A survival-horror staple is ripe for revisiting in EA's Dead Space remake. Early previews and gameplay point to an incredibly faithful update to the 2008 classic, albeit one with some gameplay changes likely based on mechanics developed for later games in the franchise. Built from the ground up using the Frostbite engine, the Dead Space remake looks to be just as thrilling and scary (if not more so) than the original game.
Dead Space tells the tale of Isaac Clarke, an engineer tasked with repairing the mining starship USG Ishimura. As players of the original game know, horrors await Isaac on the ship, which has been taken over by monsters and infected crew . The original Dead Space was a triumph of atmosphere and tension, thanks in part to the gripping score by composer Jason Graves. For the remake, Graves' music has been augmented with new offerings by film and television composer Trevor Gureckis. Dead Space is the first AAA game for which Gureckis has composed. Screen Rant is excited to exclusively premiere a selection from Gureckis' work on the remake.
Listen to "The Hive Mind" from Dead Space (Original Soundtrack) below:
Listen to Dead Space (Original Soundtrack) on January 27th
Just under eight minutes long, "The Hive Mind" is a rollicking, adrenaline-fueled piece that fits seamlessly with the action and thrills of Dead Space. Like other survival horror games, Dead Space succeeds in large part thanks to its blend of action and suspense, which are sure to be as key to Gureckis' music as they were to Graves'. "The Hive Mind" is just one of seventeen pieces of music that are featured on Dead Space (Original Soundtrack).
Check out the full tracklist below:
01. Hunger for the Stars
02. Main Title Theme
03. The Dead Survive
04. Zero Gravity
05. Reborn as One
06. Tram Station
07. The Leviathan
08. Isaac’s Hallucination
09. Make Us Whole
10. Corruption
11. Visions of Nicole
12. Change My Flesh
13. Convergence is Nigh
14. The Hive Mind
15. Escape
16. Nicole’s Theme (Solo Piano)
17. USG Ishimura is in Trouble
It's interesting to note that, like the game itself, Trevor Gureckis' music benefits from the expansion of the lore of Dead Space developed in the Dead Space sequels. While Jason Graves' original score perfectly complemented the player experience, Gureckis had the opportunity to write more generally to the larger universe of Dead Space. Here's what Gureckis had to say on approaching his music with the story in mind:
‘Making the score to ‘Dead Space’ was an 18 month long journey that started out with musically reassessing the lore of the game from scratch - and searching for thematic opportunities. I began by writing musical suites not connected to specific scenes or chapters, but rather to the story alone. For example, I composed music for the Unitology religion and a piece for the Marker alien artifact. The goal was to enhance the story moments when they arose for a deeper connection to this hugely compelling game. I introduced new themes and instruments to capture Issac’s frightening journey through the USG Ishimura. The result, I hope, is something that is both new and “at home” in the lore of “Dead Space”.
Dead Space launches on January 27th on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. The soundtrack releases the same day courtesy of Lakeshore Records and EA Music, and is available to pre-save here.