USG Ishimura

Last updated
USG Ishimura
Dead Space vehicle
USG Ishimura.png
Appearance of the Ishimura in the Dead Space remake.
First appearance Dead Space (2008)
Last appearance Dead Space (2023)
Information
LaunchedMarch 7, 2446
CaptainBenjamin Mathius
General characteristics
Length1.6 km
Population volume1,000

The USG Ishimura is a fictional spacecraft from the Dead Space franchise of survival horror video games developed by Visceral Games. Known as a "planet-cracker" in-universe, the mining vessel serves as the setting of the 2008 Dead Space and its 2023 remake after its crew recovers an alien artifact on the planet Aegis VII, which transforms them into undead creatures called Necromorphs. The protagonist, Isaac Clarke, is sent to conduct emergency maintenance on the ship but soon finds himself fighting the Necromorphs with his engineering tools in an attempt to survive and escape. The ship is rediscovered in the time between Dead Space and Dead Space 2, having been left abandoned for three years and subsequently taken to a massive spaceport known as the "Sprawl" for insurance purposes; this indirectly triggers a new outbreak of Necromorphs.

Contents

The Ishimura was praised for its believable design and horror atmosphere. In the remake, entire sections had been redesigned, giving a more logical, accessible flow to the main layout while preserving others to maintain a familiarity of the original game.

Description

The Ishimura ("Stone Village") is owned by the Concordance Extraction Corporation (CEC), and was named after Hideki Ishimura, a fictional Japanese astrophysicist who discovered faster-than-light travel in the form of the "shockpoint drive". Originally constructed in the early 2440s as a response to the Resource Wars, bloody interstellar conflicts that erupted due to Earth and its colonies' heavy consumption of resources, the Ishimura's successful maiden voyage alone caused the Resource Wars to come to an end, resulting in the development of an entire fleet of such ships. [1] [2]

For its final voyage before being formally decommissioned, the Ishimura was tasked with mining the planet Aegis VII; unbeknownst to everyone except the ship's senior officers, the true purpose of the mission was to cover up an illegal mining operation that had uncovered a mysterious alien "Marker" buried under the planet's crust. This decision led to the crew of the Ishimura falling prey to the Marker's influence and being slowly mutated into Necromorphs. [1] [2] [3]

Development

In the original Dead Space, due to technological limitations, the Ishimura was not rendered in full 3D. While its exterior was shown, the actual game took place in more limited segments of the ship that did not necessarily make logical sense, and everything besides playable areas was described as a "grey box". In the remake, in order to make players feel more immersed in the game's universe, the Ishimura was fleshed out more thoroughly and 3D modeled in its entirety, the developers creating floor plans of the entire ship. This resulted in a change to the level design to realistically fit within the ship itself, with everything being fully interconnected and loading screens removed. Many new corridors, paths and secret rooms were added, with a tram functioning as a fast travel system between major locations. [4]

The remake's lead level designer described the ship as "a little off" and "dangerous looking" in the visual design of its spaces, created without regard for health and safety regulations. [5]

Reception

Liam Richardson of Rock Paper Shotgun called the Ishimura a believable vessel due to its "lived-in" feel, with each room providing context for how the ship operated, and the engineer protagonist, Isaac, being a "functional part" of the larger machine. Calling it a "magnificent feat of environment design", he described its cramped crew quarters as "indicative of a society that cares little for its workers" and described its crew as an "afterthought" for the Ishimura's designers, remarking that it paralleled real life. Characterizing its interior as "suffocatingly bleak", with "endless corridors of grim metal", he stated that the fact that the ship was "a miserable place to live and work" before the catastrophe was what made it remembered as fondly as locations such as City 17, Rapture or Spencer Mansion. [3]

Good Game contrasted the Ishimura to "classic" locations in horror such as creepy cabins, abandoned mansions and insane asylums. They called its sound design the aspect that made it the most classic, saying that music was kept to a minimum, allowing Isaac to hear the scary and evocative sounds. They described its vents and hatches as "perfect entry points" for the Necromorphs, calling the level itself a "scream" that will lead the player "further down the rabbit hole of insanity". [1] Nic Reuben of NME called the ship a "believable space" with "often-comical freedom", saying that it was hard to resist for horror fans due to its "palpable sense of misery" and praising its "collage of found sound effects". [6] Mark Serrels of Kotaku described the Ishimura as a "magic trick" that makes the player believe they are inside it despite traversing a collection of levels, claiming that "the illusion is maintained and has weight". He cited the fact that the game prioritized the Ishimura's integrity as a "real, cohesive space" through multiple means. [7]

The updates to the Ishimura in the remake were generally considered an improvement by critics. In a preview, TJ Denzer of Shacknews described the reworked vessel as "beautifully ugly and terrifying", saying it was given a "huge level of polish", and calling it more alive than ever before. Characterizing the environment as "well-built", he praised the lack of loading screen interruptions. [8] Cass Marshall of Polygon called the Ishimura a "terrifying, rusted labyrinth" in both versions of the game, but lamented that the remake missed the opportunity to expand upon the rest of the ship's crew like it did with Isaac's characterization, describing them as "cardboard cutouts". [9] However, Ashley Bardhan of Kotaku criticized the "lightless" ship's "smallness" as "suffocating", calling the remake's shadows "the only extra dimension" to the Ishimura, and expressing disappointment that the gameplay was not changed more drastically. [10]

Andrei Dobra of Softpedia News remarked on the Ishimura's reappearance in Dead Space 2, calling it the most impressive location in that game as well. Stating that some of the first game's most memorable locations were brought back, he said that Visceral made the level feel fresh rather than simply an excuse to shorten the length of development. He specifically cited the increased emphasis on psychological horror rather than filling the ship with Necromorphs. [11]

The implications of the idea of "planet cracking" itself were discussed by Chris McMullen of The Escapist , who believed that the Ishimura and similar ships were "deeply disquieting" due to the destructive methods of their operation. Saying that it paralleled the real-life practice of fracking, he hypothesized that the CEC was not being forthcoming about any possible disasters that may have occurred. [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>Dead Space</i> (2008 video game) Survival horror game

Dead Space is a 2008 survival horror game developed by EA Redwood Shores and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows as the debut entry in the Dead Space series. Set on a mining spaceship overrun by deadly monsters called Necromorphs following the discovery of an artifact called the Marker, the player controls engineer Isaac Clarke as he navigates the spaceship and fights the Necromorphs while struggling with growing psychosis. Gameplay has Isaac exploring different areas through its narrative, solving environmental puzzles and finding ammunition and equipment to survive.

<i>Dead Space</i> (comics) 2008 science fiction comic

Dead Space is a science fiction horror comic book series written by Antony Johnston and illustrated by Ben Templesmith, published from March to September 2008 by the American company Image Comics. The comic was compiled into a graphic novel and released online as a motion comic. It is a prequel to the 2008 survival horror video game of the same name, detailing the five weeks leading up to the destruction of a space colony on the planet Aegis VII following the discovery of an artifact called the Marker.

<i>Dead Space: Downfall</i> 2008 American film

Dead Space: Downfall is a 2008 American adult animated psychological science fiction horror film directed by Chuck Patton, written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and developed by Film Roman under the supervision of Electronic Arts; Electronic Arts also published the 2008 survival horror video game Dead Space upon which the film is based. It first released direct-to-video in October, before seeing a television showing the following month on Starz Encore.

<i>Dead Space</i> (film) 1991 American film

Dead Space is a 1991 American science-fiction horror film directed by Fred Gallo and produced by Mike Elliott for Roger Corman's Concorde Pictures. It was a remake of Corman's Forbidden World (1982). According to writer Chris Koetting, "The plot was essentially the same— although this time the scientists were trying to find a cure for an AIDS-type virus— but the sex and gore quotient was substantially reduced, and the monster was even less convincing than the one that was fabricated by Steve Neill in 1982."

<i>Dead Space: Extraction</i> 2009 video game

Dead Space: Extraction is a 2009 rail shooter co-developed by EA Redwood Shores and Eurocom and published by Electronic Arts for the Wii. A port for PlayStation 3 was released in 2011 alongside Dead Space 2. A spin-off within the Dead Space series and a prequel to the original game, the story follows survivors from the Aegis VII mining colony as the planet and newly-arrived ship USG Ishimura is overrun by deadly monsters called Necromorphs. Gameplay involves going through scripted sequences with different characters, using assigned weapons to kill Necromorphs by severing their limbs. Each version respectively supported the Wii Zapper and PlayStation Move peripherals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Necromorph</span> Fictional undead creatures in the multimedia franchise Dead Space

Necromorphs are a collective of undead creatures in the science fiction horror multimedia franchise Dead Space by Electronic Arts, introduced in the 2008 comic book series of the same name. Within the series, the Necromorphs are constructed from reanimated corpses and come in multiple forms of various shapes and sizes. They are violent creatures driven to murder and infect all life within their vicinity by a signal emitted from mysterious alien artifacts known as Markers.

<i>Dead Space 2</i> 2011 video game

Dead Space 2 is a 2011 survival horror game developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360 in January. The second mainline entry in the Dead Space series, set on the Titan-based Sprawl space station, the story follows series protagonist Isaac Clarke as he fights against both an outbreak of the monstrous Necromorphs and debilitating mental illness induced by the alien Markers. Gameplay features Isaac exploring a series of levels, solving puzzles to progress, and finding resources while fighting off Necromorphs. The game included a competitive multiplayer, with the Sprawl's security forces fighting teams of Necromorphs.

Ashley Graham is a character in the Resident Evil survival horror video game series created by the Japanese company Capcom. Introduced in the 2005 video game Resident Evil 4, she is the daughter of the game's sitting President of the United States. She is briefly held captive by the Spanish cult Los Iluminados as a means of gaining influence over the United States President before being rescued by the game's protagonist, Leon S. Kennedy.

<i>Dead Space</i> Video game series

Dead Space is a science fiction/horror franchise created and directed by Glen Schofield. Dead Space was developed by Visceral Games and published and owned by Electronic Arts. The franchise's chronology is not presented in a linear format; each installment in the Dead Space franchise is a continuation or addition to a continuing storyline, with sections of the storyline presented in prequels or sequels, sometimes presented in other media from the originating video game series, which includes two films and several comic books and novels.

<i>Dead Space: Aftermath</i> 2011 American film

Dead Space: Aftermath is a 2011 American adult animated psychological science fiction horror film directed by Mike Disa, written by a team including Brandon Auman, and developed by Starz Media Film Roman and Pumpkin Studio under the supervision of Electronic Arts & Visceral Games. It was released direct-to-video on January 25, the same day as the 2011 survival horror video game Dead Space 2, published by Electronic Arts.

<i>Dead Space: Martyr</i> 2010 sci-fi horror book by Brian Evenson

Dead Space: Martyr is a 2010 science fiction horror novel written by B. K. Evenson, published by Tor Books. Martyr forms part of the Dead Space survival horror media franchise developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. A prequel entry in the franchise, the novel is set centuries before the events of the main series and follows geophysicist Michael Altman as he investigates an alien artifact called the Black Marker. The novel concludes with Altman being unwillingly used to found Unitology, a religion that worships the Marker.

<i>Dead Space 3</i> 2013 video game

Dead Space 3 is a 2013 survival horror action video game developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360. It is the third and final main entry in the Dead Space series. The game's story follows player-character Isaac Clarke and his allies as they explore a frozen planet, Tau Volantis, to discover the origins of the growing threat from their enemies, the Necromorphs. Players control Isaac and explore the environment, solve puzzles, and find resources, while fighting Necromorphs and hostile humans called Unitologists. The game supports online cooperative multiplayer sessions in which a second player takes the role of new character John Carver.

<i>Dead Space: Liberation</i> 2013 graphic novel

Dead Space: Liberation is a 2013 science fiction horror graphic novel written by Ian Edginton and illustrated by Christopher Shy, published by Titan Books. It forms part of the Dead Space survival horror media franchise developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. Liberation is a prequel to Dead Space 3 (2013) detailing the experiences of EarthGov soldier John Carver following an outbreak of deadly monsters called Necromorphs, joining with Ellie Langford and Robert Norton on a search for the Necromorphs' origins.

<i>P.T.</i> (video game) 2014 video game

P.T. is a 2014 psychological horror game developed by Kojima Productions under the pseudonym "7780s Studio" and published by Konami Digital Entertainment. It was directed and designed by Hideo Kojima in collaboration with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, and was released for free on the PlayStation 4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac Clarke</span> Protagonist of the Dead Space video game series

Isaac Clarke is a fictional character in the survival horror media franchise Dead Space, owned and published by Electronic Arts. He was introduced as the protagonist of Dead Space (2008) developed by EA subsidiary EA Redwood Shores, which later became Visceral Games. A starship systems engineer, he is initially contracted by the Concordance Extraction Company (C.E.C) to join the crew of its maintenance ship Kellion on a search and repair mission for USG Ishimura, which is the last known whereabouts of his ex-girlfriend Nicole Brennan who had sent a brief transmission to him. Once on board the derelict vessel, Isaac finds himself beset by Necromorphs, horrendous undead creatures unleashed by a mysterious alien artifact known as a Marker. Subsequent sequels follow Isaac's struggle to cope with the alteration of his mind by the Marker in the first game, as well as his journey to uncover the origin of the Markers and the source of the Necromorph outbreaks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lavender Town</span> Fictional town in Pokémon universe

Lavender Town is a fictional village in the 1996 video games Pokémon Red and Blue. Stylized as a haunted location, Lavender Town is home to the Pokémon Tower, a burial ground for deceased Pokémon and a location to find Ghost-type Pokémon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Backrooms</span> Fictional location

The Backrooms are a fictional location originating from a 2019 4chan thread. One of the best known examples of the liminal space aesthetic, the Backrooms are usually portrayed as an impossibly large extradimensional expanse of empty rooms, accessed by exiting reality.

The music of the Dead Space media franchise, created by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts around a series of survival horror video games, was mainly composed by Jason Graves. Graves composed the music for all mainline entries in the series and the majority of spin-off titles. Other composers have been involved in the series; Grave's recurring collaborator Rod Abernethy acted as an early advisor for the titular first game, James Hannigan co-composed the score for Dead Space 3, while the 2023 remake of the first game combined original music with contributions by Trevor Gureckis. Scores for the movies Dead Space: Downfall and Dead Space: Aftermath were respectively composed were Seth Podowitz and Christopher Tin.

<i>Dead Space</i> (2023 video game) Video game remake

Dead Space is a 2023 survival horror game developed by Motive Studio and published by Electronic Arts. A remake of the 2008 game of the same name developed by EA Redwood Shores, it is the first release in the Dead Space series since 2013's Dead Space 3. Like the original game, it is set on a mining spaceship overrun by deadly monsters called Necromorphs following the discovery of an artifact called the Marker. The player controls engineer Isaac Clarke as he navigates the spaceship and fights the Necromorphs while struggling with growing psychosis.

<i>Layers of Fear</i> (2023 video game) Video game remake

Layers of Fear is a horror game developed and published by Bloober Team. It is a remake of and sequel to the 2016 game Layers of Fear and its sequel Layers of Fear 2 (2019), combining stories from the previous games with new content. The game was released for MacOS, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S in June 2023. It received mixed reviews from critics.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Good Game Stories - Postcards from... The Ishimura". Good Game . Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  2. 1 2 Motive Studio (2023-01-27). "The World and History of Dead Space™". Electronic Arts . Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  3. 1 2 Richardson, Liam (2023-01-24). "Dead Space's USG Ishimura is believable because it sucks". Rock Paper Shotgun . Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  4. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (2022-10-14). "Dead Space interview: Fleshing out the USG Ishimura and defleshing Necromorphs". VentureBeat . Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  5. ↑ Motive Studio (2022-11-17). "Inside Dead Space™ #3: Aboard the Ishimura". Electronic Arts . Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  6. ↑ Reuben, Nic (2023-01-10). "Why Dead Space's Ishimura feels so authentically terrifying". NME. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  7. ↑ Serrels, Mark (2013-02-04). "Dead Space And The Magic Trick That Is The Ishimura". Kotaku Australia. Archived from the original on February 6, 2013. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  8. ↑ Denzer, TJ (2022-10-14). "Dead Space 2023 is feeling scarier than ever while staying true to the original". Shacknews. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  9. ↑ Marshall, Cass (2023-01-28). "Dead Space's remake misses a major storytelling opportunity". Polygon . Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  10. ↑ Bardhan, Ashley (2023-01-30). "Dead Space Remake: The Kotaku Review". Kotaku. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  11. ↑ Dobra, Andrei (2011-02-07). "Dead Space 2 Diary - The Memorable Locations of the Game". Softpedia News .
  12. ↑ McMullen, Chris (2023-01-24). "Planet Cracking Is the Second Scariest Thing About Dead Space". The Escapist . Retrieved 2023-05-19.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.