In Motive Studios’ last developer livestream for the upcoming Dead Space remake, it discussed audio and how it was being used to create a spooky experience. Of course, it also showcased the new sounds when firing the Plasma Cutter and Pulse Rifle which differed from the original. Not everyone was sold on these changes so Motive Studios took the feedback into consideration and has made changes.
It’s since posted a new tweet showcasing the differences in audio, which you can see below. In a post on Reddit, community manager Caden House commented, “Hearing your thoughts and receiving your feedback is important to us. When we showed you the Plasma Cutter and Pulse Rifle not everyone was sold on it, and there were a handful of criticisms that felt they could still be better.
“We believe that the feedback given was definitely valid and reading the comments on what was highlighted, we made a few modifications that we think improves it!” Everything is still a work in progress though, so keep that in mind.
House further explained the changes, noting that, “The sense of power from weapons comes with the full experience, as it’s not only the core sounds you’ll hear, but also the impact on surfaces, and the effects on the environments. You’ll notice the Plasma Cutter frequency range has been rebalanced to focus more on the kick, as well as the lower end. Overall, this better aligns to that ‘feel’ that so many of you mentioned with the original.
“With the Pulse Rifle, you can hear now that the rhythm is a bit more chaotic and not as tight as the previous version. There’s a bit more volume from the environmental reaction, as well as more feedback from surface impacts.”
The next developer livestream is set for May and will focus on the remake’s art. Other changes that will be made based on feedback remain to be seen. Either way, it’s best not to take anything as final until launch. Dead Space is currently slated to release in early 2023 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.