Summary
Though it has lost its time in the spotlight thanks to the equally greatResident Evil 4remake and the many phenomenal, non-horror titles released throughout 2023, EA Motive’s remake ofDead Spaceis still phenomenal. The brilliant recreation of the USG Ishimura is filled with great level design, the addition of Isaac Clarke’s voice adds personality to the story, and combat encounters feel better than ever. However, ifDead Spacecontinues, it is the Intensity Director that could have the biggest impact on a follow-up.
With EA Motive currently hard at work on its Iron Man game, aDead Space 2remake is likely several years away - assuming that it does actually happen at some point. Hopefully it will, asDead Space 2is a worthy follow-up to its critically acclaimed predecessor. While it may be less scary than the first game, it does still have its moments, like the return to theUSG Ishimura. If used correctly, the Intensity Director can add some extra scares without harming the top-notch action of the sequel. Beyond that, though, the tool can be used to add replayability if EA Motive is willing to hand it over to the players.
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For those unfamiliar with the Intensity Director, the feature is essentially used to always keep players on their toes. An AI will recognize if players have not been spooked in a while, and then a scare of some kind will be thrown their way. Sometimes, players will be attacked by a random wave ofNecromorphs. Other times, they will hear noises as the tram shuts down, or vents will malfunction and break as they move through the Ishimura. This is a brilliant feature that makes the game more interesting on replays, as things will happen a bit differently each time.
However, as interesting asDead Space’s Intensity Directoris, at the end of the day there is a lot of randomization involved. Some players may have a lot of Necromorphs pretending to be dead during their run, while others could instead end up seeing a lot of malfunctioning vents. One occurrence is a lot scarier and more challenging than the other, and for players who want the Intensity Director to really take things up a notch, it can be a bit disappointing when it does not play ball. Fortunately, there is a perfect solution: letting players unlock control of the Intensity Director.
Dead Spacehas always offered great rewards for completionists, such as thefoam finger Hand Cannonand special suits for Isaac to wear. As such, it is not out of the realm of possibility forDead Space 2to treat Intensity Director customization as another unlock. The process could be either difficult or simple, with the tool acquired by beating the game without dying or by just finishing the story on any difficulty. From there, gamers could be free to challenge themselves however they see fit.
Intensity Director customization inDead Space 2could either give players deep control over every type of scare, or some more limited settings. In a more limited capacity, players could choose between a high likelihood, average likelihood, or low likelihood for Necromorph-related scares and environmental moments. A deeper system would let players tweak every single option, choosing how likely lockdowns are to happen, how often creepy whispers are heard, and how common Necromorphs disguised as dead bodies will be. Additionally,Dead Space 2’s Tormentorcould be tweaked to hunt players more or less often through an intensity director setting.
With intensity director customization, players could enjoyDead Space 2exactly how they want to. Speedrunners could appreciate turning off the feature, getting as fair of a run as possible by leaving the director inactive.Achievement hunterscould be tasked with finishing the game with every intensity director setting flicked to the highest option, something that could be hilarious to see in action. Players could even share what they feel is the best settings for the scariest (and least scary) experience, adding a bit of community interaction to the mix. Depending on how much control players are given over the director,Dead Space 2replays could feel a bit likeHades’ Pact of Punishment, with players having the option to make things much easier or harder on themselves.
Dead Spaceis available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
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