Dead Space 3

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Isaac Clarke on a frozen planet, cutting Necromorphs apart alone or with a friend.

Platforms: PC, Xbox
Price: Paid
Rated: Mostly Positive on Steam (72% of 15,157 reviews); Metacritic 78 for the PC version
Players: 1-2 (online co-op)
Controls: Gamepad or mouse and keyboard; over-the-shoulder aiming, stasis and kinesis, dodge roll.
Made by: Visceral Games
Released: 2013

Get it on Steam Xbox (Xbox One and Series X|S)EA (EA app)

What frightens Isaac Clarke is dragged back to fight the Necromorphs, corpses reshaped into screaming, bladed monsters that must be cut apart limb by limb, first among the wrecks of an old space fleet and then across the frozen planet Tau Volantis, where they burst out of snowdrifts and buried bases.
Content: gore, dismemberment, violence, strong language, jumpscares.

Dead Space 3 is the third game in EA and Visceral Games' sci-fi horror series. Isaac Clarke and Sgt. John Carver travel to the ice planet Tau Volantis to end the Necromorph outbreak at its source, cutting monsters apart limb by limb and building their own weapons from scavenged parts, alone or in online co-op.

About Dead Space 3

Dead Space 3 was released in 2013 by Electronic Arts and developed by Visceral Games. The Steam version, added in 2020, needs the EA app; the game is also sold digitally on Xbox, where it plays on Xbox One and Series X|S.

Isaac Clarke, the engineer who survived the first two games, is pulled back into the fight against the Necromorphs and joins an expedition to Tau Volantis, a frozen planet that may hold the source of the outbreak. Sgt. John Carver, a soldier with his own losses, goes with him. The first part takes place in a graveyard of old ships in orbit; the rest is the snowbound planet, its buried research bases and its blizzards.

The series' core is unchanged: Necromorphs must be dismembered, not shot in the head, and stasis and kinesis let you slow them and throw things at them. What is new is a workbench where you build weapons from frames, tools and attachments, one ammunition type for all of them, side missions, and fights with human soldiers of a cult. It is the most action-heavy Dead Space, and opinions on it are more divided than on the first two.

Its draw is co-op: a friend can join the whole campaign as Carver, with scenes only the co-op player sees. It suits fans of the series who want to finish Isaac's story, and pairs who want sci-fi horror to play together.

How to play Dead Space 3

Start the campaign alone as Isaac or invite a friend to join online as Carver.
Aim for limbs: cutting off arms and legs is how Necromorphs die.
Use stasis to slow fast enemies and kinesis to throw objects and blades back at them.
Collect parts and build or rebuild weapons at the workbench to suit how you fight.
Take on the optional side missions for extra parts and resources.

Screenshots

Dead Space 3 screenshot: Isaac floats in space among debris beside a wrecked ship above a white planet

Dead Space 3 screenshot: Isaac and Carver fire at an armed soldier in a frozen base

Dead Space 3 screenshot: Isaac in a frost-covered suit aims a custom-built weapon

Dead Space 3 screenshot: Isaac and Carver back to back in the snow with their weapons raised

Tips

Build at least one weapon that cuts limbs well; it saves a lot of ammunition.
Keep stasis charged for the fast and heavy Necromorphs.
Send your scavenger bot out in marked spots to collect resources while you explore.
In co-op, split roles: one player slows enemies, the other cuts them down.