While most enemies in theDead Spacefranchise aren’t particularly challenging, their numbers and the ways they spawn can throw players into a panic. It can be easy for players to lose their cool when a Necromorph suddenly drops from a vent and lands less than a meter away. Because of this, succeeding inDead Spacerequires just as much knowledge of enemy spawn locations and proper resource management as it does good aim with Isaac Clarke’s tools.
For those who really want to test their mettle, each of theDead Spacegames has their own hardest difficulty mode. These modes increase the damage players receive while either increasing enemy health or decreasing the damage players deal. What’s more, the amount of resources that can be found throughout the games is lower, forcing players to be mindful of their ammunition,Medical and Stasis Packs, and their remaining Credits. Both theDead Spaceremake andDead Space 2pose very different challenges to players with their hardest difficulties.
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Impossible mode is the hardest difficulty in 2023’sDead Space, available from the start. In terms of gameplay changes, it works identically to the second-hardest difficulty, Hard mode. Necromorphs receive far less damage from Isaac’s tools and environmental attacks, while Isaac himself receives increased damage from all sources. Both Hard and Impossible mode have no information regarding resource availability, so it can be assumed that players can find the same amount of ammo, Credits, Stasis, and Medical packs as they would on the other difficulties.
The main difference betweenDead Space’s Impossible and Hard mode is how forgiving they are toward death. Dying in Hard mode brings players back to a checkpoint, butdying in Impossible modeallows players to choose from one of two options. They can bump down the difficulty to Hard and pick up where they left off (preventing the completion of an Impossible run), or they can restart the entire game. There are no checkpoints available in Impossible mode, and players are only given a single save slot to work with (this prevents backtracking to previous saves). Players can save their progress an infinite amount of times, however, so they need not worry about playingDead Spacefor long periods.
Hard Core mode isDead Space 2’s hardest difficulty, and can be unlocked by completing the game once on any of the lower difficulties.Necromorphs have around the same health and damage numbersas in Survivalist mode (Dead Space 2’s third-hardest difficulty). Item drops are more similar to those found in Zealot mode (the game’s second-hardest difficulty).
What makes Hard Core so difficult is the fact that players can only save three times throughout their entire run. Checkpoints are disabled in Hard Core mode, so dying during a run forces players all the way back to their most recent save. Those attempting Hard Core have toknowDead Space 2like the back of their handand plan their three saves accordingly to prevent long stretches of backtracking in case they die.
Figuring out which mode is hardest is a matter of perspective. If one was to look at the ramifications of death,Dead Space’s Impossible mode would win out. Dying in Impossible mode forces players back to the beginning of the game if they want to complete it. Dying inDead Space 2’sHard Core mode still gives players multiple chances to complete it, provided they used one of their three available saves beforehand.
When looking at the amount of preparation needed, Hard Core mode takes the cake. Players have to carefully plan their three saves or risk losing hours of progress.Dead Space 2also has more instant-kill scenarios than 2023’sDead Space(one of which beingthe infamous Eye-Poke Machine), making it easier for players to die. In theDead Spaceremake, players only have to worry about not dying. There are fewer instant-kill scenarios inDead Space,and being able to save an infinite amount of times helps relieve the stress of having to play the game for extended periods.
BothDead Space 2’s Hard Core mode and 2023’sDead Space’s Impossible mode are worth trying out, as completing them rewards players with cool items such as the Hand Cannon weapon. Those attempting either of the difficulty modes have to play the games a few times to get the hang of them, but they are one of the best ways to experience the games at their scariest.
Dead Spaceis available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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