Roman Campos, director of Dead Space version 2023, reveals the winning formula for a successful remake!
The Dead Space remake was a huge commercial success. It must be said that the industry has had time to refine its formula since the covers follow one another between The Last of Us Part I and Resident Evil 4, which was notably present during the last State of Play. Bret Robbins, the director of Dead Space, and Roman Campos, the director of the 2023 version, had a discussion about the remakes during the Rise Above podcast.
“Recreate something you think you remember”
Restarting a cult game from the beginning, dealing with a demanding fanbase, respecting the spirit of the original… How many problems when developing a remake! Roman Campos, director of Dead Space, knows this very well and according to him, the weight of the title is “ the pillar of fidelity to the original. This is how we have defined it within the team, it’s not about remaking the original as it was but about recreating something you think you remember “. According to the director, this is the formula for making a good remake.
During this exchange, the directors of Dead Space evoke the many changes, in particular the fact that Isaac Clarke now has the floor. Towards the end of the podcast, Bret Robbins congratulates Roman Campos and the Motive teams stating:” I knew I was going to like it but I was nervous. I think the edits made it better. you did a really good job “.
This exchange shows that making a remake of a cult game is not easy. Adding modern mechanics or making radical decisions are part of the job of the creative teams. Fortunately, Motive was right in its bet with great critical and public acclaim. This new version of Dead Space even eclipsed the one that billed itself as its spiritual successor, The Callisto Protocol. The game received a mixed reception with many negative reviews pointing out its many flaws. In particular its modern mechanics worn on winding.
Remember that another remake is in preparation, that of Resident Evil 4 by the Capcom teams. This is the game that gave birth to the first Dead Space. A direct heir. Suffice to say that fans are impatiently awaiting this modernized version!