Post mortem: Dead Space

I picked up Dead Space for my PS3 knowing very little about the title except that it was a console shooter.  Prior to the purchase I never managed to play a shooter on anything aside from my PC and enjoy the experience, however it had been a number of years since my last attempt so I was due.

Had I done a bit of homework I may never have bought the game; it turns out that Dead Space is considered one of the scariest video games ever created, and I’m a big wuss when it comes to horror – I don’t like horror novels, and I skip horror movies.  As it turns out, ignorance was bliss: had I been armed with knowledge of what I was getting into I would have missed one of the most riveting gaming experiences of my life.

Through my entire fifteen hour play through – approached in chunks of roughly one hour – I lived in a state of constant paranoia, jumping at the slightest sound both in game and, quite often, for a period of time after I shut down my console for the night.  (I nearly jumped out of my skin after beating the game on Friday night when, as I was getting a drink in the kitchen, a pot shifted in the dish rack, clanging into a fry pan.)  Although I usually hate the feeling of being scared, Visceral Games did such an amazing job of controlling the experience that I looked forward to getting home, dimming the lights, and plunging deeper into the bowels of the derelict Ishimura mining ship.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.  My main worry about Dead Space – whether or not I could adapt to console controls after decades of using a mouse and keyboard – turned out to be a relatively minor problem.  Although I never got used to the lack of sensitivity, it only took me a few hours of fumbling around before using the PS3 controller to control my avatar became second nature, and my aim noticeably improved as the game wore on.

Aim, as it so happens, is extremely important in Dead Space.  The back of the box trumpets the ability to “strategically dismember your foes” as one of the key selling points, and it isn’t kidding.  Unlike most shooters where nailing someone in the arm is as effective as shooting them in the chest, the enemies in this title – zombie-like aliens called Necromorphs – do not die very easily if all you do is pump rounds into their torso:  killing one properly involves blasting a few limbs off as they charge towards you.  The key is to remain calm and in control, to choose your weapon intelligently and make precise, accurate shots.

Of course, therein lies the problem:  Dead Space excels at keeping you off balance and jittery at all times, and is masterful at robbing you of any notion that you are at all in control of the situation.  Without being unfair, the game exerts a sadistic level of dominance over its player, setting you up time and time again for the next big scare which always – at least in my case – comes exactly when you are least expecting it.

This isn’t predicable monster-in-a-closet horror, Dead Space is full of meticulously plotted out scenarios designed to lull you into a false sense of security and then freak you out.

The most effective scares occur during situations when, despite usually being safe, you find yourself under attack.  For example, most levels have a safe room that contains a save point and a store.  After clearing out the safe room initially you are usually free to come and go as you please without being attacked.  Rarely however, Necromorphs will barge in on you when you’re shopping, completely throwing you off balance and forcing you to scramble to not get mauled.  Likewise, riding an elevator is usually a non-event, but when angry screaming haunts drop in from above you are sure to jump.

When properly executed, these moments rob you of your ability to behave rationally, and send you into blind fear-induced panic; there were so many times that I found myself unloading a pulse rifle into a quivering mass of flesh just to make sure that everything stayed dead and didn’t leap out at me.

Ammo management, however, is key to successfully surviving the game’s twelve haunting levels and escaping the Ishimura.  Dead Space is well-balanced, and provides you with enough ammo drops to get through the game provided that you don’t needlessly squander it by shooting like a madman.  There is slack built into the system in the form of currency, however buying ammo is the least efficient thing that you can do with your money – cash is the only reliable source of weapon and armor upgrades.

Although the pacing and the scenarios go a long way towards sowing fear, they would not be nearly as effective without the absolutely stunning visual and audio effects that Dead Space showcases.

The soundscape that the title boasts is superb.  The normal background music reacts to the presence of enemies, simultaneously tipping the player off that combat is imminent while also creating a tangible element of suspense.  The Necromorphs screech and howl as they attack, a horrific cacophony that set my heart to pounding, and made me want to irrationally unload on the beasts to just get them to shut up.  More nerve wracking than the loud moments are the times when all is silent…. and then you hear a scuttling off to the side (which is usually – but not always – nothing), or a creak from up above, or a distant almost inaudible howl. Even more terrifying are the times when you are outside of the ship in zero gravity and everything is muffled, the vacuum of space sucking away almost all sound.  The first indication that you are being attacked is often the impact of a claw on your back, and a jet of blood.

The graphics are, if anything, even more creepy.  Dead Space is primarily set on a large space ship, but still manages to present some graphically diverse areas.  The mining level is nothing like the bridge, which is in turn distinct from the crew deck.  Death and gore surround you as you explore the hulk, trying to piece together what has gone on and – eventually – escape with your life.  Although I worried that the subject matter would get repetitive in a hurry, it never did – the artists at Visceral Games seemingly know of endless ways to mix up death and horror.

Special attention seemed to have been paid to lighting effects in Dead Space – the shadows in particular were well done and added to the suspense more often than not.  Flicking light plays naturally against the walls, creating dark patches that could conceal Necromorphs.  Out of sight objects – perhaps a dangling corpse, or a piece of twisted metal, or an ambling horror – cast shadows that hint at movement and death.

All in all Dead Space is a perfectly executed horror game, equal parts violent and tense, with the tempo of the experience shifting unpredictably.  To top it all off, as the game was playing its final cut scene, despite knowing instinctively that the masters at Visceral would try for one final scare (and having a solid idea how it would play out), I still jumped out of my seat when the moment came, and was left visibly shaking.

Dead Space 2 is coming out in late January 2011…. I can’t wait to be terrified all over again.