Dead Space 3 Review

Throughout the game you’ll find messages like this one that will surely keep your spirits up.

Isaac Clarke, the most famous (and unluckiest) Space Engineer, returns to space in the third entry of the acclaimed survival-horror series, Dead Space 3. However, in an attempt to draw more players, Visceral Games decided to sacrifice some of the terror and implement more action and a new Co-Op system. Will these decisions mark the end of one of the most thrilling Survival-Horror series?

The Dead Space series became known for the combination of fantastic visuals and great gameplay. This game is no different. Dead Space 3 provides us with stunning visual moments. Before landing in Tau Volantis we will find ourselves floating around the debris of destroyed spaceships. Exploring this incredibly designed environment gives us a strange morbid feeling mixed with peace and anxiety. Unlike what happened in the previous titles this Zero-Gravity scenario is much larger and begs us to explore it. Due to the way they are designed and also because of all the sounds we will hear while exploring them, always keeping us on our toes, the environment inside the spaceships breathes Ridley Scott’s Alien. By completing a series of objectives we can finally land in Tau Volantis.  A small glimpse of the outside landscape, designed in the style of John Carpenter’s The Thing, is enough to make us feel completely alone and vulnerable. In Space no one can hear you scream. The same happens here. This planet is abandoned for 200 years and besides the text logs and audio messages we will find while exploring Tau Volantis, blizzards, strong winds and Necromorphs are all that is left.

This game has indeed more action than the previous titles and although the gameplay is the same, a few improvements were made. One of such improvements is the possibility of rolling. That’s right, now you can roll to safety whenever you feel threatened, thus avoiding incoming attacks, objects, etc. Unfortunately, and because I was not used to such a feature in the Dead Space series, I ended up forgetting about it (and boy did I suffer for it) and came to the point where I ended up yelling in a boss fight “C’mon!!! If only the man could at least roll… Oh… Wait a second…” When it comes to facing Necromorphs the goal is still the same, dismember them. However, in this title we will not be facing only Necromorphs so the faster we take out our enemies the better

“In this title we will not be facing only Necromorphs so the faster we take out our enemies the better.”

Exploration in previous titles would sometimes reward us with weapons, if you wanted more you would also find money to buy them in the Store. If you wanted to upgrade your weapons you would then proceed to the Bench.  In Dead Space 3, exploration rewards us with recipes and materials to craft our very own weapons on the Bench. That’s right, while I chose to combine a grenade launcher with an automatic rifle that shot electric bullets, others can choose weapons that shoot acid, fire, even Stasis bullets that slows down enemies, the possibilities are amazingly great. Every situation will be different and this new crafting system is a fantastic feature that makes sure you can adapt to each and every one of them. It also invites you to come back and explore your creativity even more, thus providing great replayability.

Another feature in this title is the possibility of completing the full campaign in Co-Op. Everything you have available in Single-Player (optional missions, etc.) is available in this mode. Carver joins Isaac and besides the thrill of playing with a friend we can unlock content not available in Single-Player. Besides the new conversations that come up between Isaac and Carver we will find Co-Op exclusive missions. If you are playing with a friend or a willing stranger, make sure you complete both the optional and co-op missions. Apart from the rewards you will be granted, these missions will help us understand what happened in Tau Volantis 200 years ago and the Co-Op missions will reveal Carver’s obscure past. The Co-Op missions are sometimes so great that it’s a shame they are not available in single-player. This mode can be toggled at will by the player. Its major flaw? No split-screen. If you want to play with a friend you will have to do it online.

Although the story is still interesting, even more so in Co-Op where you can experience the full content, it is not the highest point in the game. A little predictability here, the character designs, that already tell you that they are not going to survive this experience, there, it just sometimes fails to Make It Whole.

Back and there again: An Isaac’s tale. In a hole in space there is still a Marker.  Yes a nasty, dirty, wet hole filled with the ends of all sorts of Necromorphs and an oozy smell, but also one of the creepiest and morbid holes with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was Tau Volantis, and that means you’re screwed (certainly you didn’t expect comfort). Isaac gave up on the fight against the Markers and his relationship with Ellie, but when he finds she might be in danger he is compelled to go and help her. Besides the Necromorphs in Tau Volantis, Isaac and his group will also have to face the soldiers of a group of extremists that consider the Markers a holy message that will elevate Mankind into a higher form of life. Death of course, is only the beginning.

The game does have more action and the terror suffered a bit because of it. Don’t get me wrong you will get a few scares, but mostly in a more morbid and creepy kind of way and not in a constantly jumping on your seat kind of way. Don’t worry though, the DLC Awakened came out this month and is expected to bring Dead Space back to its frightening roots. Will it succeed?

Fantastic environments and an amazing weapon crafting system limited only by your imagination are without a doubt the highest points in the game. Even if the story sometimes fails to match the overall quality of the game you will still have an exhilarating experience. Dead Space 3 is a game that deserves your attention.

• Story: 7
• Gameplay: 8
  
• Sound: 9
• Visuals: 10

Final Score: 8,5