Dead Space 3 Stays Scary in Co-Op Through Dementia and Sound Design

Dead Space 3 developer Visceral Games has talked a bit more about Dead Space 3, its recently released horror game, explaining that the cooperative mode will still provide a scary experience through the novel dementia experienced by the second character, Carver.

Dead Space 3 came out yesterday in North America and will be released on Friday in Europe and the rest of the world for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

Besides taking the story of series protagonist Isaac Clarke one step further, it also introduces a brand new cooperative mode that sees another player take control of EarthGov Sergeant John Carver, who joins Clarke in the story.

The novel mechanic was received with mixed feelings by fans, as they thought it was just an attempt to make the whole experience less scary.

That's not so, according to Visceral's Associate Producer, John Calhoun, who told PS blog that there are a few ways the studio made sure to keep the atmosphere tense in the cooperative experience.

"The secret to keeping DS3 scary is twofold: know your game’s strengths, and don’t be boxed in by conventional thinking. Regarding the former, one of our franchise’s strongest areas has always been audio. We turned to our sound designers a lot to ensure that the game remained atmospheric and thrilling no matter how you choose to play."

What's more, the dementia experienced by Carver will also get players to interact more and keep them on the edge of their seats.

"We also decided to think outside the box about what makes a co-op game tick. Why should it be less scary with a friend? It was this thinking that led us to develop the 'asymmetrical dementia' moments you’ll occasionally experience in co-op."

"These are times when Carver will see or hear things that Isaac does not, which we hope will start a dialogue between players about what’s real, and what isn’t. Not knowing if you can trust your partner is a great technique to keep things tense in co-op!"

Dead Space 3 is already out in North America and hits other territories later this week.