Summary
While the future of theDead Spacefranchise is currently unclear, the success of last year’s remake may have opened the door to future games in the franchise. Assuming EA moves forward with the series througha follow-up toDead Space 3, several key decisions will have to be made when it comes to the overarching plot, asDS3ended on a decidedly ambiguous note. Among these important plot decisions is the question of what to do with series mainstay Isaac Clarke.
Dead Space 3’s ending leaves a lot of questions hanging about. Issac and partner John Carver seemingly sacrifice themselves to stop the Brethren Moons from triggering the Convergence event, but the AwakenedDLC, which gives players the ‘true’ ending to the game, reveals that the pair are still alive. After making a final attempt to stop the Brethren Moons from attacking Earth, Isaac and John discover that they have apparently failed, and the game, along with theDead Spacefranchise, ends abruptly, with the men looking on from their ship as two Brethren Moons devour their home planet.
Isaac Clarke’s Story Isn’t Finished
Although bringing backDead Space’s beloved main characterwould certainly be pleasing for many fans, there’s an argument to be made that Isaac’s return is a narrative necessity.Dead Space 3’s ending, while perhaps appropriately bleak, doesn’t offer much in the way of closure or clarity. It wouldn’t necessarily be out of the question for the series to end with such an apocalyptic event, but the finalmoments ofDS3leave behind too many loose ends. The ending shows Earth being attacked by the Brethren Moons, but the extent of the damage and the fates of Isaac, John, and Ellie are not specified. It feels more like EA was leaving the door cracked open for a potential sequel, rather than definitively concluding the story.
Thus,the story ofDead Space, and by extension, the story of Isaac, feels unfinished. It’s aDead Spacetradition to end the game with Isaac on a ship, but he is usually escaping immediate danger, not flying into it. Indeed, Isaac’s story could have been more satisfyingly concluded at the end ofDead SpaceorDead Space 2, as he ends these games safely and with most loose ends tied up.Dead Space 4would have to wrap up the Brethren Moon plot, showing what happened to Earth while also giving Isaac’s story a fitting conclusion, perhaps showing what becomes of his and Ellie’s relationship, and whether he gets a happy ending.
Horror stories aren’t generally known for their wholesome beats, butIsaac Clarke has suffered so much throughout the course of theDead Spacefranchisethat it’s on the verge of being darkly comical. The physical and psychological torture that the character is forced to endure is relentless, and whenever it seems like he may have a chance at happiness, such as at the end ofDead Space 2, that chance is yanked away and he is immediately thrust into another brutal adventure.
Aside from it seeming a bit cruel to put the character through the wringer once again, having him front-and-center inDead Space 4could feel like retreading old ground. In light of this, it may be best to wrap up Isaac’s story and pass the torch to another character, one with different struggles to overcome.
Whether a new game in the series serves as asoft reboot to theDead Spacenarrativeor a direct continuation of the original trilogy, it should address Isaac in some way. A new protagonist could help breathe new life into the franchise, but Isaac can’t be forgotten. And if he does helm the nextDead Space, he would need to be implemented in the right way.
Dead Space (2023)
WHERE TO PLAY
The sci-fi survival-horror classic Dead Space™ returns, completely rebuilt from the ground up to offer a deeper, more immersive experience. This remake brings jaw-dropping visual fidelity, suspenseful atmospheric audio, and improvements to gameplay while staying faithful to the original game’s thrilling vision.Isaac Clarke is an everyman engineer on a mission to repair a vast mining ship, the USG Ishimura, only to discover something has gone horribly wrong. The ship’s crew has been slaughtered and Isaac’s beloved partner, Nicole, is lost somewhere on board.Now alone and armed with only his engineering tools and skills, Isaac races to find Nicole as the nightmarish mystery of what happened aboard the Ishimura unravels around him. Trapped with hostile creatures called Necromorphs, Isaac faces a battle for survival, not only against the escalating terrors of the ship but against his own crumbling sanity.
