Dead Space 3: Awakened Hands On

Developer: Visceral Games / Publisher: Electronic Arts / Release Date: March 22, 2013 / Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC / ESRB: Mature [Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language]

SPOILER!! Isaac and Carver manage to get off Tau Volantis. The catch is that you’ll need to get the upcoming DLC to see how they survived. Presented as an epilogue, Dead Space 3: Awakened continues the story of Isaac and Carver after the events of the main game. Equally meaningful is that this add-on promises a heavy serving of dementia and horror, two things that many fans felt were lacking in Dead Space 3.

“Give me an ear that you may hear. Give me a tongue so you may speak.”

How does a movement like Unitology proceed without a leader, especially after the convergence event at the end of Dead Space 3? Visceral wanted to answer that question in Awakened and it’s not a pretty picture. The faithful who remained on the dropships have resorted to severing their own body parts as tests of faith. It’s cabin fever mixed with the usual marker mutations.

For as much as previous Dead Space playthroughs have conjured Silent Hill flashbacks from time to time, it has never felt more like Konami’s horror series than in Awakened. The liberal scattering of lit candles not only echo the dark creepiness of Titan Station in Dead Space 2, but also many of the “hell” areas of the Silent Hill franchise.

Necromorphs hanging off walls are supposed to be dead but I was always ready for any of them to jump out to attack. Even in our short demo, there were a wide variety of hostilities in all sizes, especially terrifying necromorph babies. The standout addition to this DLC could be described as Dead Space’s answer to Pyramid Head. He’s not the fastest moving enemy, which makes him all the creepier. Worse yet, it couldn’t be killed during this hands-on session. Whatever that thing is, it relates to the game’s reemphasis on dementia.

Awakened serves as a bleak reminder of Isaac’s unfortunate ties to the markers. Eventually transported to a hellish dream state, I had to avoid once again the invincible stalker and take out some childlike necromorphs. It was after a number of kills that a marker in the background started to glow, which was the signal for me to shoot it. It was also the signal for the end of the session making this demo an effective tease. The Visceral spokesman wouldn’t comment on the DLC’s total length or whether this was the only planned DLC for Dead Space 3. You can experience Awakened when it’s available next week on March 12.