Special powers to solve puzzles
Combat in Dead Space can be intense and occasionally repetitive, but it is fun thanks to some gory animations and an enjoyable range of upgradeable weapons, such as the hydrogen torch flamethrower and the supercollider contact beam.Furthermore, combat is more tactical than many games of this ilk due to what the developer calls “strategic dismemberment.” What this means is that instead of simply blasting away at each enemy, you need to target their limbs to disable them before homing in and stomping on their head or blowing it clean off their shoulders.
The aliens don’t go down without a fight and you can’t plough through the game unless you aim for their limbs first. When you’re in a room surrounded by them it means that you need to be quick as well as accurate. It’s exciting as well as challenging.
Dead Space isn’t all about combat though as there are other elements to the gameplay that provide welcome respite from the battles. You can pick up skills such as stasis that can be used to slow down the movement of enemies or the likes of a malfunctioning door, allowing you to walk through without getting crushed. Whereas kinesis can be used to move objects, so you can fling fan blades at enemies or use it to move objects in the environment that will help you to reach the next area.
By finding power nodes on the ship, you can also upgrade all of your equipment at any of the work benches, choosing to improve the likes of reload or ammunition capacity. Similar systems have been used in other shooters, but it’s still a welcome inclusion that gives you the freedom to experiment with the weapons.
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