Dead Space has never been more popular in the past ten years than it is right now, and Summer Games Fest proved that developers all across the world have been impacted by the game's iconic presence. The space-based sci-fi survival horror genre is having a renaissance thanks to the myriad of Dead Space-influenced games shown at Summer Games Fest.
Dead Space is one of the most groundbreaking sci-fi survival horror franchises of the seventh console generation. While the first two games were beloved horror experiences, it wasn't long before pressure from EA to try and reach mass appeal gutted the franchise with the disappointing Dead Space 3, which leaned further into an action-focused shooter with co-op and microtransactions. Yet despite the third entry's failures, this year's Summer Games Fest proved that Dead Space is alive and well due to the remake and beyond.
The Dead Space Remake is meant to be a complete overhaul of the original title akin to the remake treatment some of the Resident Evil games had. Everything is being rebuilt from the ground up, from new high-res textures to sound effects to even story tweaks. While it didn't get any new trailers during Summer Games Fest, a developer livestream took place in May announcing a January 27, 2023 release date while indicating more gameplay reveals to come closer to Halloween. The developers of Dead Space Remake want to dial back into the survival horror roots of the original, and this AAA remake could lead to a remake of Dead Space 2, or potentially a brand-new Dead Space game. The future of Dead Space has never looked brighter.
What did appear at the Summer Games Fest was The Callisto Protocol, which is easily the closest thing to a true next-gen Dead Space sequel around. The Callisto Protocol's influences from Dead Space are well-earned because it is a passion project being directed by the original co-creator of Dead Space, Glen Schofield. It's a sci-fi survival horror game through and through, with an emphasis on dismemberment and resource management and an atmosphere dripping with fright. Judging from the gameplay trailers, the biggest difference between The Callisto Protocol and Dead Space is their names.
Speaking of names, the Alien brand returns to video games with Aliens: Dark Descent revealed at the Summer Games Fest. All sci-fi horror has Alien to thank for the genre's strong existence, and this new game looks to accurately capture the dark and terrifying vision of space that the films perfected. Even though the Alien films share the same sci-fi horror setting as Dead Space, Aliens: Dark Descent also won't play like it because Dark Descent is an isometric cooperative twin-stick shooter and not a third-person shooter.
A sci-fi horror game that does put the camera behind the protagonist instead of above is Fort Solis. This game, also revealed at Summer Games Fest is a narrative-focused survival horror game set on Mars as players struggle to survive one long night that keeps escalating into madness. The existential horror of deep space will be explored in Fort Solis just as it was in Dead Space, both visually and narratively.
What makes Fort Solis stand out from Dead Space's shadow is the greater emphasis on story instead of combat. Fort Solis is described as a playable thriller rather than a traditional survival horror game, and the gameplay trailer teases that by not revealing any real combat or terrifying enemy encounters. With a star-studded cast and plenty of intrigue, fans of video game storytelling should keep a close eye on this one.
Lastly, Summer Games Fest showed off another space-based sci-fi survival horror game called Routine, being worked on with legendary game composer Mick Gordon. Compared to the rest of the games mentioned, Routine is doubling down on the horror side of survival horror. Plenty of blood-splattered walls and dilapidated light fixtures permeate the futuristic halls the main character roams through in the trailer, which is very similar to the environment design in Dead Space.
Instead of zombie-like necromorphs stalking players within vents, Routine has threatening robot enemies attacking the player. The game differentiates itself from Dead Space even further by utilizing the first-person perspective. Sneaking around rogue robots in first-person view within a sci-fi setting makes Routine look more reminiscent of Alien: Isolation instead of Dead Space.
It's clear that Dead Space has become the iconic sci-fi survival horror game to influence the next generation just as Resident Evil 4's revolutionary gameplay influenced Dead Space and the entire survival horror genre. The Dead Space franchise's long hiatus could be the cause of survival horror's current trend towards space, pushing sci-fi horror to come back with a vengeance.