Analysis of the design of the first chapter locations in Dead Space
I consider the Dead Space series one of the most interesting horror films of those years. I especially always loved the first two parts, from which there is a lot to learn from other developers. The 2008 remake of the game made it possible to once again immerse yourself in the atmosphere of horror of dead space. I have always loved the first chapter of the game, in which in the very first seconds they manage to draw you into the atmosphere of the game. The developers put a lot of effort into teaching mechanics and building horror through spaces. We will analyze all the moments that the player goes through in the chapter “New Arrivals”.
Introduction
You play as Isaac Clarke, a ship systems engineer who is sent to the USG Ishimura to repair it. Upon arrival, the Ishimura looks worse than expected. You must board the ship and find out what happened to the crew.
At the start, the player sees a cut-scene in front of him, which already provides the necessary information not only about the heroes, but also the transport itself into which the characters need to dive. The ship flies among a large amount of debris. There is no proper information whether the transport is functioning properly. Moreover, the appearance of the ship can surprise the player in the first minutes. The transport resembles a large monster that very slowly pulls the heroes’ ship into itself. This frightening appearance is achieved through sharp shapes, somewhat reminiscent of teeth.
A walk along the first corridor reveals the name of the place where the player arrived – “USG Ishimura”. The space is balanced, the player does not feel tension, does not feel fear. The player easily understands that he needs to follow the secondary characters. The walk is short, but it serves as a means of introducing the player to the visual language of doors, presented in three stages. Initially, the door is closed and has the inscription “Locked” highlighted in red. The next stage is “Stand by” and the last stage is “Unlocked”, indicated in blue. This visual language will also be used in the future on boxes containing valuable items for the player.
Then the player enters a room where he can notice suitcases and paper scattered everywhere. This may suggest that someone was in a hurry to leave the premises. Here the player is taught navigation, a device that shows the full path to the goal. After interacting with the panel, the developers demonstrate the capabilities and danger of the first enemy, who kills one of the protagonist’s allies. Here they demonstrate that such creatures like to sneak up on their victims to eliminate them. The player is forced to run through narrow corridors that are teeming with danger on all sides. The player at this moment is running with only one goal – to escape, to escape from the necromorphs. As a result, the character ends up in the elevator.
First weapon
In the next room, the player finds a cutter – the first weapon in the game. At the same time, you can notice an inscription written in blood on the wall, which tells you exactly how to eliminate the enemy in the game. This information will be very useful to the player in the game, which is why the main character draws attention to this in the cut-scene.
Note that the character will not be able to get into the next space, since to eliminate the generator you need to get a weapon. This prevents the player from losing important items and skills later in the game. When you shoot at a generator that does not allow the door to open, feedback is maintained with the player. After the object is destroyed, the passage becomes open. In the next room, the developers offer to test the player’s skill – shooting. At the same moment, the enemy’s capabilities are again demonstrated, how they like to approach not only from behind, but also pounce, thereby tearing apart the victim.
It’s worth talking about the game’s color palette and the design of spaces. Dead Space is unpleasant in a good way thanks to the colors on the locations that are used until the end of the passage:
Yellow – symbolizes violence, stress, loss of mind, lack of control.
Blue-green with a predominance of the first – often used to accompany lonely characters isolated from the real world
Orange – used to convey pollution, dust, dirt from the environment
Red – most often used for ominous scenes in which the player sees violence
The game almost always consists of corridors. Enclosed spaces create a feeling of confinement as the player is limited in their choices. Tight hallways or passageways can create tension as there is concern about possible dangers both in front and behind. In such conditions, the player always remains vulnerable. The same ceiling or walls literally press on the player. This is very often used often in the horror genre. Adding details to a narrow space makes it noisier and constantly distracts the player’s attention. Lattice lighting sometimes seems to emphasize that the character is in an enclosed space, on a ship. If an enemy appears in such narrow locations, this puts even more pressure on the player, causing panic and forcing him to make emergency decisions: shoot, try to escape, or avoid the enemy.
Additional ways to scare at the beginning of the game are corpses, blood. The material used in the rooms is metal with rust, which makes the space more uncomfortable for the player. You can also scare people at first by using the surprise of enemies emerging from the ventilation.
Next, the developers place everything so that the player does not miss anything. This is a database that provides information about the situation on the ship and collects all subsequent tutorials. They also place the first first aid kit, located near the corpse. In this way, the player who was injured by the first enemy will be able to increase his health or save it in his inventory for future situations. The next room is the first checkpoint in the game, where the player is greeted with a second cutscene, where they give the player the task of helping their allies get into the minecart, and allow them to save.
First checkpoint
After the save room, the player is offered two paths that he has to go through. In one of the paths the player can find a log reminiscent of the method of eliminating necromorphs. They also show a small puzzle with generators that allow you to give choices to open certain rooms. Initially, two doors are disabled, the main and the side. When you press a key, the same feedback method works, which allows you to understand why this is necessary. When approaching the generator, the player is additionally frightened by a pretend enemy, who activates when approaching it.
Then the player is given the opportunity to save in front of a dangerous room. When entering a location where it is necessary to obtain data on the condition of the ship, an audio message begins, which again talks about the method of eliminating the enemy. This may cause mixed reactions as the information remains a central theme for about the first ten minutes of playthrough. It might be worth providing this information later or refraining from providing it at all.
This room turns out to be more dangerous than the previous ones, because here the player feels the contrast between the previous ones. This location is more open. Enemies can crawl out not only from vents, but also climb onto bridges, which enhances the effect of surprise. The player needs to get to the generator, which he can do thanks to the wires connected to the doors.
When approaching the generator, the player is frightened by another animated corpse. This effect is enhanced by the presence of several lying dead necromorphs, one of which is pretending to be him. Fear is caused by the uncertainty of which of the corpses will stand up against the player.
Having reached the generator, the player is offered the choice of a long or short path: turn off the lights in the room and reach the desired point to achieve the first goal, saving power at the exit. This will maintain even more tension since the lighting on the location will not be maintained, since it will not be possible to see which side the enemy is coming from. The second scenario is to force the player to return to the generator to turn on the power at the exit.
In the game, the developers also thought about the readability of objects. As you play through the game, you will notice how all the important information for the player is easily readable from afar and in the dark. This supports convenient gameplay and orientation in all important features for the player. This includes explosive canisters, signs with arrows, doors, objects, and ammunition boxes.
Upon reaching the goal, the character can use the workbench for the first time, where he can upgrade the hero. Upon returning back, the player will have to fight the necromorphs. Upon arrival at a control point, the designers provide an opportunity to rest after long and intense battles. On the next path, the player is presented with a new stasis mechanic. The hero receives this device by raising his severed hand. This is also one of the methods of summoning horror. It is achieved through various unpleasant spectacles, for example, as here – a hand from which blood flows.
In order for the player to learn the mechanics, the developers place an obstacle that can only be passed with the help of stasis. This allows the player to learn how the mechanic works. Another interesting technique that developers use when designing the entire game is signs that illustrate, for example, how navigation works in the game or stasis. All this is woven into the narrative of the game.
When reaching the next checkpoint, the player is tested for reactions. After saving, the lights in the room suddenly turn off, making the player think that the enemy will come out. In this way, the developers play with the player and force him to continue to be in suspense (Fig. 1).
Often supplies are placed next to the corpses, additionally illuminated by a lighting source. Or corpses with pick-up objects are placed so that players do not miss them while passing (Fig. 2).
In the final room, the player achieves part of their goal. To achieve it, they are forced to use stasis again. While completing the objective, the player is bombarded with enemies. This was done so that the player could use stasis against enemies. Having completed the task and returning back, they show a new enemy running through the ventilation. The first thing the player understands is that the future enemy is more nimble than the previous ones. Before approaching the control point, the player is introduced to another new enemy – a poisonous necromorph, with whom they are given a battle. At the checkpoint, the player completes a mission and is asked to return back to where the hero came from.
All rooms in the game are often repeated. That is why all rooms are connected to a common save point, which is partly a rest room for the player, since it is after passing through dangerous locations that the player comes back to this room so that he can rest after the battle. Also, such checkpoints help the player not to get lost in the level.
Return to the ship
Returning back becomes not very comfortable for the player, since he remembers the large number of opponents. Upon reaching the previous rooms, through which the hero had to run due to the inability to fight back the enemy, everyone is also made to feel vulnerable. This is achieved through the sounds of the enemy, who constantly makes sounds at different points in the room. The constantly flickering light also fuels the feeling of tension.
As a result, the player achieves his goal, reaches the ship. The cut-scene starts when you press the key on the panel. All cutscenes in the game that involve the main character begin when you press a key. The person who plays the game always feels in control of the main character. When you press a key, the start of a cutscene gives you a sense of completion. The player can take a break and watch the video. That is why in the game all cut scenes involving the main character begin when a button is pressed, and not when special triggers located in spaces are crossed.
As a result, the ship collapses, and a battle ensues against a new enemy, which the developers had demonstrated before. Here the player will be more likely to think about using stasis due to the movement speed. The first broken door opened and closed at high speed, here the enemy moves at about the same speed.
This way the player is forced to think about where to go. The only choice is to go forward to the tram station. Here the player encounters a store where it is possible to buy/sell items and upgrade a suit. The store is located in the same way as all important items in the game, so that when entering a location it is visible to the player. This is where the chapter “New Arrivals” ends, where they give the player a new item – kinesis.
Total
In fact, the educational first level of the game is built simply superbly, the player is constantly in suspense, receives new items that dilute gameplay situations. There is also a contrast between the visited spaces, which give the player certain sensations when playing. If you are creating a game in the survival horror genre or are a fan of games of this genre, then you should not miss the updated Dead Space.
If you liked and found this article useful, you can subscribe to my blog.
