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The interactive entertainment industry has witnessed a lot in all respective
genres over these years, which isn't really a bad trend if you consider the
number of choices the gamer of today has across platforms. Even though abundance
has shined over almost every genre, those scintillating, incredibly intense and
spine-chilling horror titles have always been hard to come by. Sure, we've got
legends such as Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and even Siren, but that's pretty
much everything that the genre has had to offer to the new seekers thus far.
When Dead Space was first announced by EA, it was pitted to bring classic horror
and the “from space, no one can hear you scream” kinda atmosphere, and gladly,
that's exactly what Redwood Shores have managed to deliver-a superlative, dark
entertainer, and most certainly, one of the best survival horror experiences
ever created. With Dead Space, you'll experience the kind of in-your-face bone
chilling horror and stomach churning, ultra-realistic gore that will play off
your fear and paranoia.
In the game, we take the role of engineer Isaac Clarke, who along with a
specialized team is sent to investigate the Ishimura, a malfunctioned mining
vessel. Upon boarding the abandoned ship, a particularly gory sequence takes you
into the thick of things, portraying an alien infestation, and before you get to
know, you get separated from your team-thus setting the tone for an unmistakably
scary journey of survival and discovery through the hell holes of a bloodied
ship, into the heart of horror.
As I mentioned earlier, the gameplay has a fantastic mix of various classes
of horror; the dark and shadowy, blindly unpredictable, claustrophobic type, and
that in-your-face kinda horror that simply doesn't allow you to relax at all and
keeps you alert and puzzled all the time. The sheer magnitude, the awesome level
designs, amazing lighting techniques, and haunting ambience all blend together
seamlessly to immerse the player into a frightening atmosphere.
The core play mechanics comprise of precise targeting, relying heavily on the
player's ability to take out the limbs of enemies. Tearing and dismembering
their limbs is the only way to effectively stop the enemies (a fact which is
mentioned several times). The weapons at your disposable are actually mining
tools with large spray zones that can effectively tear limbs from torsos. You
also have the option of customizing your weapon according to your requirements.
But the most prominent weapon that Isaac tends to use more often to obliterate
enemies, is the very special boot stomp, which also turns out to be one of the
most brutal stomps in all of gaming. All in all, the combat mechanics are
incredibly well executed, and make for some of the most unforgettable sequences
and encounters.
Visually, the game is absolutely gorgeous. The HUD has been intentionally
made invisible, so as to allow the player to get immersed in the action. Most
directions and meters are handled withing the environment itself. Most of the
missions are entertaining in terms of delivering surprises and shocks, but the
objectives are a bit uneventful. But the good thing is that everything falls
back on the excellent gameplay mechanics and dark atmosphere. Dead Space is
incredibly big on content; aliens, guts, blood, broken bones, gore, and riveting
zero-g sequences. If you wish to experience horror in its most frighting sense,
and an exhilarating tale of aliens to go along with that, Dead Space will reward
you in every possible way.
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