Summary
Last year’s excellent remake ofDead Spacenot only managed to prove that the classic space-bound survival horror title still holds up, but that it excels in many areas. Although the two franchises are remarkably different, especially in terms of setting and tone, there’s plenty that the nextResident Evilgame could learn from 2023’sDead Space.
While it may not have been abrand-new entry in theDead Spacecanon, theDead Spaceremake managed to bring the beloved franchise back into the public consciousness, introducing it to new players and reminding old fans why it was such a success in the first place. The key elements of the original game are all there, but the remake also instituted several key changes. Obvious adjustments, like the major visual overhaul, certainly make for a different experience, but more behind-the-scenes tweaks such as the much-lauded Intensity Director also serve to make the game feel fresh and innovative while still being familiar. As far asResident Evil 9is concerned, Capcom would do well to learn fromDead Space’s modern enhancements as well as its core strengths.
Neither franchise is inherently better than the other, but it’s hard to argue thatResident Evilis as scaryasthe first twoDead Spacegames.Dead Space’s Isaac isn’t a highly trained operative in a city overrun by monsters, he’s an engineer stranded on a derelict spaceship, with only a handful of allies. There is no way to escape, and no authorities coming to the rescue.Resident Evil 9doesn’t need to go as far as being set in space, but it could certainly adapt some ofDead Space’s dark and unsettling tonal aspects, especially if it learns from some of the remake’s new additions, like the overwhelming use of darkness and Isaac’s implementation.
Isaac Clarke is a fantastic protagonistfor a horror game, borrowing more fromSilent Hill’s narrative philosophy thanResident Evil’s; he isn’t a gun-toting, unstoppable force. Rather, he is a desperate, terrified man in over his head and tormented by psychological issues that are worsened by the influence of the Marker. These aspects of his character are elevated in the remake, mainly through the addition of voice acting, which makes Isaac feel more tangible and believable.
Resident Evildabbled in this more intimate sort of storytelling withEthan Winters inResident Evil 7and it worked well, allowing players to connect with his mission to save his wife—a much more relatable goal than sabotaging a secret lab or saving the U.S. President’s daughter. At the same time,RE7andVillagearguably didn’t dig deep enough, barely scratching the surface of Ethan’s psyche or exploring his dark side. Learning fromDead Spaceand its remake,RE9could lean further into narrative themes like denial, trauma, and guilt.
Onetrend thatResident Evilcould do away withis the jarring third-act change of scenery.Resident Evilgames often present players with unique locations filled with mysteries to uncover, but they will ultimately take players to some sort of lab near the end, damaging the sense of cohesion.Dead Space’s USG Ishimura, on the other hand, is consistent throughout, forcing players to learn the ship’s layout and gain an intimate understanding of the space, an understanding which is gleefully ripped away thanks to the remake’s Intensity Director, which makes backtracking feel tense and immersive.
Drawing upon the level design, horror elements, and bold narrative choices of the originalDead Spacecould elevateResident Evil 9in a number of valuable ways. And ifRE9can learn from the modernizations and enhancements that came with the 2023Dead Spaceremake, then it would be even better.
Dead Space (2023)
WHERE TO PLAY
The sci-fi survival-horror classic Dead Space™ returns, completely rebuilt from the ground up to offer a deeper, more immersive experience. This remake brings jaw-dropping visual fidelity, suspenseful atmospheric audio, and improvements to gameplay while staying faithful to the original game’s thrilling vision.Isaac Clarke is an everyman engineer on a mission to repair a vast mining ship, the USG Ishimura, only to discover something has gone horribly wrong. The ship’s crew has been slaughtered and Isaac’s beloved partner, Nicole, is lost somewhere on board.Now alone and armed with only his engineering tools and skills, Isaac races to find Nicole as the nightmarish mystery of what happened aboard the Ishimura unravels around him. Trapped with hostile creatures called Necromorphs, Isaac faces a battle for survival, not only against the escalating terrors of the ship but against his own crumbling sanity.
