Was the official Dead Space remake too smooth-looking for you? Then check out Fraser Brumley’s upcoming Dead Space Demake.
Games are meant to move with the times, but a small subset of indie developers also proves that reversing the direction of travel can be just as creative.
Melbourne, Australia-based developer Fraser Brumley’s Dead Space Demake is a prime example. It takes EA’s flesh-crawling sci-fi horror back to the mid-1990s, with all the jagged polygons and shimmering textures you’d expect to see if the game were developed for the original PlayStation.
Most importantly, the limb-severing mechanics are still present and correct, with Dead Space Demake’s low-poly Isaac able to slice the various limbs, heads and other appendages off the game’s Necromorphs to satisfyingly gory effect.
Dead Space Demake is still coming! I know it's been a while since I last posted about it but lot of work's been done and I'm pretty close to releasing. Here's a little clip to show the progress.#lowpoly #deadspace #deadspacedemake #PSX@HauntedPs1 pic.twitter.com/7mSytTSOc9
— Fraser Brumley (@brumley53) March 20, 2023
Brumley’s been working on the demake for a while – he last updated Twitter on his progress in October 2022 – but in his recent post, he explains that “ a lot of work’s been done and I’m pretty close to releasing.”
When Dead Space Demake’s finished, it’ll appear on Brumley’s itch.io page alongside his other quirky projects (Fleetoad Mac, anyone?). Itch is something of a haven for low-poly demakes like this, hence such projects as the brilliantly unsettling Haunted PS1 Demo Disc, which is positively stuffed with all kinds of jagged, unsettling delights.
This isn’t the only deconstructed, retro-fied version of Dead Space, either. Brazilian developer Rustic Games BR is something of a specialist in low-poly demakes, with his YouTube channel awash with low-poly versions of Elden Ring, Resident Evil 4, Dead Space, and more besides, all re-imagined in Unity. Unlike Brumley’s upcoming Dead Space Demake, which will eventually be playable, Rustic Games BR’s output is all just a bit of nostalgic fun.
Read more: Dead Space | The making of a classic, terrifying horror series
