Do you remember when soulslike fans were going wild for a Bloodborne PS1 demake? Well, now it’s time for horror game fans to get excited. Why? Well, a dedicated Dead Space fan is working on a Dead Space PS1 demake – and it’s already looking very, very good. We know this franchise isn’t quite as old as other iconic horror game franchises (like Resident Evil), but it’s safe to say that the remake from EA Motive has already proven that it can withstand the test of time. Now, though, we’re going to see if it can withstand the test of time in the opposite direction – which is always exciting.
If you’re sitting there wondering what we’re on about when we say ‘PS1 demake’, you’re not alone – and we’re here to explain things. A ‘PS1 demake’ is, to keep things simple, the opposite of a remaster or a remake. It’s a situation where someone takes an existing game, like Dead Space, and redevelops it in the typical style of an older generation of games, like PS1 games. From introducing low-poly graphics and simplified animations to distorted sounds and simplified environments, a PS1 demake aims to completely transform a game – from top to bottom. Can you see why we’re excited?
Well, we are excited – and you should be too. If you want to know what this particular PS1 demake looks like, you can check out some in-development footage from Itch.IO developer Fraser Brumley down below; they’re the driving force behind this Dead Space PS1 demake and – aside from the fact that some of the inventory items are a little hard to identify – it looks and sounds incredible.
As you can see below, Brumley has shared a clip of Isaac Clarke in the Maintenance Bay of the USG Ishimura – an area of the ship you’re encouraged to explore in the early stages of the game – fighting a couple of Necromorphs along the way. It’s a fantastic showcase of the PS1 demake’s audio, gunplay, dismemberment, and movement mechanics. If we didn’t know any better, it would be hard to say that this wasn’t a game ripped straight out of the mid-nineties.
Dead Space Demake is still coming! I know it's been a while since I last posted about it but lot of work's been done and I'm pretty close to releasing. Here's a little clip to show the progress.#lowpoly #deadspace #deadspacedemake #PSX@HauntedPs1 pic.twitter.com/7mSytTSOc9
— Fraser Brumley (@brumley53) March 20, 2023
If you like the look of that, you can check out Brumley’s Patreon right here for more information. As you can see from his most-recent update, this project has been at least a year in the making and everything is being demade – from the graphics to the systems and mechanics.
It’s also something that will be available as a free demo-length experience, as Brumley is working on it alongside their own survival action horror game inspired by this series and Resident Evil. We don’t know when it’s going to release yet, but here’s where you want to keep your eye on. We have reached out to Brumley for more information – and to delve deeper into the experience of demaking a popular game like Dead Space.
If you’re more interested in up-to-date graphics, you can check out our Dead Space remake review right here and see whether it’s worth investing in the PS5 version of this classic. We also have a list of the best horror games available here – if you’re looking for more spooks.
We know Dead Space remake fans are already casting this Ant-Man star in the sequel, and that those very same Dead Space 2 remake dreams draw closer to reality thanks to this EA survey, but perhaps a low-poly demake is exactly what we need right now – to fill the gap.