Dead Space HD
Electronic Arts Inc.
Survival Horror/Shooter
$9.99/$5.99 HD / $6.99/£3.99 Non HD

With the sequel to one of 2008′s best games hitting consoles world wide this past week, EA games have released an all new adventure for newer iOS devices.

The introduction of the game recommends the use of headphones, and for good reason as it adds a whole new layer of immersion to its already breathing world. The sound design in Dead Space HD is top notch, from the sound of your footsteps, to the off-putting wails expelled from the creatures you encounter.

Dead Space HD tells the story of Vandal who was left for dead by ‘The Church’ on an intergalactic ship named ‘The Sprawl’. It’s Vandal’s job to head through The Sprawl, face The Church and take them down. The story isn’t anything ground breaking, but every so often, unexpected twists hit the player, causing confusion, leading to yet more disorientation.

Dead Space HD takes place prior to the events of Dead Space 2 with an entirely new cast, with the Sprawl being the backdrop to that title, too. Speaking of locations, Dead Space delivers on a golden platter. Your adventure will take you though food processing plants, mines, the occasional dream sequence, and some thought provoking zero gravity sections. No matter where the story takes you, the controls are some of the best found on any iOS title to date.

Incase you haven’t noticed, iOS devices have no buttons, EA Games and IronMonkey Studio realise this, and have opted for a comfortable control scheme, without a virtual control stick. Simply moving your thumb along the left of the screen will navigate Vandal through the game, with a swipe to the right side acting as your camera control. Of course, how are you expected to survive without weapons? Early on in the game, you find your first weapon, the Plasma Saw, a melee weapon used with an upward flick to the top right of the screen when prompted. The Plasma Saw can also be used when an enemy leaps on you. Occasionally, they will jump from Walls, the ceiling, or from right below you, when this happens, quick time events are activated. Fulfilling the conditions in the QTE will not only show Vandal ripping off the enemies’ limbs or stamping on them, but also push the necromorphs back a few meters, giving you some much needed breathing space.

Soon after the saw tutorial is done with, you will find yourself in possession of the Plasma Cutter, staple of the franchise. With a longer ranged weapon in hand, tapping the right side of the screen will ready it, another tap will fire. Every long ranged weapon has a secondary function, activated through a tilt of the device. The secondary function can be anything from a switch of its axis, to an entirely different firing style.

Your weapons and suit can also be upgraded through items called ‘Nodes’ found dotted all around the space station. These Nodes can only be used at Benches found at the beginning and end of most chapters.

The Benches use a grid system to upgrade your equipment. So, if you wanted to upgrade your damage to its maximum, you must first buy any slots that appear adjacent to it. This system may sound like a linear way of doing beefing up your items, but you eventually end up with a nice, rounded set of equipment. Near almost every bench, you will find a store, where you can buy ammunition, Nodes and even new suits. If you’re stumped as to where the Nodes are, or have run out of in game credits, you can always buy some using your Apple account. Other items are available, such as a cash multiplier among a few more upgrades. These range from mere pennies to a couple of dollars/pounds.

If you’re really struggling, you can always fork out for items that will help you along your way.

Every so often during the story you will be on your way out of a room, when a security lock-down is activated, pitting you against hordes of Necromorphs. Speaking of which, the Necromorphs are both disturbing and relatively swift in their execution of attacks. Enemies range from tentacle spawning babies, to enemies with explosive pods for arms. Their weak spots aren’t too difficult to spot; the babies, as mentioned before, sprout tentacles which must be removed, as the others will need their volatile sacs blown up from a distance. Various other enemies await, including one or two bosses, which are much stronger, more intimidating, and require tactical removal of limbs or puss bubbles.

As mentioned before, everywhere you go in Dead Space will leave you in awe as you wonder how it is being played on such a device. Add to the equation Dead Space has an eleven chapter campaign mode and your mind should have blown. Each chapter is filled with small puzzles and tactical navigation as you leap from platform to platform in zero gravity. Each chapter can range from around ten minutes, up to an hour, depending on how you play.

After beating the game once, you are rewarded a new difficulty to play through, Hard Mode. Another thing unlocked as you beat the final boss is an achievement. The achievements can be unlocked through various means, such as killing a certain amount of enemies with one shot, to upgrading your suit to its maximum potential. The Achievement list can be found in the extra’s menu and unlock concept art from the game depending on how many you acquire, à la Mirrors Edge, another title published by EA. Yet another incentive for fans, is that you can register the game to unlock an extra gift for your continuing adventures in Dead Space 2 for consoles.

If you still haven’t realised, I adore this game. Dead Space HD is a great little title that really packs a lot of content into its 301mb package. This is not some watered down cash-in to tie with the release of the console title, it is one for fans of the series or simply anyone who likes a good scare. Thumbs Up.