HORROR CLASSICS – DEAD SPACE TRILOGY
HORROR CLASSICS - DEAD SPACE TRILOGY
The Dead Space Trilogy is among the elite of the elite in the annuals of Horror. Isaac Clarke’s harrowingly difficult and terrifying journey into the darkest depths of space, remains horrifying to this day. The trilogy takes place across three different locales: The Ishimura, a space station, and an ice planet. The horror is always varied and mixed up, not repeating the same tricks over and over again. Several things set the Dead Space Trilogy apart from other horror series. 1) The enemies are Necromorphs; alien manifestations who’re corrupted people exposed to The Marker (an ancient artifact of horrifying power). 2) Combat is vastly different from traditional horror games. In most, you aim for the head, in Dead Space Trilogy, you have to blast off the limbs. 3) The space setting is masterfully achieved, leading to sheer feelings of isolation. 4) As much as the setting and creatures you encounter, the psychological hallucinations, visions, and effects that plague Isaac create masterful scares and uneasiness.
DEAD SPACE
The First Dead Space really sets the tone for the series, and delivers in spades. Claustrophobia, isolation, jump scares, psychological manifestations, horrific enemies; it has it all. Isaac and his crew board the Ishimura, (a space frigate), to look for survivors (chief among them, Isaac’s girlfriend Nicole Brennan.) As the story progresses, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary search and rescue operation, but an all-out fight for survival against The Marker and its minions. By the end of this story, Isaac is a battered mess, with a severely damaged psyche.
DEAD SPACE 2
In Dead Space 2, Isaac is still reeling from the Ishimura incident. He’s been hospitalized in a psych ward, and is viewed as unstable and dangerous. While he is hospitalized, the Space Station comes under attack, as Necromorphs invade and overrun the station. After Isaac escapes the hospital ward, he must team up with pilot Ellie Langford, and fight to escape the Space Station. While the first Dead Space was more about dark, poorly lit corridors and jump scares, (with hallucinations mixed in), Dead Space 2 takes the psychological elements up a notch, and makes the sprawling space station a diverse environment filled with many different types of horrors.
DEAD SPACE 3
Dead Space 3 takes the story to a remote ice planet, where Isaac, Ellie, and others must fend of Marker Cultists, Necromorphs, and prevent an apocalyptic event. Dead Space 3 brings several changes to core gameplay, with a cooperative campaign, ground bound setting added, (instead of being entirely in space), survival elements, and other tweaks to the core mechanics. While not as scary and full of dread as the first two in the series, Dead Space 3 still has some terrifying moments, and keeps the formula fresh. Dead Space 3 greatly enriches the lore of the game universe, and adds needed depth to the story. It does end with a massive cliffhanger, which unfortunately has never been resolved. Regardless, the Dead Space Trilogy is a masterpiece in horror and is a must play for horror fans. Thankfully, the Dead Space Trilogy is playable on Xbox One, (and presumably Scarlett), via Backwards Compatibility. A massive win for the platform.
