Summary
Released in 2023 following years of speculation about a rumored remake, EA Motive’sDead Spacemarked a frightening return to form for the sci-fi survival horror series. Abandoning the multiplayer-focused, microtransaction-heavy gameplay that led manyDead Spacefans to abandon the series following its contentious third outing a decade prior, the back-to-basics remake reminded players of why the franchise became a fan-favorite in the first place. A potentialDead Space 2remake would be wise to follow this same formula, and reworking the game to finally give its fearsome Ubermorph a fitting introduction could make the survival horror sequel scarier than ever.
A frightening mishmash of flesh and claws, the Ubermorph manages to make some of the otherNecromorphs inDead Space 2look almost cuddly in comparison. Despite being one of the most menacing monsters players encounter in the game, though, the fact that the Ubermorph shows up with little backstory or introduction makes its sudden appearance less impactful than it otherwise could have been. By fleshing out more details about the Ubermorph throughout the game, aDead Space 2remake could ensure that players are dreading its debut long before coming eye-to-eye with it.
Appearing in the closing hours ofDead Space 2’s campaign, the Ubermorph remains one of theDead Spaceseries’ scariest creatures. Unlike other enemies protagonist Isaac Clarke encounters throughout the campaign, the five-eyed Ubermorph can regenerate its health, leaving players to run for their lives as it stalks them throughout the game’s final chapters. But while the Ubermorph’s unsettling appearance and unique abilities put it in a class of its own, its relatively rushed debut inDead Space 2feels like a missed opportunity.
A remake ofDead Space 2could remedy this by giving the Ubermorph more screen time and diving deeper into where the creature came from. As opposed to the similarly invincible Hunter fromthe originalDead Space, whose full tragic tale players could uncover by reading logs and undertaking side missions, the Ubermorph’s origins are largely unknown. While the mystery behind the monster undeniably adds something to the Ubermorph’s appeal, that doesn’t mean aDead Space 2remake couldn’t benefit from giving it a bit more backstory.
ADead Space 2remakedoesn’t necessarily have to reveal every detail about the Ubermorph’s creation, but it could still benefit from building up the creature prior to its initial appearance. While players are made aware of the Ubermorph several chapters before finally coming face-to-face with it, adding new text and audio logs to the game that explain the threat it poses would help set the stage for its inevitable and terrifying arrival. This would give players a better idea of the horrors awaiting them in the game’s closing hours and ensure that they are already afraid of the Ubermorph long before it bursts onto the scene.
Taking the time to make these sorts of smallchanges toDead Space 2would go a long way toward making the already intimidating Ubermorph even more frightening. Telegraphing its appearance earlier in the game and dropping hints about the Ubermorph’s origins and motivations through log entries, environmental details, and new side missions would let EA ratchet up the tension inDead Space 2while still maintaining an air of mystery around the monster.
If thereportedly canceledDead Space 2remakedoes eventually see the light of day, EA needs to finally give the iconic Ubermorph the sort of fleshed-out introduction it richly deserves. And by taking that time to expand on the fairly limited lore surrounding the relentless and repulsive creature, EA could ensure that a revamped Ubermorph will continue scaring survival horror fans for years to come.
