The Dead Space remake is finally coming in early 2023, and it’s bringing with it a beloved feature from 2018’s God of War: the game will play out over one continuous shot for the entire time.
In a new blog post from EA, which takes quotes from some of the key devs working on the remake from EA Motive, the publisher offers some developer insights on the upcoming horror game. There are interesting details about Dead Space’s community council — a group of hardcore fans who helped advise development — and the new graphical effects for shredding enemies. But the most interesting bit of information concerns the game’s camera and its new content.
In the original Dead Space, the camera followed pretty closely to Isaac Clark for the entire game. But the USS Ishimura was segmented, and you’d need to hop a train — which came with a long load — to get from one side of the planet cracker to the other. In the remake, you’ll be able to transport around the entire ship without ever seeing a load screen, and the camera will never cut. It’s currently unclear if the trains will still be in the game.
God of War pulled off this trick in 2018. And while it may sound like a bit of a gimmick, it did help pull players into the game’s world and keep them there. In a game like Dead Space, camera cuts and load times are almost freeing experiences, as they allow you to breathe a bit. By taking those away — unless you die — the new Dead Space will potentially have an even more tense atmosphere than the original, with fewer breaks to catch your breath.
The blog also discusses some additional content coming in the game. Part of this will come from the new 360 degree space flight, which is a major improvement on the first game. (The Dead Space sequels handled flight much better than the first). This new flight system will provide new “challenges” for players in the sequel, which sounds like remixed encounters from the original game.
However, there will be some straight-up new side content in the game as well. Players will be able to take Isaac on “narrative side quests” to learn about Nicole — Isaac’s girlfriend — and what she was up to during the initial attack on the Ishimura. Characters like Dr. Cross will also get some screen time in the game, rather than being banished to audio logs.
Players can check out the new version of the USS Ishimura — as well as the game’s new camera — when EA and Motive launch the Dead Space remake on Jan. 27, 2023, for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.