Developer EA Motive says its upcoming Dead Space remake won’t have any loading screens or cuts to break up the action. The remake of the critically acclaimed 2008 survival horror game from EA Redwood Shores (later Visceral Games) is being built entirely from the ground up, which means new technology is being leveraged to enhance the experience beyond the technical limitations of the past.
According to a recent blog post by EA Motive, this now includes a lack of loading screens or cuts, describing the entire experience as “one sequential shot,” says senior producer Philippe Ducharme. “From the moment you start the game to the moment you end the game, there are no camera cuts or load screens–unless you die. The Ishimura is now fully interconnected, so you can walk from Point A to Point Z, visit the entire ship, and revisit locations… It’s now a completely unbroken experience.”
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A similar technical achievement was pulled off not too long ago by Sony Santa Monica Studio with 2018’s God of War, which also told its story through one continuous shot with some clever cuts in-between. It has since become a great storytelling tool for added immersion and a greater sense of urgency for the plot.
EA Motive also talked in depth about changes or improvements to the characters and quests from the original Dead Space. Creative director Roman Campos-Oriola explains:
“Some characters who were a bit more secondary, who only appeared in audio logs, like Dr. Cross–we gave them some actual screen time. And we wanted to give a bit more background and agency to some of the characters from the cast, like Nicole. So we’re creating a whole layer of narrative side-quests that will allow you to see, for example, what happened to Nicole during the outbreak.”
Of course, since you’re in space, zero gravity will come into play. Campos-Oriola further explained how they managed to achieve and improve upon this aspect in particular as well. “There’s much more 360-degree freedom; now when you play Dead Space you feel like you’re in space,” he said. “This also allows us to revisit some of the old content and create new ways to navigate, new paths, and new environments with new challenges.”
Dead Space remake launches on 27 January 2023 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Source: EA Blog
