Dead Spaceis an upcoming remake of EA’s iconic 2008 survival horror game that will be making a number of improvements. Considering how long ago that original release was - and the fact it’s being developed byMotive Studio, with original creators Visceral Games shut down - some changes are to be expected in the remake so that it better fits the current generation. From what’s been shown so far, though, it looks to be a pretty faithful recreation of Visceral’s landmark title. Visuals, audio, and physics are being overhauled for next-gen technology, but the remake maintains the atmosphere, setting, and story of the original. One aspect getting some changes that might surprise some fans, however, is the protagonist Isaac Clarke.
TheDead Spaceremake was first announced at 2021’s EA Play event, to the joy of eager fans who had suspected it was in the works based on months of rumors. It’s a return to form for the series, focusing more on theResident Evil-inspired survival horror elements of the original as opposed to the more action-oriented later installments. Those aspects were part of what made the first game the fan favorite of the series. Other welcome changes include the removal of the microtransaction system that plaguedDead Space 3and a more in-depth rendition of the dismemberment feature that was the series' key combat mechanic. While that all sounds like good news, changes to Isaac may be more divisive for some fans familiar with the originalDead Space.
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Breaking Isaac’s Silence
Dead Spacefollows Isaac Clarke, an engineer aboard the USG Ishimura after being hired for a repair job who quickly finds himself under attack fromhorrifying undead necromorphs. In the context of the originalDead Space, it’s hard to know much about Isaac’s personality due to one major characteristic: he never speaks. Other than a few grunts and other non-verbal noises, Isaac is silent for the entirety of the first game. That will change in theDead Spaceremake.
Now, Isaac will be fully voiced, reacting to the horrors around him as he explores the ship and speaking during interactions with NPCs. This isn’t entirely new, as this wasthe approach ofDead Space 2and3, where Isaac was fully voiced and portrayed by Gunner Wright. Wright reprises his role for the forthcoming remake.
In 2008’sDead Space, the combination of Isaac having no dialogue and almost never being shown without his RIG suit and mask had some narrative effects that shouldn’t be ignored. Isaac isn’t a hero or soldier, but an engineer, thrust into a horrifying situation where he is totally out of his depth. That’s a lot more relatable than other protagonists. Therefore, his featureless naturemakes Isaac as much a player avatar or audience surrogateas he is a regular character. He’s only scared if the player is, instead of conveying fear through his own reactions. Even the game design reflects this approach, such as by having the UI integrated into the view of Isaac’s RIG helmet and equipment.
That approach was immersive in its own right, and it may be why some have reservations about the change. However, there are definitely advantages to the new approach too. Isaac’s unreactive nature may have taken away from the immersion of the original game. At times, it seemed unnatural that the character would not react to the terrifying events that surround him. Now,Isaac will have contextual voice linesbased on what is going on around him and what he’s doing.
The voice lines Isaac is being given in theDead Spaceremake are influenced by the A.L.I.V.E system. This is a new mechanic that affects his behavior based on his heart rate, breathing, and health level. Heart rate and breathing are, in turn, affected by things like sprinting,jump scares, and combat. Each contextual voice line will have three variations - normal, fatigued, and injured. The feature will hopefully avoid repetition of voice lines, something that often makes reactive dialogue hurt immersion instead of enhancing it.
TheDead Spaceremake also gives Isaac’s iconic RIG suit a makeover. The suit itself has been revamped thanks tonext-gen hardware capabilities, with impressive textures and details. But there’s one change that hasn’t been addressed by Motive yet. Between the health and Stasis indicators seems to be a new feature: a pentagon with the same light as those indicator bars. It’s as yet unclear what this light source might be. It may point to a new ability or resource at Isaac’s disposal, similar to the Stasis and Kinesis abilities he had in the originalDead Space.
Dead Spacewill release on July 21, 2025, on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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