Developer Motive Studios has promised to "honor the legacy" of the original Dead Space as it continues moving forward toward the release of its remake. It's a precarious position for any game developer to find itself in. Not only is Dead Space seen as one of the best modern horror games ever made, but it's less than 15 years old. It can still be purchased and played with ease on PC and consoles. Honoring Dead Space's legacy is all but expected, but also just one part of making the remake a success.

The idea that Motive wants to embrace, according to Dead Space's creative director Roman Campos-Oriola, is the contradictory mesh of Dead Space feeling both familiar and new. The experience, says Campos-Oriola, should be one of rediscovering Dead Space "as if for the first time." However, it should also feel "familiar and recognizable." It's what could be an impossible task, but it's something that Motive has decided to work its hardest to make true.

"First, we honor the legacy," of Dead Space, is the promise that Campos-Oriola makes to the fans of the original game. Motive will do this by looking at the original game with the "utmost respect," a view necessary to maintain authenticity. The foundations of the Dead Space remake will, as a result, be the same as that of the original Dead Space. Campos-Oriola believes that Dead Space is "iconic" for many fans, even going so far as to call those fans a cult following.

Remaking #DeadSpace is about rebuilding the game from scratch and expanding on what made the original so great in the first place. Learn more in our blog. https://t.co/YDZMm1lUnB

— Motive (@MotiveStudio) September 28, 2022

From that foundation, Motive will focus on making "several enhancements" to the Dead Space experience that will make it enticing both to new and old players. Some of these enhancements are obvious and make perfect sense, like giving the Dead Space remake a complete overhaul in modern visuals. Other changes are riskier, like expanding the lore within the game to include references to material from Dead Space 2, Dead Space 3, and even the Dead Space comic books.

Suffice to say, while there's a reverence for the original Dead Space, the new game isn't accurately described as an authentic recreation. In Campos-Oriola's own words, Motive started with the original Dead Space, but the ultimate product will see Motive "giving you a lot more."

Campos-Oriola wants the Dead Space remake the "definitive Dead Space experience," in that it's the same experience as the original Dead Space. But that it also plays, looks, and sounds like a modern game -- and maybe leaves the door open for more Dead Space projects in the future.

Dead Space releases January 27, 2023, on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Posted: Oct 01, 2022 12:17 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://gamerant.com/dead-space-remake-original-game-legacy/