Dead Space 3 Review

Long before the release of Dead Space 3, fans of the series were already trashing the developers. Everything came under fire: the co-op mode, item crafting, the online store, and the fact that the setting would be a planet and not a space station. There were accusations that the developers had turned the horror into a shooter, "consolized the game," and so on. But in fact, Visceral Games delivered an excellent game, on par with the first two installments and even better!

Definitely, all the gameplay innovations that the developers introduced in Dead Space 3 were necessary and fit perfectly into the gameplay that so many fans loved. Even though the game now has more open space and a completely different level design, it actually made things even more interesting.

However, the game starts with some obvious missteps. As soon as you launch the game, you'll be greeted by a "menu designed by idiots" with an eye-searing Russian font. It's surprising how some developers feel the need to change things that already work perfectly. Both the menu and the Russian font didn't need such a radical update, so all you can do is muster up your courage and start a new game.

In the gameplay, you'll immediately notice some changes. While Dead Space 3 has retained the main features of horror, it has indeed lost its atmosphere of terror. And there are several reasons for this.

The main reason is the weak, very weak graphics for 2013 and the garish models. Without them, the game has lost a lot of its suspense. It’s understandable that the locations on Titan and the “Ishimura” didn’t require as much power from consoles as the vast spaces of Tau Volantis. Back then, the developers polished everything to a shine, but the rust and oblivion textures, the ice, the play of light and shadow—all of it looks unsatisfactory on PC, even downright ugly. We hope that modders will somehow fix this problem with HD textures, but the developers should have taken drastic measures, adding proper lighting and DX11 effects. The very same scenes, if they were visually designed properly, would have made the player tremble with fear.

Even on maximum graphics settings, it’s impossible to see dynamic shadow play, which is very important in horror games. The developers also forgot about large dark areas where the evil eyes of necromorphs would glow. In previous games, just one such sight could make you crap your pants in fear. The player’s hands would literally tremble from the fear of the unknown. And what about Dead Space 3? You can spot necromorphs from 100 meters away, even in total darkness. By the time they run up to the player, he’ll have time to drink coffee and read a magazine, and then kill the enemy with a single shot. Just think, throughout the entire game, not once, NOT ONCE, do players find themselves surrounded by necromorphs in complete darkness. Because the developers simply weren’t able to implement properly darkened rooms.

The second reason is the lack of sounds. Do you remember what it was like in Dead Space and Dead Space 2, listening carefully to every sound? How sometimes you’d jump at the scraping of claws on metal, rustling, hissing, falling objects. Oh, that indescribable feeling is almost completely gone from Dead Space 3! It was through sound that the developers built up that atmosphere which could make you lose your mind. Yes, Dead Space 3 has great music, but it’s just there, as a formality. It’s not connected at all to the poor, almost completely missing environmental sounds, and sometimes it’s even completely “off-topic.” Shooting necromorphs to a cheerful tune is fun, sure, but this is a different kind of game... In Dead Space 3, you’ll often hear the wind howling. That’s the only sound you’ll remember from the game.

Atmosphere, player feelings, and suspense in such games depend heavily on graphics and sound design. And that’s exactly where Dead Space 3 has a problem. No quality graphics, no quality sounds—no chilling sense of fear and horror. Yes, the game can still scare the player by throwing a couple of necromorphs onto your protégé’s back or rolling out some monster, but this series became famous for completely different reasons.

You can’t help but mention the garish models in a negative light. Of course, I understand that with each new game, the same monsters become less scary for players, so you always have to come up with something new. I remember in the first scene of Dead Space, in the elevator, you could practically soil yourself from fear—the necromorphs' bodies were so shockingly detailed. In Dead Space 2, the developers also created high-polygon monster models that stunned players with their monstrosity. But in Dead Space 3, the monsters look low-poly and simply garish. Sure, after 200 years on a frozen planet the necromorphs should have changed, but they’re not at all impressive in their ugliness and don’t fit what we might have expected. It feels like they were slapped together “on the fly” a month before release in a terrible rush.

But what gameplay the game has! It’s a 10 out of 10, 10 out of 10 at the very least! Imagine the gameplay possibilities of Far Cry 3 in the world of Dead Space! That’s what the developers have prepared for those who dare to try the game, despite all the drawbacks described above. You’ll find a huge selection of all sorts of items, attachments, upgrades, and add-ons. And it’s all so harmoniously designed that you’ll get more enjoyment tinkering at the workbench and customizing your weapons and playstyle than from killing enemies.

I can’t help but note how lucky those who managed to pre-order are. They’ll get the most enjoyment out of the game, since the developers have prepared the coolest sets of weapons and suits for them, significantly increasing survivability. I don’t even know how hard it will be for players who didn’t pre-order. The world of Dead Space 3 may be less scary, but it’s become more dangerous for the player. So running around with a regular assault rifle will be rather difficult.

Ideally, the player has access to two types of weapons on a single frame (upper and lower), which can be modified with a large number of appropriate modules. In fact, these allow you to achieve completely opposite effects from one weapon. For example, the same weapon can fire precise short bursts or tear off enemy limbs with a powerful shotgun blast. The trick is in choosing the right module.

There are also two additional attachments available, which, for example, can increase weapon damage or slow down enemies with each shot. For co-op mode, attachments that allow both players to heal with a single medkit are more suitable. You can also improve parameters such as accuracy, fire rate, damage, reload speed, and magazine size with microchips that can be installed in every weapon.

Such freedom in item creation allows for amazing results. Your first weapon can be extremely powerful: a super shotgun and a rocket launcher, while the second could be a regular rapid-fire assault rifle, or you can assemble a very accurate weapon and pair it with something exotic, like a double flamethrower with various modules that allow you to deal area or long-range damage!

All these seemingly minor tricks will contribute to your fight against the necromorphs. How do you like the ability to kill them with a single precise shot or burn five of them at once? However, if the game becomes too easy, you can always increase the difficulty at any time. Don’t think that all of the above has left no room for the familiar stasis and kinesis. They’re still present, still used in gameplay, and still save Isaac in the most critical situations.

By the way, creating new weapons or items is done using accumulated materials, metals, and minerals. To collect them efficiently, you can use special robots—up to three of them can be assembled. Try to deploy them as often as possible and don’t worry about losing them—they’ll return to the workbench on their own, where you can pick them up for the next collection run.

There’s plenty for the bot to scavenge, and while it’s off searching for tungsten or somatic gel, you’ll be busy testing your next upgrade. The resources you collect are spent not only on weapon improvements and crafting, but also on upgrading protective suits. The developers thought of everything, so the suits have a large set of passive skills that are inherited by all suits as soon as you upgrade any one of them.

The entire crafting system also affects replayability. It’s very difficult to unlock all possible weapon combinations on your first playthrough, and collecting all the blueprints will take more than one run. But trust me, it’s worth it—every weapon and every attachment fits so seamlessly into the gameplay that you never wonder, “Why do I even need this?”

A lot in the gameplay depends on whether you’re playing with a partner or going through Dead Space 3 solo. The co-op mode is very carefully integrated with both crafting and the story. Even the loot boxes with useful items are shared between two players. You can’t say for sure that co-op mode negatively affected the whole game or doesn’t suit it at all.

You could say that a partner is just a faint glimmer of hope for survival. The game constantly throws surprises at you and tries to kill both players by any means possible. Dead Space 3 was the perfect place to implement something like this, since the level design works really well with the possibilities offered by having two players at once.

As you progress, the developers frequently change the structure and design of the locations, and the transition from the corridor levels of space stations to open spaces and complex vertical levels was long overdue. Most players were already tired of crawling through narrow corridors in the previous game.

And although the open locations could have been made more picturesque, the artists managed to convey an atmosphere of utter devastation and deep oblivion. The location in open space turned out especially beautiful, when the player floats above the planet and completes a whole series of missions. This is probably the segment players will remember the most.

If you’re more interested in single-player, don’t worry—it fully adheres to the genre’s canons and offers a varied and engaging adventure.

The story isn’t intrusive, but you should follow it closely, since in the third installment the developers finally answer the main question: “What exactly are the Markers?” The story setup is done quite well, though some players might find the first mission on the Moon a bit excessive. Less attentive players will only realize halfway through that chaos has taken over all human colonies, and only Isaac Clarke can save humanity from total annihilation. The plot includes sharp twists, tragic stories, and betrayal, so it’s unlikely to leave anyone indifferent.

Perhaps when mentioning the story, it’s impossible not to recall the annoying “boss” who chases Isaac and his team throughout the game, gets beaten up, and then comes back for more. The developers should have at least changed his abilities and redesigned his model each time, otherwise you end up fighting the same dummy over and over... Who could find that interesting?

By the way, the controls in the game are surprisingly good and even pleasant. Remember all the fuss about cover mechanics and rolls? Well, it’s nothing like what everyone expected. Isaac doesn’t stick to every surface like Shepard in Mass Effect 3; he simply crouches. Full freedom of movement remains. The rolls aren’t really rolls, but rather long-distance somersaults that help you escape deadly necromorph fatalities.

It's just a shame that some keys can't be remapped. This is annoying, since holding down the right mouse button to aim all the time is tiring, and for some reason the game doesn't recognize additional mouse buttons. Assigning certain commands to them would have been very convenient. Maybe the developers will fix this in future updates.

Overall, the Dead Space universe continues to evolve, and all the haters and critics of the third part have been left with nothing. Yes, the game has its flaws, but its strengths more than make up for them! And this isn't the end of Isaac Clarke's story! The main thing is that the developers don't rush, and next time they improve the graphics, enemy models, and sound design.

Isaac hasn't turned into a meathead soldier, as everyone predicted. He's still human, with sluggish reactions, far from top-notch abilities, and real, genuine emotions. That remains unchanged.