With the Dead Space remake out this month, we sit down with the voice of Isaac, Gunner Wright, and Motive’s Joel MacMillan to talk in-depth about this passion project.

A snippet.

Dead Space 2 was more cinematic in terms of story, with Isaac in the original Dead Space being more of a silent protagonist. And with that, it had that isolated immersive feel. From a development perspective (and a game one), how would you contrast Isaac in the original Dead Space versus the sequel?

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Joel MacMillan: With our version of Isaac, we wanted to have a continuity with the rest of the series, where the story ended up going from Dead Space through to the third game. We wanted to make sure that the Isaac we were recreating for our version of Dead space followed that character arc. That's why we all had our fingers crossed, hoping that Gunner would be available and able to support that with us. When you know at the sequels in the franchise, Isaac did speak, and so it made sense to try and adopt that for our version of Dead Space.

It also helped us address a couple of other issues that we had with the silent protagonist. In the original Dead Space, characters talk to Isaac without Isaac responding. This gave the impression that he's a bit despondent or ignorant, and we wanted to make sure that we didn't have that disconnect [in the remake]. Our version of Isaac interacts a little bit to help endear him a bit more to the player.

Our Full Dead Space Remake Interview

With the spiritual successor of sorts The Callisto Protocol out this month, EA and Motive are putting the final touches on a faithful built-from-the-ground-up Dead Space remake coming January 27, 2023. As one of the greatest sci-fi horror games of all time, it's awesome to see just how great this looks in motion.

With IGN posting the first 18 minutes of the game as per below. In addition to the revamped visuals and impressive lighting overhaul, there's also new voice acting and hints at more world-building.



Motive has stated that this remake will be faithful to the original but will also feature deleted scenes of sorts, with new and expanded gameplay. For reference I looked up the intro sequence of the game running on Xbox 360 hardware, and yeah, the difference is huge.

Up until this point everything we've seen of Motive's reimagining of the seminal survival horror classic, Dead Space, has been in behind the scenes form with the devs. Today, however, the studio and EA have released the first gameplay trailer for the highly anticipated remake of the game, alongside all-new details on just what's changed since its original release back in 2008.



As you can see from the above, this isn't a simple re-release with a shiny new coat of necromorphic paint, with Motive leveraging the power of Frostbite what we get is a game that is reimagined with a bigger budget, better technology and a clearly defined target audience and market in mind.

Here's some official information on what you just watched above and can expect on January 27, 2023 when the game launches:

Still remaining true to the original game’s thrilling vision, Dead Space has been completely rebuilt from the ground up in the Frostbite game engine for latest consoles and PC and offers enhanced audio and crisp, harrowing visuals that have been carefully reimagined to evoke a new level of immersion and quality. Players will also find there is more to learn aboard the USG Ishimura this time around as they relive the story with newly added narrative elements. The ship will have players questioning their own sanity as they delve deeper and begin to uncover its secrets, fighting for their survival with monstrous terrors lurking at every turn.

Dead Space puts players in the boots of Isaac Clarke, an everyman engineer on a routine mission to fix a vast mining starship, the USG Ishimura. But aboard the Ishimura, a living nightmare awaits. The ship’s crew has been slaughtered and infected, and Isaac’s girlfriend, Nicole, is missing somewhere on board. Alone and trapped, with only his engineering tools and skills, Isaac faces a battle for survival - not only against terrifying monsters called Necromorphs, but his own crumbling sanity.

Additionally, Dead Space features key gameplay improvements including:

• The Peeling System: Necromorphs, monstrosities unlike anything seen before, have been reconstructed around the new Peeling System, which introduces layered flesh, tendons and bones that break, tear and shatter in shocking new ways. And while strategy is key, players will also experience increased opportunities for creativity in how they utilise their variety of unique weapons and abilities to combat these horrifying enemies.
  
  
• The Intensity Director: Dead Space’s beautifully crafted, equally haunting world has long been easy for players to get lost in, but now players will truly feel the weight of every mysterious step Isaac takes. The new Intensity Director dynamically adjusts what shows up in Isaac’s path, from Necromorph spawns and how they choose to attack them, to environmental effects such as light, smoke, particles and sound. Isaac’s heartbeat, breathing, and exertions also adjust based on his stress level to provide players direct feedback into his mental, emotional and physical state.
  
  
• An Enhanced Engineering Fantasy: Without weapons or backup, Isaac is forced to defend himself against the Necromorphs by leveraging high-tech mining tools to strategically dismember nightmarish creatures, solve puzzles on his thrilling journey and turn the Ishimura’s malfunctioning systems to his advantage. Originally a silent protagonist, players will now hear more from the beloved engineer via new narrative enrichments voiced by Gunner Wright, the original voice of Isaac in Dead Space 2 (2011) and Dead Space 3 (2013).
  
  
• A Fully Interconnected Ishimura: From the start screen to the end credits, players will confront the frighteningly tight corridors and shadowed hallways of the USG Ishimura without a single load screen or camera cut ever breaking the immersion. This enormous mining ship has been restored for the remake with new rooms, routes and obstacles while permitting seamless exploration with new UI map controls and an improved locator.

For me, personally, the idea of tapping more deeply into how the events of the game will affect Isaac’s sanity as well as a fully realised USG Ishimura are truly tantalising, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried.

We’re no stranger to the series or its original creators here on AusGamers, so we’re heavily invested in this not just being done right, but also in a respectful way that doesn’t give up the past. Right now though, we’re quietly all-in. Now, pass the Peng and check out a handful of new screens below…