Nearly 15 years ago, we got the first iteration of the revolutionary Dead Space. And now, in 2023, fans of the franchise finally got a proper remake of the game. The Dead Space remake promised all the gory fun of the original but with updated graphics, a more involved narrative, and an increase in strategy. In addition to all of that, the Dead Space remake features a secret ending. But this alternate ending is exciting for more reasons than just the joy of additional footage. It helps brings Dead Space and Dead Space 2 together… And possibly hints there is more remaking on the horizon.
Let’s take a look at the Dead Space secret ending itself.
The components of this ending are similar to the original Dead Space ending. There’s Isaac, his lost love, and a ship. In the original ending, Isaac Clarke contends with the idea that the woman he had come searching for, Dr. Nicole Brennan, could never have been saved by him. Nicole was, in fact, dead the whole time Isaac was on the USG Ishimura. Instead, The Markers, alien obelisks that seek to infect living things and turn them into Necromorphs, zombie-like corpse beings, were responsible for the hallucinations of Nicole that Isaac experiences throughout the game.
Isaac seems to come to terms with Nicole’s death, understanding it be reality, but one final hallucination takes him, and a Necromorph version of Nicole attacks him. The ending is undoubtedly thrilling, but it doesn’t do very much to set up the future of the Dead Space world.
That’s where the alternate ending comes in. In it, we see Isaac sink to an even greater hallucinatory state. In a place of seeming delirious joy, he enters his ship, which is covered in Marker symbols. Even worse, these symbols seem like they were painted in blood. He tells a mutated version of Nicole that he has to “build a little something.” The two of them embrace to culminate their twisted exchange that hints at no good to come, and the secret ending of Dead Space concludes.
And, in fact, no good is to come. Those who play Dead Space 2 will know that Isaac himself brings a new Necromorph infestation to the Sprawl. And the “little something” he builds is actually a new Marker. The secret ending of the Dead Space remake reveals that the Markers had infected Isaac deeply throughout the game, eventually turning him into its infection-spreading puppet. It’s a clever bridge between the two parts of the franchise. Not to mention, to unlock the secret ending, those playing the Dead Space remake must collect 12 Marker fragments from various locations. Fragments that Isaac will perhaps use to put together a new Marker in the future?
Of course, a secret ending signposting to Dead Space 2 could have an even deeper meaning. It certainly feels like it hints that more remake-fun is on the way in the Dead Space world. We guess we’ll have to stay tuned to find out.
