"Twinkle, twinkle, star, what are you?" a dying woman sings from the tannoy of an elevator. I'm not a big fan of nursery rhyme horror clichés, but they fit "Dead Space" perfectly. This was never a series that explored space as a wild frontier where the wonders of the universe and the worst evil imaginable is the corporate greed that rules the stars. Rather, this is a game about how terrifying the universe is. The abyss into which we gaze reflects our nightmares. It is hard to marvel at the universe with a necromorph's blade in your gut.

Necromorph, by the way, is an imaginary cosmic word for zombie, and in Dead Space, you will become familiar with the zombies that will attack you every few minutes for the next 10 hours or so. One thing I'm glad they didn't change in the remake is the screaming of the necromorphs as they jump out of the way. Even if this is a remake instead of a fourth film, I am very glad to be back in Ishimura.

The fact that this remake feels like a new "Dead Space" makes this fact all the more frustrating. Sure, the bleak atmosphere, overarching narrative, and necromorphs are still there, but it's proof that this survival-horror formula is as strong today as it was when the original was released in 2008, and could be the cornerstone of future "Dead Space" installments. I think a large part of the strength of this remake lies in the fact that it builds on what is already there, rather than trying to create something brand new that will be stung by necromorphs.

Isaac Clarke is your average space engineer, longing to see his long-distant girlfriend Nicole. Instead, he ends up working the worst shift in human history. As he hops from crisis to crisis, trying to keep the dying planet-destroying ship USG Ishimura on its last legs, he must also contend with a changed crew. The Only Defense" A number of sci-fi power tools that turn out to be quite effective at cutting up angry aliens.

Dead Space does more in 10 hours than most games do in 30, and its story is even more focused in the remake. Isaac actually gets to talk, and while I enjoyed the silent but competent Gordon Freeman-esque characterization in the original, this makes him feel like an active participant in the story. His line was, "I'm out of good ideas, then guess what I'm left with? It's one of the reasons I love the way Isaac mumbles curses as he stomps the necromorph into extinction.

After all, there are only so many limbs you can chop off, but the weapons in the remake are very nice. Prior to the remake, there was talk of a horrible-sounding new system called "necromorph peeling," and it's definitely a fun time to blow more bits off a necromorph, in addition to being a strong visual indicator of weak limbs and things to cut off. My favorite is to blast a necromorph at point-blank range with a force gun and watch the fleshless skeleton rise up as if a chicken carcass had been dried with an industrial dryer.

Brutally killing necromorphs is an iconic part of Dead Space's cathartic cycle. Along with great guns, there are new alt-fire and upgrade options for weapons. The pulse rifle's strange bullet cyclone has been replaced with a proximity grenade launcher, and the line gun can lay down tripwires. For plasma cutter purists like myself, it's nice to be able to set traps in the perimeter and make a little more use of other guns.

Most of the big boss fights, such as the fight with the necromorph hunter in Chapter 5, play out frame by frame. Nevertheless, Leviathan's boss fights are made infinitely more enjoyable by the free-floating zero-G added in Dead Space 2 and Dead Space 3. The second boss fight in particular has been completely redesigned, gliding around a giant mass or manually commanding an ADS cannon to blast away weak spots.

Dead Space's Zero-G is not just for taking on giant space monsters. The feeling of sitting back and floating around solving complex space engineering problems is irresistible. When I say "complex," most of the time it's just grabbing crap with kinesis. I've always found this sequence to be a nice respite from fighting necromorphs for a bit, to think about something other than alien mutilation. Repairing the communications array in particular is a very chilling puzzle that allows me to glide around the middle of the big dome, swap parts, and admire my work in different positions. There is also an open zero-G section, like the ship graveyard in Dead Space 3, which can be explored at will.

This is just one of many changes that work to enhance the original. The circuit breaker is another excellent example. This power switch was added to the old section as a sort of devil's bargain, allowing you to turn the power on and off. If you want to ride the elevator, of course, you need lighting or oxygen. This is a poison of choice mechanic that allows players to choose their preferred difficulty level and fight their way through the area. One of my favorite circuit breakers in hydroponics is purely psychological: turning off the "jungle atmosphere" allows you to hear the entities living in the vents.

While previously there was little reason to return to the old areas of the stone village, the remake adds locked security clearance doors and containers to inspire a full exploration for additional items. Clearances are gained as you progress through the story, so you need to remember these secret stashes Metroidvania-style and return to them when you're done upgrading. Coupled with the new random encounters and visual and auditory cues, it makes the previous areas seem a bit more occupied. Even a little exploration to open a locked room can be a dangerous proposition, depending on your luck.

This "Dead Space" remake can be described as narrative. This is because while the major storylines and plots of the original remain unchanged, the side quests, holographic logs, new characters, and the fact that Isaac can speak this time around put them in a whole new perspective. Characters such as Elizabeth Cross, with whom we have never directly interacted before, are now fully fledged characters, with their own plots. Side quests also provide Nicole's perspective on what was going on aboard the "Ishimura," and provide greater insight into the cruelty of the protagonist's antagonist, Dr. Mercer.

Motive does an excellent job of adding the appropriate layers to the original story, focusing on existing but undeveloped elements, and giving players more insight into the Isimra and its conflicts prior to Isaac's arrival. This makes the first "Dead Space" much more consistent with the rest of the game in terms of lore and continuity, but what really works is its execution, with no overstepping or overly significant changes. Subsequent playthroughs even provide additional audio logs and Easter eggs, some of which inform us of what was revealed from the original ending.

The overall effect, though, is oddly frustrating. That so much effort went into redeveloping the plot of the original game is surprising in some respects: but at the same time, this effort could have been equally applicable to the new "Dead Space". It is hard not to feel the same way about the improved sound design and visuals. The remake was built from the ground up using the Frostbite engine and looks and sounds amazing. This quality makes me want to play a new, non-remake "Dead Space" in 2023. Another aspect of my complaint is that a different game might have had room to push the new ideas and mechanics of the remake further.

However, the fact that my primary complaint is the desire for consideration and effort for a sequel also speaks to how strong this remake is. I'm not sure how much more I would have liked to have seen in a sequel, since aside from weapon upgrades, credits and ammo are not needed beyond a certain point from the security clearance stash. Most of the side quests also run parallel to the main game, so while they add a complementary layer, they do not provide much extra play time.

It took me about 12 hours to complete the entire game on medium difficulty, but the remake also offers new game pluses, such as more challenging "phantom enemies" and 12 hidden marker fragments (open in a new tab) that unlock an alternate ending when found The game is also a bit on the short side. In short, while a bit on the short side, this is an intense and vigorous experience, just as Dead Space always was. Most of all, I'm glad Dead Space is back and Dead Space is better. Even if this doesn't lead to a new film, hopefully there will be an equally strong second remake in the future.