Spoilers for the Dead Space Remake AheadTheDead Spaceremake brings in many contemporary features that weren’t present in the 2008 version. Between updating the graphics using EA’s Frostbite Engine, adding side missions that flesh out the narrative, and even significantlychanging Isaac Clarke via voice acting,Dead Space Remakeoffers an entirely new experience. Among these technical and gameplay changes, the game also shifts some of its side characters' motivations and presence in the plot.
While Kendra Daniels and Isaac Clarke stay relatively true to their arcs, other crew members of the USG Kellion are changed in some way. Corporal Hailey Johnston, the co-pilot of the Kellion, isn’t killed along with Corporal Aiden Chen. Instead, the character is killed on board the Kellion when it’s destroyed in theDead Spaceremake. Chief Security Officer Zach Hammond isn’t brutalized by an Enhanced Brute on the USM Valor, but is instead killed when tossing Necromorph Chen into the ship’s core. The crew members of the Kellion aren’t the only ones who see changes, as key players of the USG Ishimura like Elizabeth Cross are also altered to help push the narrative along.
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In the original game, Isaac made no contact with Cross, a horriculturalist. Her audio logs found across the ship are one of the main links between the two, and ultimately Cross dies off-screen at the hands of the crazed scientist Challus Mercer after leaving the Hydroponics Deck in search of her boyfriend, Jacob Temple. However, in2023’sDead Space,Cross appears in a live video call on the Hydroponics Deck. Moreover, instead of Hammond, Cross assists Isaac with taking care of the Leviathan infestation and informs him how to stop the Wheezers from poisoning the Ishimura’s air.
Cross is also integrated into the ending of theDead Spacein a huge way. In the original, Isaac is compelled by hallucinations of his girlfriend, Nicole Brennan, to return Marker 3A to the pedestal on Aegis 7. However, in addition toDead Space’s remake showing more of the relationshipbetween Isaac and Nicole, the Marker influences Isaac to see Elizabeth Cross as his girlfriend, whereas Cross hallucinates Isaac as Temple. This is a significant change from the original game, and creates a more satisfying mystery to some extent by utilizing characters that were merely flavor text in the original narrative.
Other subtle moments build more impactful narrative payoffs in EA Motive’s remake. One example is when Mercer kills Temple. In the original, Isaac is a more stoic, quiet character, so when Mercer drives a metal pole into Temple’s head, it’s awkwardly silent despite the horrific scene. TheDead Spaceremake changes Isaac’s face, and he is more aggressive, banging on the glass and verbally accosting Mercer’s inhumanity. The scene is more impactful and builds on Isaac’s mindset, while also helping develop Mercer’s manic motivations for cosmic enlightenment.
Even Kendra Daniel’s last moments are more noteworthy in the remake. Instead of simply being crushed by a tentacle and tossed aside without a word, she reaches for Isaac and pleads for mercy despite betraying him. It’s a characterization that makes her motivations and dialogue in the remake more nuanced, making moments like theDead Spaceremake’s alternate endingmore impactful. Various technical and gameplay upgrades also make it feel narratively fresh.Dead Space2023 is a perfect example of how little story changes to characters like Elizabeth Cross can make significant differences, even for a 15-year-old game.
Dead Spaceis available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
