USG Ishimura is a haunted place. The hallways of Planet Cracker’s mining ship echo with the sounds of the dead, monsters crawling through ventilation ducts and the heavy footsteps of an engineer living the worst day of his life. Whispers penetrate its hull and melodic machinery roars in the distance, until everything crumbles and the sound becomes too unbearable, and then the enemy attacks. It’s Dead Space and what makes a good horror game really special.
With the release of Motive’s Dead Space Remake, one of the most iconic locations in video games has been given a facelift. The Ishimura is instantly recognizable not only by its visuals, but also by the way it uses sounds, whether instrumental or organic, to establish a tone like no other, and the new version owes the maintenance and overhaul many of these sounds to composer Trevor. Gureckis.
“Which (original composer Jason Graves) created a great musical universe for Dead Space,” Gureckis told PCGamesN. “So first we really focused on key things like story points and particular scenes that we could grow on, and the further I got, the more I started writing more and more music. for the bigger stages.”
Throughout my conversation with Gureckis, it became increasingly clear that his work was always meant to mirror that of EA Motive, as the studio made it clear from the start that they wanted to stay true to the original Dead. Space while extending it in the direction. forms with mechanics from future installments, more character development, and additional content.
Gureckis starred in the original Dead Space Trilogy when it first released, so working on the series renewal is a dream come true. He said it was work he would like to continue, and suggested to us that he would be happy to contribute if EA decided to make Dead Space 4. In fact, Motive said he was “interested” in a sequel to Dead Space, so it could happen.
For Gureckis, the evolution of Dead Space involved creating a musical journey that changes over time, much like the deterioration of Isaac Clarke’s psyche. “I was able to find new themes that could be repeated many times throughout the game, so that if even subconsciously I feel like I’m in the same room in some kind of dialogue”, at least a musical dialogue.”
In Dead Space Remake, it can be very difficult to determine exactly how this subconscious musical enterprise actually works when you play. You only know from the music and audio design when you’re safe, when the atmosphere is trying to irritate you, and how Isaac is also supposed to feel exactly the same, which traces that unwritten dialogue between you and the character . . .
Gureckis says recording with big orchestras and in his home studio in Brooklyn helped him connect with Isaac and realize that dialogue. “For me, it was a way of getting closer to Isaac and his experience. It’s also the experience of the player, being on Isaac’s shoulder and in the room. You hear this kind of shrill fiddle going up and down and all that stuff and it’s supposed to sound like different pieces of metal,” Gureckis told PCGamesN.
Gureckis isn’t directly responsible for implementing his soundtrack in Dead Space, but instead hands his work over to the audio team, who could then use the full tracks or isolated bits of everyone where they thought fit. each part worked best. Gureckis says all of his pieces are “big and dense,” which works well when broken down in-game.
“I did a full tonal Shepard piece with the orchestra that we recorded in Nashville, and we played the piece through the strings for about two minutes,” Gureckis explains. “We wanted to give the audio-only team resources and tools so they knew how they wanted to use it in-game.”
I find Shepard’s tone particularly interesting in this instance because it exemplifies how integral music and sounds are to horror, and Dead Space Remake in particular. The auditory illusion makes your pitch seem like it’s constantly rising or falling, which creates an eerie feeling where every time you stop actively listening, it almost feels like it’s reset. This type of technique is great in a game like Dead Space because it can end up confusing and alienating you at key moments. If successful, it shows Gureckis’ job has been done and done well.
For more information, check out our guides to All Deadspace Weapon Upgrade Locations and All Deadspace Node Locations, because we’ve got answers to all your exploration-related questions. from Ishimura.