This time a decade ago, the Dead Space franchise was at the peak of its popularity, with two successful games and the promise of more content to come. After Dead Space 3 in 2013, the series faded into obscurity, sitting dead among a pile of other franchises abandoned by Electronic Arts. Thankfully, to the surprise of many fans, EA Motive in Montreal is working on a ground-up remake of the 2008 original Dead Space game, exclusively for next-gen systems.
The Dead Space remake is likely still a couple of years away, so players new and old will be itching for a fix of the series until its release. In the meantime, aside from revisiting the original trilogy, there is a slew of multimedia content to dive into for those interested in exploring the far corners of the Dead Space universe. This additional content primarily came in the form of comic books and animated feature films, and the most notable entries should give a good idea for what curious fans can expect from the franchise.
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Releasing not long after the launch of the first game, this animated feature film captures all the thrills and bone-chilling terror that the series is known for. Chronologically set prior to the events of the original Dead Space and after the Image Comics series, Dead Space: Downfall follows the events that take place aboard the Ishimura space station just before Isaac Clarke and his crew come onboard.
The Ishimura is carrying a monolith called the Marker from the planet Aegis 7, and as things go in science fiction horror stories, this doesn't go as planned. The Marker has strange powers and begins to biologically alter and infect the many people onboard, turning them into freakish creatures known as Necromorphs. It may seem a tad familiar and even predictable considering it is a prequel, but for fans wanting more narrative material that ties into the games, this is great material to invest time into.
Similar to Dead Space: Downfall, Dead Space: Aftermath was released to coincide with Dead Space 2, serving as a prequel to that game's events. Produced by the same animation team at Film Roman, fans should expect the same gleefully gory and haunting atmosphere of the previous animated venture. This time the plot follows four survivors being interrogated about events that take place prior to the "start" of the film, with the overall structure being non-linear.
These survivors were from a ship called the "O'Bannon," which was sent to the remains of the planet Aegis 7 to see what happened to a colony there. Upon arriving, this crew came into contact with a fragment of The Marker, which was activated and triggered an outbreak of Necromorphs among the populace. A unique spin to the presentation of the storyline this time is how the film continuously jumps between the four different perspectives of each survivor, providing different accounts on the horrors they witnessed.
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A mini series that ran from March to September 2008, ultimately leading into the launch of Dead Space to generate hype, this small comic storyline is worth a read for hardcore fans. Written by Antony Johnston, who had previously penned The Coldest City (a graphic novel which inspired the 2017 film Atomic Blonde), the comic books capture all the visceral violence and uncomfortable horror present in the games. This is especially due to the graphic and terrifying artwork illustrated by Ben Templesmith.
As for the actual plot of this mini series, it ties directly into the original Dead Space and Dead Space: Downfall, serving as the earliest point in the timeline. It chronicles the illegal mining operations being done on Aegis 7 for resources, due to Earth's own supplies wearing thin. As is evident, the digging unleashes unbelievable terrors that would go on to haunt many for the remainder of the series. So, for fans who want the complete storyline, reading this series, watching Dead Space: Downfall, and then jumping into the first game works as a complete package, giving extra context to everything.
Once again written by Johnston, Dead Space: Salvage takes place after the events of the first game. The Ishimura was mostly destroyed during the events of Dead Space and flung out of orbit, far away from Aegis 7 and into the depths of space. However, it is believed that the demonic Marker aboard the spacecraft is still onboard despite the efforts of Isaac Clarke, and now the Government as well as a religious cult known as the Church of Unitology (who show up in later games) race to retrieve it.
Once arriving aboard the Ishimura, all parties involved quickly realize that nothing is as it seems, and are promptly attacked by legions of Necromorphs. The graphic novel is action-packed and chilling, thanks to the macabre artwork by Christopher Shy, perfectly capturing the otherworldly nature of the franchise. Adding more lore to the franchise and being an excellent action horror story in its own right, Dead Space: Salvage will satisfy anyone looking for a good scare before the Dead Space remake launches.
A Dead Space remake is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
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