The remake of the acclaimed Dead Space game has just released, and it's getting a lot of attention from longtime fans and newcomers for many different reasons. Originally released around fifteen years ago, the game has been remade to the standards of modern gaming, making it easy for gamers in 2023 to jump into this beloved title. Dead Space is a horror game, and while it's filled with jump scares and spine-chilling situations, the remake has changed in a way in which players who aren't the biggest fans of these things can still enjoy the game.The original game that this remake is based on first released in 2008, and while its launch was a little slow, it eventually became popular among fans and critics, with its atmosphere, sound design, and gameplay being particularly well-received. Considering it has been called one of the greatest video games of all time, it's no wonder why Dead Space has been remade for modern consoles. One area of the game that has seen a significant amount of updates is its accessibility features.
Dead Space Follows Accessibility Trends in Gaming and Even Pushes for More
Recently, there has been a push in gaming to include more accessibility options to ensure that games are playable for wider audiences. These usually focus on adding features that help with sensory impairments like those related to vision and hearing. However, Dead Space sets itself apart from other games in that some of the options available are for content warnings. While it's perhaps typical now for games to have content warnings during the opening credits and in trailers, Dead Space pushes the concept even further. The title's accessibility menu offers various settings related to the potentially sensitive content present in the game.
For starters, players can enable a content warning that displays in the upper right-hand corner of the screen prior to potentially disturbing scenes, including those found in audio and video logs. As well, players can choose to hide disturbing scenes entirely behind a black screen or a screen effect, depending on the type of content, though the audio is not affected. Along with these options, EA's official website has a list of explicit content warnings organized by chapter, so players can prepare themselves for the experience.
More Games Should Follow Dead Space's Use of Content Warnings
Dead Space is known for its gore and disturbing imagery, which is part of the draw for some survival horror fans. As such, there's a good chance many (or even most) players won't want to use these options. While it might seem counterintuitive for people to toggle these scenes and content off, it doesn't seem like it's that difficult from a development standpoint to add these features. As well, there's no question that these options will give more players the confidence to step into the scary world of Dead Space by making the game more approachable for those who would like a bit of warning before a jump scare or gory scene.
While it might be standard for games to include a brief content warning in the opening, Dead Space really goes above and beyond by allowing its players to customize their gameplay experiences. These small details really do a great job of making the game more attractive to those who are more sensitive to big frights, gore, and other potentially triggering content. These are the kinds of considerations that all game developers should learn from, as they're relatively small and simple inclusions that make a world of difference to particularly sensitive gamers. By adding these options, developers can make their games appeal to even wider audiences, sharing the stories that they worked so hard on with even more people.