Dead Space Devs Reveal Where They Draw The Line With Gore

The space horror phenomenon "Dead Space" set a new standard for genre when it hit shelves back in 2008 with its creepy atmosphere and intriguing story. But what set "Dead Space" apart from other horror games is that it wasn't afraid to get gory, like really gory. Players could rip off creatures' limbs, bash their bodies to a bloody pulp, and even burn them alive. And for fans of the grotesque visuals of "Dead Space," they didn't have to wait long for sequels. Eventually, however, some of the "Dead Space" team would move on to create "Callisto Protocol," a spiritual successor to the "Dead Space" series — although it didn't blow critics away quite like "Dead Space" did.

But fans shouldn't be disappointed by the shortcomings of "Callisto Protocol," as a "Dead Space" remake has arrived to bring back the heart-pounding alien dismembering fun. But with a new development studio behind the project, some may wonder if the team will tone down the gore for the upcoming game. It turns out the developers have even upped the ante, adding a peeling system that further enhances players' ability to rip apart monsters. Despite this, there is still one line the developers won't cross when it comes to gore.

Recently, Vice sat down with former BioWare employees, now at Motive studio, including director Joel MacMillan and senior writer Jo Berry. During their discussion about the 2022 remake, Vice brought up the series' iconic gory style. When asked about when the violence goes too far, Jo Berry stated, "I think there's a level of gratuity past which a death starts being funny." They explained that if something is too far-fetched, the audience can't relate to it. Berry used the example of a toothpick under the fingernail as something an audience can relate to. Thus, they can imagine what the pain would be like. In contrast, "If you watch someone getting their legs pulverized and ripped off, at a certain point you can't visualize that," Berry explained.

Berry even brought attention to the fact that weapons in "Dead Space" are designed to feel like the player is "basically committing industrial accidents," thus making it more grounded. MacMillan added on by explaining that for human deaths, the scenes were made to be a bit more relatable and realistic. On the other hand, regarding the creature deaths, the team got a bit more creative, mentioning the peeling system "where you could blow chunks off of the enemies all the way down to the bone."