Kioto Dead Space (2023) Review

This was my first experience with the Dead Space series. Back in the early 2010s, I had seen about the first 30 minutes of gameplay, and it looked incredibly scary at the time. However, I never actually played it — either I didn’t have the opportunity or simply never got around to it. Today, I finally finished Dead Space (2023), and overall, I can say that I enjoyed the game, although I would definitely not replay it in New Game+. The story is interesting but not perfect. It’s quite clear that when the original game was made, the developers weren’t sure whether there would be a sequel, which led to some narrative decisions that feel a bit strange in hindsight but I understand why it was done, and it doesn't look bad. I played the game more than two years after its release, and even now I still encountered technical issues. Several times I got stuck in textures, although each time I managed to get out without reloading a save. Additionally, every 15–20 minutes there were FPS drops and stutters seemingly out of nowhere. That said, overall the game is fairly well optimized at this point. I have a strong PC and played with TAA set to Ultra, and aside from the issues mentioned above, I didn’t notice any major technical problems. I completed the game on Hard difficulty, and it felt relatively easy — the only consistent challenge was the constant lack of ammo for all weapons. One design choice I really dislike is locked crates and rooms that require upgrades obtained later in the story. This forces you to backtrack across the entire map multiple times, trying to remember which containers you can now open — something that happens around three or four times during a single playthrough. As for the atmosphere: in my opinion, the game is not particularly scary. There were only two or three genuinely effective jump scares. The true strength of Dead Space lies in its atmosphere, which is incredibly well crafted. It makes you want to explore the environment rather than fear it. Now I understand that back in the 2010s, I was more scared of the atmosphere than the game itself. Before playing the remake, I always thought Dead Space was extremely terrifying, but in reality, it turned out not to be. The horror in Dead Space reminds me of Dying Light: The Beast — a game with a strong atmosphere that isn’t truly scary most of the time, but occasionally surprises you with unexpected jump scares. Overall, I enjoyed the game. Even though I never played the 2008 original, I think the remake is very well done. For a first, spoiler-free playthrough, I would give it 7.5 out of 10. However, I don’t think replaying the 2023 version or playing the original would appeal to me as much. That said, I am now considering playing Dead Space 2, or possibly waiting for a potential remake of the second game.