Dark matter

Chances are that at some point when you were a kid, you thought about going into space. Dead Space, a new survival horror game from developer EA Redwood Shores, might make you change your mind.

By this time in the lifespan of survival horror, there’s little that hasn’t been seen or done. Dead Space is as guilty as just about any other game in the genre, borrowing liberally from Resident Evil and other horror games (not to mention Sunshine, Event Horizon and several other films) but it does a good job of doing what it was made to do: scare the living bejesus out of you.

The game takes place decades in the future, on the USG Ishimura, a “planet cracker” that mines worlds for resources. In the Half-Life style real-time opening scene, players are strapped into the space suit of Isaac Clarke, part of a routine maintenance crew investigating why the Ishimura has cut off communication with its central command.

It’s really not much of a surprise that upon arriving on the Ishimura, all hell breaks loose.

The ship is overrun with grotesque abominations that were once crew of the Ishimura, now hideously transformed by some kind of alien infestation. In fact, within about five minutes of beginning gameplay, Dead Space establishes itself as one of the scariest survival horror games to hit the scene in years.

After coming aboard the Ishimura, Isaac, a simple engineer, witnesses the brutal deaths of some of his crewmates by horrifically deformed beasts with long bone-claws protruding from the palms of their hands–and these are just the low-level enemies. The immediate intensity of the scene is palpable, with the unarmed Isaac running like hell from the bloody display, a crewmate’s voice screaming at him over the intercom.

It’s these punctuated moments of sheer panic that make Dead Space able to give even the oft-overlooked Fatal Frame series and the now-legendary Resident Evil 4 a run for their money, rather than just horrifying monsters and dark ambience, tenets of every good survival horror game.

Similarly, Dead Space really emphasizes the survival aspect through what the developers calls “strategic dismemberment.” Essentially, each enemy type has several appendages that must be blown, melted or sawed off–no simple amount of shooting these nightmares in the chest will take them down.

Needless to say, with a combat system that requires evisceration, Dead Space is one violent game. Graphic mutilation to one degree or another is pretty standard in horror games these days, but Isaac’s experiences on the Ishimura really take the cake. Even with blown-off heads, legs or arms, the limbless bodies of Issac’s enemies will still sprint, crawl or pull themselves towards you.

Issac can also use his weapons for melee combat, wildly flailing whatever is equipped, and can curb stomp enemies (a la Gears of War), either alive or dead. The latter produces some truly disgusting imagery and sound effects.

Between the tense enemy encounters and strategic dispatch of said enemies, Dead Space‘s combat makes you react on a different level than most other genre games.

Unlike, say, Silent Hill, which puts you at a disadvantage by blindsiding you with clunky controls, Dead Space will have you desperately mashing on the attack button targeting enemy limbs until they’re lying in ribbons at Isaac’s feet. I found myself plugging holes in the enemies strewn-about body parts just to make sure they were dead more than once.

Unlike the game’s often forcibly frenetic combat, Dead Space takes its time nurturing its overall horror. Although the pacing rarely lags, tension builds slowly, introducing new enemies and peeling back a little more of the story in each of the game’s 12 chapters.

Though the game often falls victim to genre cliches (both game and film in nature), it’s still damned frightening–enemies will most often see you before you see them (generally eliciting a gut-rending scream) and you will be left frantically wheeling about trying to find them.

In fact, sound above all else defines the terror in Dead Space–the sense of dread and claustrophobia that comes from listening to the horrors that have infested the Ishimura is palpable throughout the game.

No matter where you go, you’re never really safe from harm, something the game design doesn’t allow you to forget. Although the game’s save points, stores and weapons-upgrade benches help break up the action they are only reasonably safe … most of the time.

Whether you’re a fan of survival horror or not, Dead Space is worth checking out. The swelling, terrifying atmosphere, sharp graphics and well-implemented design add up to a damn fine experience, and the sheer amount of carnage should bring a smile (or a wince) to most horror fans’ faces.

First and foremost, the game is scary–I can honestly say I haven’t been this frightened by a game since Doom 3, and that’s a good thing. Survival horror has finally found a new home in space, and if Dead Space is any indication, it’s likely here to stay.

Dead SpaceXbox 360, Playstation 3$59.99Four stars out of five