Dead Space: The Influences That Shaped The Game

Dead Space is an absolute stunner - a convincing, compelling, techno-nightmare. Blast a hideous, mutated space-freak in the face and delight as its lifeless body spins gracefully in zero-g, pumping out globules of claret from its severed limbs. It’s both bloody and beautiful and quite unlike anything before it. Each encounter with the abominations aboard the USG Ishimura is a butcher’s basket of dismembered torsos and rolling skulls. But the real eye-opener, and the reason you’ll return time and again, is the setting.

Dead Space is a hotchpotch of horror, shamelessly stealing bits and pieces from past masters of the genre to create a sum that’s greater than its parts. Creator Glen Schofield even spoke to Wes Craven and Eli Roth in the hope of picking up a few pointers.

Digital Gigolo thought it would be fun, in the lead up to the release of Dead Space Extraction on the Wii, to make a list of the films and games that most influenced the developers:

Event Horizon

The most obvious influence on both plot and aesthetic. The Event Horizon and the USG Ishimura are both stricken and derelict interstellar starships. Upon approaching the drifting vessels, no definitive trace of human life is found. But when both ships are eventually boarded the otherworldly nightmares begin.

Resident Evil
There’s a bit in Dead Space where you’re walking down an empty corridor. All is quiet, too quiet, and then SMASH! A pulsating red tentacle bursts through the wall. It’s a proper brown-pants moment and an obvious homage to Resident Evil and that unforgettable dogs-smashing-through-window set piece. The camera, peeking over Isaac’s right shoulder, and the control set up is heavily influenced by Resident Evil 4.

Carrie

Who can forget that iconic shock ending? The hand bursting up through the grave may have been a cheap scare but, fuck me, was it effective. I almost coughed up a lung. Dead Space opts for a similar slap-in-the-face ending. The developers were even keen to include an achievement called Carrie which would have been unlocked after 15 enemies were killed using kinesis – an obvious homage to Carrie’s telekinetic abilities - but were eventually blocked by MGM studios for copyright infringement.

And check out the Dead Space box art. The image is reminiscent of Carrie’s own battered claw reaching to the heavens.

Blair Witch The grainy, green night-vision videologs that lie scattered throughout the ship hark back to the groundbreaking hand-held shaky-cam horrors of Blair Witch. Brilliant voice acting means these concise soundbites are never a chore to sit through. And they heap on the atmosphere in spadefuls.

Bioshock
The claustrophobic, corpse-strewn space ship you explore in Dead Space is, in essence, exactly the same setting used in Bioshock’s underwater city. Audio logs are also used in both Rapture and the USG Ishimura to progress story and flesh out the background to your situation. Both protagonists are also a dab hand at telekinesis.

Metroid

Constantly upgradeable power suits, the sublime 3D map and the sexy neon lights are all present and correct.

Star Wars
The military suit you’ll unlock upon completion of the game bears an uncanny resemblance to the amour worn by the storm troopers in Star Wars.

There’s also a secret achievement called ‘Don’t get cocky kid’ that can be unlocked if you survive the ADS Cannon with over 50% shield strength remaining. It’s a line used by Han Solo in Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope after Luke Skywalker blows up his first TIE fighter:

Luke: Got 'im! I got 'im!

Han Solo: Great, kid. Don't get cocky.