Space 3, it appeared that Electronic Arts had given up on the title entirely.

That is, until Thursday’s reveal trailer.

While this may seem like great news for diehard fans of the original game, the new remake may not offer exactly the same experience as the original.

In a press release published by EA on Thursday, the company revealed that “Players Will Experience an Improved Story, Characters and Gameplay Combined with Stunning Visuals and Audio.” This suggests the title may follow in the footsteps of Resident Evil 2: Remake, which greatly changed the story and gameplay experience of the original Resident Evil 2, while remaining true to the spirit and general direction of the original game.

According to the remakes developers, current-gen technology will greatly increase the level of immersion players experience while playing the updated version of the game.

IGN spoke to Roman Campos-Oriola, the remake’s creative director, and Senior Producer Phil Ducharme regarding how they plan to update the game. According to Campos-Oriola, the remake will feature all-new original assets and animations a well as improvements on horror and gameplay elements, all of which will be redone in the updated Frostbite engine to create a more immersive experience.

“Well, clearly next generations of console enable us to have ray trace reflections, volumetric effects or even fluid simulation for these effects,” Ducharme told IGN. “These are all things we’ll be able to expand on to increase, again, on the level of immersion.”

According to Ducharme, this level of immersion will ensure that the Ishimura (the space station that serves as the setting for the game) feels “alive.” “It’s dying, but it’s still alive and it has a voice and throughout your journey over the chapters of the game, you hear it progress,” Ducharme said.

Dead Space fans hoping for a sequel to the series shouldn’t hold their breath. Earlier in the year, GamesBeat reported that a sequel to the franchise had been put on hold indefinitely in favor of this new remake. However, if the Dead Space remake proves to be a smashing success, EA will likely be looking to cash in on the renewed enthusiasm with further installments to the franchise.

Michael Austin

As a professional journalist, Michael considers himself a bit of a renaissance man — he’s covered the television and film industries, comic books, food, politics, religion and video games.