2008 was a great year for sci-fi horror fans, as the original Dead Space burst onto the gaming scene with a blend of thrills and gore. Now in 2023, Dead Space was given a deserved remake, one that is the same, yet different, in all the right ways. The Dead Space Remake introduces fans old and new aboard the USG Ishimura, with danger in every corner.
Considering Dead Space (2023) is a remake of the classic sci-fi horror game, plenty of scares are expected. However, if one is to survive aboard the USG Ishimura as the engineer Isaac Clarke, one will need to take note of the do’s and don’ts of Dead Space and keep in mind these mistakes to avoid when playing the Dead Space Remake.
8 Forgetting To Save
Everything and everyone in Dead Space wants to kill Isaac Clarke. This is exactly why players should be thankful that the USG Ishimura has plenty of save stations across its many rooms, halls, and corridors. Save stations are essential for Dead Space, as the game may have an autosave feature, but manually saving is always the safest bet.
Players should not rely too much on the autosave, as they might get killed, or worse, before the autosave kicks in, leaving players at a disadvantage . If there’s a save station nearby, it’s best to use it, as the player has no idea when a Necromorph will leap from a vent.
7 Wasting Upgrades
There are some of the best weapons in Dead Space in the remake, with each weapon featuring a unique and powerful method of attack, all useful for their type of arsenal. Players can collect upgrades and power nodes to strengthen their weapons in Dead Space thanks to the weapon benches scattered throughout the game.
A common mistake is wasting a power node in the wrong upgrade. Truly, players should focus their upgrades on their RIG suit and their preferred weapon of choice, which should often be the reliable and devastatingly strong Plasma Cutter.
6 Never Straying From The Path
What makes Dead Space such an immersive horror is how the HUD is integrated with the world. Players will not have to worry about seeing their health bar of objectives take up the screen, as it’s all part of Isaac Clarke’s RIG suit. Players can click in R3 to see their objective, and to see a blue waypoint that guides them through the correct door. However, sometimes it's best to avoid the correct door.
Exploration is king in survival games in which the player needs to scavenge. It’s best to venture off the path in Dead Space and return to the story when the player has explored all other areas available to them. If players don't explore the environment, they are missing out on valuable loot, whether that is lore logs, upgrades, health, credits, or ammo.
5 Wasting Ammo On Vents
All types of Necromorphs travel through the USG Ishimura thanks to the intricate vent system. What makes matters worse is the fact that there are so many vents. Whether it’s on the floor, walls, or ceilings, each vent is a risk of a Necromorph popping right out and scaring Isaac Clarke right out of his RIG suit.
Destroying the vents doesn’t stop the monsters from coming out, so players should save their ammo and not bother trying to sabotage vents. What players should be aware of, is the vents around them, as these are valued spawn points for the Necromorphs.
4 Not Checking Behind Isaac
The movement in the Dead Space Remake is far less tank-like than the original; thus, players will be able to turn around quickly to check what’s around them. Noises can be creepy and misleading in Dead Space, which means players should always check behind them, and not leave their backs unattended.
Isaac Clarke is the perfect fleshy target for Necromorphs to stab and bite, so players need to keep checking their backs and make sure nothing can get behind them. Players should never let their guard down, not even when in the shop or the upgrade bench.
3 Targeting Heads Instead Of Limbs
The game makes it clear from the start that players will need to shoot the limbs of the Necromorphs to kill them. Headshots are pointless in Dead Space and only serve to make things more gruesome. Shoot enemies in the limbs, cut off their limbs, just aim at the limbs and nothing else. It’s self-explanatory, but it's still easy to make the mistake of reverting to headshots.
Mistakes can be commonplace when under stressful situations, especially when those stressful situations involve a grizzly death at the hands of an alien monster. However, if players are to survive in confidence through Dead Space, arms, legs, and tendrils should be the only thing they focus their ammunition on.
2 The "Spray And Pray" Approach
Speaking of ammunition, one thing that players should never do is hold down fire and hope for the best. There are plenty of exciting weapons in Dead Space, but ammunition is still an important resource. If players simply shoot without stopping, or thinking, they are going to be without a weapon, and fast. Players should conserve ammo, in any way possible.
The best way to conserve ammunition is to use items on the floor with telekinesis. Players can pick up poles, sharp objects, Necromorph spikes, and other weapons to throw into the monsters, saving ammunition in the process, and probably pinning a Necromorph to a wall.
1 Not Stomping On Corpses
The last thing some players want to do when killing a Necromorph is to linger around its corpse. After all, since they are the result of the resurrection, it’s best not to keep them nearby. However, a common mistake is not gaining the loot that can arise out of every dead monster. If players stomp on the dead bodies of their kills, then usually the Necromorph will drop something.
The loot that the Necromorph can drop varies from ammo, credits, health, or stasis packs, but they are all equally valuable in the long run. Every Necromorph killed should be stomped, so players can regain what they lost when fighting it in the first place.
Dead Space is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.