OXCGN’s Dead Space iPhone 4 Review

Strategic dismemberment in the palm of your hand!

by GrathiusXR

©2011 Arthur Kotsopoulos

It’s rare gems like Dead Space on the iPhone 4 that really amaze and spark great interest in someone like myself.

When a title that is so graphically visceral on its console counter parts can offer almost the same level of detail and immersion on a mobile device, it’s pretty impressive.

Okay, so I lied: it doesn’t offer the ‘exact gaming experience’ as its console counterparts, but for a game on a mobile device that is mainly used to call, message and browse the internet, it certainly is a looker.

Developed by Iron Monkey Studios, Dead Space on the iPhone 4 is not only graphically impressive with its lighting, character models, and environment, but is also fluid and easy with its innovative control scheme.

For a title on a mobile device, it runs and plays like a dream! There is no lag or drop of frame rate, and no clipping or glitches are anywhere to be found.

When you put all of that together, then I must say that I am truly amazed. It’s a title that has been crafted to the utmost perfection; no corners were cut, and it most definitely can compete with its console brethren for fun, excitement and delivery on quality and quantity.

Iron Monkey Studios, I tip my hat to you for a job well done!

The Story

Dead Space iOs is set 3 years after the original game, and falls between the two titles.

In a nutshell, you play as a character named Vandal. He’s hired by the Church of Unitology to carry out a secret mission, which ultimately releases an outbreak of necromorphs in the mines of Titan (Saturn’s largest moon).

It’s only until after this fatal error that the game starts to pick up in pace.

• Dead Space iOS Trailer

Don’t expect any frantic encounters with multiple Necromorphs like in the console counterparts; instead, you’ll find yourself in more specific, close-quarters fight sequences.

When these sequences occur, you’ll be locked off in a room to fend for your life, or you’ll find yourself in dark, foggy mines in a corner waiting for your enemy to show its ugly face or limb.

It’s a game that substitutes frantic combat for scary atmosphere, and in no way is this a bad trade off.

The Sound

If you play Dead Space with a pair of headphones plugged into your iPhone/iPad, then you’ll be in for a treat; it has been crafted with the intention of it being a AAA title scaled down for the mobile platform.

From the sound of reloading your weapon, to the growl, moan and groan of every necromorph you encounter, Dead Space certainly has some simply amazing audio.

A nuisance though, is the sound of your heavy feet; they get very annoying very quickly because of how repetitive the sound becomes.

Thankfully, though, this does not ruin the game experience at all. In all fairness, you’re more worried about whether or not a necromorph is about to rip your head off.

The Gameplay

Luckily, Dead Space iOS possesses all the great elements that made you love the first game on the consoles.

The Plasma Cutter is back as the weapon of choice, along with a few new instruments of destruction. The Plasma Saw is your melee weapon of choice when a necropmorph tries to latch itself onto you, along with the Core Extractor, which fires a plasma beam directly towards an enemy.

Both weapons are not overly used in the game, allowing Dead Space to maintain quality over quantity.

Since you do not exactly have a gamepad to control your character, the touchscreen controls needed to be as fluid and of course, as simple as possible. After all, we need to ensure that our fingers aren’t all over the screen, rendering us unable to see what we’re doing.

Much like the minimalist HUD featured in the console version, the controls on the screen are almost non-existent and use a swipe and tap method to make your characters walk, turn around, pick up objects and reload.

At times the controls do get a little annoying however, especially when you have to reload your weapon and wait for your health to heal, all the while trying to keep running away from a few necromorphs hot on your heals.

Thankfully, it never ruins the experience, making this game a must buy on your iOS equiped iPhone 3GS/4.

• Dead Space iOS Screenshots Slideshow

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The Verdict

As stated above, Dead Space iOS is well worth what you pay for, mainly due to the fact that this game lasts anywhere from 1-4 hours on your first run (taking into account deaths, exploration, and of course, saving up enough cash to upgrade your suit and weapons).

It does include a New Game + feature, meaning you start another run, but this time around the enemies will be much more formidable, and you’ll keep all your upgrades and weapons that you found in your previous play.

So, at a mere $AU3.99, Dead Space on your iPhone 4 mobile is most definitely a terrific bargain to say the least.

If you’re looking for a title to waste a good block of 20 minutes or so on the train, at work or even when you have nothing better to do, then it is most definitely a title that you need to pick up soon as you can. Especially given the low price point.

Dead Space iOS is available now for download off iTunes for your iPhone 4, iPad and iTouch.

OXCGN’s Golden Award

“8.5/10

©2011 Arthur Kotsopoulos

xxxxxx

• Dead Space iPhone 4 screenshot galery

Filed under: Handhelds, iPhone Reviews, Mobile Gaming Tagged: | Church of Unitology, Core Extractor Dead Space iOS review, Dead Space iPhone 4 reviews, Dead Space iphone reviews, Dead Space Vandal, DeadSpace, Electronic Arts, iOS, iPad, iPhone, ipod touch, Iron Monkey Studios, iTunes, necromorphs, Plasma Cutter, Plasma cutting, Plasma Saw