There aren't many games that feel quite like Dead Space. The outer space-themed horror game is full of tension, with dangerous monstrosities lurking around every corner and a unique mechanic for taking them all down. With such a terrifying atmosphere, starting the game can definitely be a daunting task.
While there are plenty of people who are intimately familiar with Dead Space's original 2008 release, its remake will doubtlessly be many players' first time venturing aboard the dreaded USG Ishimura. Here are a few tips, tricks, and pointers that might make your first experience a bit less horrific.
1 Learning The Ship's Layout Helps
The USG Ishimura is the large, damaged ship that functions as the setting of Dead Space. It's an extremely well-designed ship, with a variety of different areas that are connected through a series of winding pathways and convenient elevators.
As you venture further and further into the ship, you'll start to notice that many paths circle back around to central rooms and areas. You'll learn the layout of the ship as you progress further, but it's worth taking note of which area leads where, as there are plenty of locked rooms, crates, and lockers that you'll want to revisit later down the line.
2 Your Suit Shows More Than Just Your Health
One of the most iconic aspects of Dead Space is its approach to a HUD. Isaac's health doesn't show up in one corner of the screen like it would in most games - instead, your health bar is displayed along your spine, with glowing lights on the back of your suit indicating how close you are to dying.
An easy-to-miss detail on your suit is the small, circular indicator on Isaac's back next to the health bar. This is a stasis indicator, which shows how much of the stasis charge you have left in the tank. Knowing in a pinch whether you have enough juice in the tank to use stasis on enemies can be crucial to surviving some of the game's more difficult fights.
3 Shooting At Legs First Is The Smart Move
As soon as you pick up your first weapon in Dead Space, you'll be given the most crucial tip in the game: "cut off their limbs." The Necromorphs aboard the USG Ishimura are unique because their limbs are weak points, meaning you'll need to sever them to take the creatures out.
While it's useful to destroy the arms of your foes in the game, limiting their ability to actually attack, one smart method of dispatching them is to start with their legs. Some of the more dangerous threats on the ship will move fast toward you, and limiting their mobility will make them much easier to take care of.
4 You'll Probably Run Out Of Inventory Space Eventually
Dead Space is a survival horror game, and it follows many of the genre's standard gameplay tropes. One key aspect in any game of this type is managing your inventory to ensure you have space for any resources you may find.
While it may feel like a less significant issue early on, you'll eventually run out of room in your inventory as you pick up more items, weapons, and ammo. Thankfully, visiting the game's shops will allow you to place certain items into storage, freeing up some much-needed space.
5 Item Drops Are Based On What's In Your Inventory
Speaking of inventory space, it's easy to overlook that the items dropped by enemies will change depending on what you have on you. If you've got a weapon in your inventory, you'll see ammo drops for it more frequently, regardless of how often you're using it.
It's worth taking this into consideration when deciding what to leave in storage and what to carry with you. Additionally, storing health items and stasis packs can be a smart way to trick the game into thinking you need more of them, causing them to drop more often.
6 Stomp On Human Corpses, Too
An early hint you receive in the game will clue you in on the fact that most Necromorph corpses drop items, but only if you stomp on them. It's a great way to stock up on useful goods or ammo. It also helps to make sure that your enemies are down for good, and is extremely satisfying to boot (pun intended).
The game doesn't tell you that it's also advisable to stomp on the human corpses you find throughout the ship. Although they won't drop any items for you, the malformed enemies you face off against are created from human corpses, so stomping on them prevents them from being turned into the hideous and dangerous creatures.
7 Kinesis Is A Great Way To Save Ammo
As you progress in the early hours of Dead Space, you'll gain access to a few handy abilities that will help you traverse the ship, solve puzzles, and take down your foes. One of these is Kinesis, which lets you lift and move various objects you find around the game.
Kinesis is often used to move objects out of the way of your progression, but it's also worth using during battle. You can lift and throw certain objects that you find at enemies, such as buzz saws, poles, stasis cells, and even the flammable canisters littered throughout the battlefield. Using Kinesis can help you save your ammo for firefights where there isn't much to throw.
8 Exploring Can Be Worthwhile (Even If It's Terrifying)
In a game as terrifying as Dead Space, it can be tough to navigate the area, much less explore it. With so many horrific enemies and so much atmospheric nightmare fuel, it's completely understandable to want to rush directly toward your next objective, but traveling off of the main path can be worth it in many cases.
Using your navigational tools to determine which way you should go next will make it clear which rooms and areas are diversions from your objective. If you explore those places, you can often find useful items and interesting bits of lore. Don't be afraid to wander around the ship a bit as you make your way toward your goals. Just be sure to stay alert if you do - you never know what might be hiding in the dark.