Running frantically away from necromorphs in Dead Space 3 will keep you alive, but you’ll miss out on some cool details that developer Visceral Games scattered throughout Isaac Clarke and John Carver’s horrific adventure.
The world of Dead Space is dark and dangerous, but a slow pace rewards curious explorers. Flashing a light on your surroundings may reveal hidden messages, bizarre background objects, and inside jokes from the designers.
Check out the screenshots below to see how many of these peculiarities you accidentally skipped. Hover the cursor over the image to launch the gallery.
The Full Moon souvenir shop on New Horizons Lunar Colony sells T-shirts with a familiar-looking systems engineer on the front.
Isaac’s breakup with Ellie Langford depressed him so much that he rented the crappiest room at the Red Moon Apartments — one with a dumpster in front of his door. At least he doesn’t have to walk far to throw away his garbage.
It’s hard to miss this futuristic scene with “flying cars” on New Horizons Lunar Colony, but what I love is how much the air traffic resembles science-fiction movies like Blade Runner, The Fifth Element, and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
The Clogger, a movie advertised in Dead Space 2’s Titan Station about a clog-wearing serial killer, is getting a sequel. The mysterious psychopath traded his trademark sword for a toilet plunger. Doesn’t the murderer resemble Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber?
Scattered throughout Dead Space 3 are books with odd titles like Whatever, Need Help?; Someone; and Visceral Money Tactics (probably about downloadable-content pricing).
If you’ve ever wanted to learn to play chess but feared its difficulty, you’ll be glad to know that 500 years from now, the tabletop game will only use a single piece per player.
Electronics Arts ran a contest asking gamers to submit ideas for new weapons in Dead Space 3, and Caleb Mendoza won with the HUN-E1 Badger. Caleb also stars as himself in a fantasy movie titled Tools of Terror.
How many glasses-wearing characters in the Dead Space universe can you name? Probably none. Not only is it odd to see someone with archaic corrective lenses in the future, but that’s one nerdy frame for a deranged villain.
Eagle-eyed fans of the Dead Space series may remember a poster in the original game promoting an upcoming movie titled Kitty Kitty Bang Bang. The same “coming soon” poster appeared in Dead Space 2. Finally, eight years after the events of Dead Space, the movie seems to have been released.
If the lady in the poster looks familiar, it’s because she’s actress Sonita Henry, the voice and face of Ellie Langford.
The cargo hold of the CMS Terra Nova has lots of crates, but look closely and you’ll also see some small animal cages busted open. Could the new Lurkers (four-legged necromorphs that cling to walls and shoot glowing spikes) come from dogs?
A sign on New Horizons Lunar Colony advertises holographic accessories from a brand called Gabor. This is a reference to Hungarian-British electrical engineer and physicist Dennis Gabor, who invented holography in 1947.
The citizens of Earth hate the government (EarthGov) with a passion, and they show their displeasure with graffiti and random acts of vandalism. My favorite one is the Joker’s “Why so serious?” smile over the bald guy’s portrait.
Before heading into the Lunar Transit Station, you may have noticed that every train route is delayed, possibly because of the huge necromorph outbreak. It’s cool that the destinations (Aristarchus, Sea of Serenity, etc.) are actual lunar craters and mares.
Work at the office will continue to suck in the future. Two funny sticky notes on a desk in Dredger Corp’s lobby read, “Who took my food?” and “Need more beer!” Classic.
Present-day atronaut food looks like toothpaste, but the CMS Terra Nova’s crew enjoyed proper meals like home-style chicken and noodles, potato cheddar soup, and Mexican rice.
With so many centuries of evolution under humanity’s belt, it’s really sad that people still need to be told not to tip vending machines over themselves.
Wall decorations in Dead Space consist mostly of blood stains, but you’ll occasionally find cryptic messages like “All is lost” and “Turn it off.”
Why would a researcher have an ancient typewriter in his room when everyone else has high-tech computer terminals and interactive holograms? Maybe this is a nod to Resident Evil’s old save system. Too bad I didn’t see any ink ribbons.
I’ve been submerged in the world of Dead Space for five years, and I still don’t know what the hell Peng is. A sexual enhancement drug? The name of a strip club? Whatever Peng is, it’s back in Dead Space 3. I even found Peng posters on the ice planet Tau Volantis, which has been human-free for 200 years.
A crazed Nolan Stross gouged out Ellie’s right eye with a screwdriver near the end of Dead Space 2, yet she has both of them in part three. Notice that her right eye is now green and a bit smaller than the other.
We can assume future medical technology makes cybernetic eye implants possible and probably common, but that makes Danik’s geeky glasses even more enigmatic.
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