The interface, too, is designed to make you panic, mostly insomuch as there really is no interface. Even the writing on the walls tells a story – from the terror-stricken crew leaving each other warning messages, to the amorous notes left in the bathrooms stalls. You'll get the gist of what went down on the Ishimura by just playing through the game, but to get the full story you'll want to scour every inch of the ship to find clues the victims left behind. Where is everyone, anyway? That's the chief question of the game, and the story is doled out in tantalizing text, audio and video logs without a single cut scene in sight. It's a big ship, and as engineer Isaac Clarke, it's up to you to face down relentless hordes of space zombies, find your obligatory love interest, and figure out what exactly is going on. Your team is the first to respond, only to find that the ship's population has vanished.Īt the start of the game, things look grim: Your ship is damaged beyond repair, the only member of your crew with a gun isn't much help, and you're all quickly separated from one another. Something has gone wrong, however, and a distress call has been sent out. The ship was designed to tear apart small planets and asteroids, mining them of their precious minerals. And it would have been enough to send me scampering to the safety of a brightly lit room, except for the fact that the production values couldn't make up for the uninspired gameplay.Īs the game begins, a crew of four has crash-landed on the USG Ishimura, a spaceship that was home to over a thousand people. Dead Space's story and atmosphere are well done.

Dead space helmet print layout