Despite receiving high praise on release, Dead Space has been the subject of controversy. Some say the remake is “too woke”.
Due to several changes made to the remake, a vocal minority of the Dead Space community believes that Motive Studio’s release is “woke”. Regarded as one of the best-known body horror games, the original 2008 survival horror title arrived at a time when the genre was not yet genuinely sure of itself.
Dead Space may not have had the psychological intellect of Silent Hill 2, but it made up for it with its terrifying creature design and claustrophobic atmosphere.
The reviews of the Dead Space remake so far are pretty good. Many agree that this iteration of the iconic horror game is not just a modern version of an older release. On the contrary, it is, in fact, a further development of the original formula created by Visceral Games. This does not mean that the game is perfect. Some will still find flaws in it, as they do in every other title. But some expressed concern that the remake leaned too far into the political consciousness.
As spotted by The Gamer, some accused Dead Space of being “woke” and specifically noted how the remake changed things in the name of representation. One example of this is the intro when Kendra Daniels talks about her girlfriend. She was not mentioned in the original. There is also a discussion on the Steam forums in which one user gives the game a “hard pass.” The person posted a link to an image highlighting some of the changes that seem to make them dislike it. For example, that a black woman has replaced Johnston and that some characters now look physically older.
Twitter user ChrisRGun posted a response to a clip from a streamer who, when asked in their chat what they thought of the game, replied that the developer had added some “gay woke s**t.”
Despite the negative comments, the remake continues to impress fans. OG Dead Space turns 15 years old this year, along with contemporaries such as Fallout 3 and Grand Theft Auto 4. Although the state of the games industry has changed over the years, most agree that the evolution has been largely positive. Thankfully, the ageing of women or complaints about the colour of characters’ skin hasn’t stopped studios from pursuing fairer representation in this modern age.
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