There is an argument to be made that the weapons in EA Motive’sDead Spaceremake are stronger than the ones in the remake. The Plasma Cutter is an undisputed powerhouse in the hands of Isaac Clarke as always, but the remake also makes a strong selling point to keepthe rest ofDead Space’s weaponsin their inventory at the same time. Beyond how they can be useful in a variety of circumstances, whether players need a wall of fire or a proximity bomb, there is also a wide range of abilities players can receive if they have a huge chunk of credits lying around and nothing else to spend it on.
Dead Space’s original bench upgrades were helpful, but never essential to the player making it through the Ishimura unscathed. There are only a few times when a lack of oxygen is actually a concern that players should be mindful of, for example, and power nodes are often more useful when reserved forDead Space’s locked loot doors.Motive’sDead Spaceremake no longer makes players choose what to use power nodes on, and having them all reserved for bench upgrades is necessary since there is much more to each upgrade tree than ever before.
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In the original game, benches are simple and straightforward. Players look upon individual graphs for Stasis, Kinesis, the RIG, and each weapon. There are often multiple points where players can begin the graph, but looking ahead at which upgrades players want in the future is crucial.
The way these graphs work means that players can only slot a power node toward an upgrade stat if they already have an adjoining upgrade slotted. Players will then begin spending power nodes on subsequent upgrades in whichever paths they choose, but there is no way to upgrade RIG health or Plasma Cutter damage exclusively. Players will therefore gain upgrade stats that they maybe did not strive to obtain, but are in the path of the upgrades they do desire.
Moreover, one of the often frustrating parts of these graphs in Visceral Games’Dead Spaceis that there will frequently be slots on a graph that do not offer any upgrades, but still need to be selected in order to progress. Either way, all upgrades are laid out for players to see and work toward once they have enough power nodes to spend.
In the remake, benches are similar enough to be recognized asDead Spacebenches, but they have added features that make subsequent upgrades exciting. Graphs are now much more intricate with the addition of upgrade parts. Before players come into the possession of a weapon’s particular upgrades, there will be obscured parts of each graph.
Bringing these parts to a bench reveals individual sections, and the same goes for suit schematics that are purchased and worn in order to upgradeDead Space’s RIG. However, weapon upgrades are incredibly important because they add completely new mechanics for each tool.
For example, the Ripper can gain additional ricochets, the Force Gun’s Gravity Wells can gain a greater radius, andthe Plasma Cutter can gain an upgrade that lets punches knock enemies prone. Further, the remake’s bench graphs have no superfluous node slots that occupy space, meaning every node can meaningfully go toward an upgrade buff for the player.
Dead Spaceis available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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