The definition of a "remake" is difficult to pin down. On the one hand, we have games like The Last of Us Part 1 and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. They are pretty much the same as the original material, with the aesthetics modernised.

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On the other hand, we have the Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes, which bear little resemblance to the PS1 games.

And let's not forget 2020's Final Fantasy VII Remake, which turned out (SPOILER ALERT) to be more of a sequel. The use of "remake", here, was a bit of wordplay.

So what about the Dead Space Remake, released on 27th January? Is it a remake? A remaster? A reboot? Keep reading to find out.

Is the new Dead Space game a sequel or a remake?

The answer to that question is more simple than it seemed at first - we can confirm that the new Dead Space game is a remake! The first clue that we saw was on Twitter, where EA's official account described the new Dead Space as “a classic rebuilt”.

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And then we saw an even more cut-and-dry confirmation of the game's status as a remake. Under the trailer on YouTube, an official description says: “The sci-fi survival horror classic Dead Space returns, completely rebuilt from the ground up by Motive Studios to offer a deeper and more immersive experience."

The YouTube description adds: "Harnessing the power of the Frostbite game engine and next generation consoles, this remake brings jaw-dropping visual fidelity and improvements to gameplay while staying true to the original.”

Since this new version of Dead Space is made by EA Motive, who have never made a Dead Space game before, it remains to be seen if they stay fully faithful to the original or if they splice in some new ideas.

EA Redmond Shores - the company that made the original Dead Space, and later became known as Visceral Games - shut down in 2017, so it will be interesting to see what a different company does with the franchise.

That statement makes it clear that the new Dead Space is a ground-up remake from scratch, as opposed to a cosmetic remaster like Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, which could lead to some drastic upgrades.

As we hear any further details, beyond the improved graphics and gameplay enhancements that have already been promised, we'll be sure to let you know.

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