New Dead Space gameplay reveals Left 4 Dead-like intensity director

In Dead Space’s 14th anniversary stream, Motive Studio showed off extended gameplay footage that revealed the function of the new intensity director.

As the release of Dead Space’s eagerly-anticipated remake continues to draw near, EA and developer Motive Studio continues to unleash new details.

Earlier this month, Dead Space fans received their first look at gameplay, courtesy of a trailer filled to the brim with equal parts horror and action.

The original game’s 14th anniversary couldn’t pass without a celebration of some kind, however. As a result, Motive Studio today hosted a live stream that offered even more insight into the upcoming remake.

How Dead Space’s intensity director will guide the experience

Developers previously announced that Dead Space will allow for seamless interconnectivity across the USG Ishimura. Simply put, Motive Studio altered the ship’s design, permitting players to navigate from one distant place to another without the tram or loading screens.

Backtracking, thus, plays a much larger role in the reimagined experience, which is where the intensity director comes in.

Similar to the AI Director in Left 4 Dead, Dead Space’s intensity director balances when new enemies appear, where they appear, and how they engage with Isaac.

If the player finds themselves bombarded by necromorphs, for example, the intensity director will prevent subsequent sections from feeling too overwhelming. It also ensures that users who backtrack to previously visited areas don’t constantly encounter the same enemy creeping out of the same air vent.

The developers pointed out a few other interesting changes during the anniversary live stream. For one, the hangar in Chapter 3 is now much larger. Some missions have received more story context.

And the tension in areas such as the decontamination room is off the charts, due to thick smoke and steam that makes it difficult to see even nearby necromorphs.

In addition, Dead Space veterans may find the centrifuge room tougher to navigate, given that some of its newly added details will present new challenges with respect to enemy attack patterns.

Dead Space’s remake creeps onto store shelves on January 27, 2023, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.