The Dead Space remake will get scarier if you get too comfortable

Dead Space was already a scary game when it released in 2008, but the impending remake aims to take everything to the next level. Part of that involves the Intensity Director, a dynamic system that will make things get direr if you start feeling too relaxed.

A preview on the PlayStation Blog explains how this works. Essentially, the Intensity Director is an AI that will react if you start playing too casually, doing things like idling too long or carelessly traipsing through a room you’ve been through before. When this happens, the game will react by adding more scary sound effects like creaks, visual surprises like bursting pipes, and even extra Necromorphs to fight. In other words, if you’re not scared, the game will try its hardest to change that.

This sort of system isn’t uncommon in horror games. Left 4 Dead’s Director AI famously sent in more zombies if things were too quiet. Before that, Resident Evil 4 offered players less ammo if they were too good at shooting enemies. The Intensity Director is one of several changes and upgrades in the remake. Others include additional weapon upgrades, choosing which parts of the space station to power, free-form movement in zero-gravity sections, and no loading screens. Protagonist Isaac Clarke will also talk this time around, after having been silent in the original.

This is all part of EA Motive’s strategy to blend the old with the new. It’s made changes to the Plasma Cutter and Pulse Rifle to make sure they look, sound, and feel like they originally did, but other moments may be different from what you remember. For example, the captain’s corpse will now transform into a Necromorph directly in front of you, instead of at a safe distance behind glass.

All of this intense action will kick off early next year. The Dead Space remake release date is January 27, 2023, and it’s headed to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via the EA App, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. PC gamers should take a look at the newly published list of minimum and recommended specifications, and all prospective players can see our preorder guide for information on the game’s various editions.