The Scene That Went Too Far In The Dead Space Remake
The original space horror phenomenon, "Dead Space," terrorized gamers upon release in 2008. And thankfully, the recent Motive Studio remake captures the same heart-pounding horror experience the first game offered up. Critics even argue that the remake is better than the original, improving the title in almost every way. That being said, Dead Space remains a game that players may want to avoid playing at night.
One of the staples of the "Dead Space" series is the grotesque horror scenes the player is forced to witness as they fight their way through the alien-infested space rig. For example, in the original game, a particularly gruesome scene occurs when the player walks into the ship's morgue and, on the other side of the glass, sees one of the alien creatures latch onto a dead body and turn it into a Necromorph (per RabidRetrospectGames). And as soon as the player starts to think the event is a set piece, the creatures break through the glass and charge the player.
Undoubtedly to the delight of horror fans, the remake also has a few scenes that take things too far. And because of the improved graphics and gameplay, the remade scenes are scarier and grosser than ever before.
A horrific first encounter
After Isaac's mining spaceship experiences a less-than-perfect docking attempt, the crew splits up to assess the situation (courtesy Gamer's Little Playground). During this, the player is sent to an adjacent room divided by glass to check the ship's damage report. After Isaac discovers that the ship has taken extensive damage, the ship's quarantine mode activates, with the lights dimming and the crew getting locked inside the adjacent room.
Then an alien creature bursts into the room and spears crewmate Chen. During this alien attack, the player, Isaac, can do nothing but watch helplessly as Chen gets slaughtered. The player then has to run to the elevator to keep themselves from ending up like Chen. Once in the elevator, one of the Necromorphs pries open the door, but as they begin to squeeze in, the monster gets diced by the door.
Because of the updated graphics, including lighting, this scene is considerably darker and more horrific than it was in the original game. As a result, this jarring introduction to the gameplay and the gruesome atmosphere may be too much for many players, especially those who didn't know what they were getting into.