
While they knew how the game would end, Wanat refused to give the ending away in case Electronic Arts returned to the franchise.


The ideas for the game are mainly confined to Visceral Games' story team. New Necromorphs that could function in zero-g would be introduced. As the game went on, the range of exploration would be greater.įor the weapons, it was indicated that the crafting system of Dead Space 3 would be re-examined. The elements of the plot would be uncovered as the player explored new areas. The retrieval of the drive would make their ship shock-capable, allowing them access to the new sectors of space. An idea floated around was that the player would start off in a section of space, follow a trail of carcasses to an abandoned space station and scavenge fuel and a ShockPoint Drive. The game would utilize non-linear gameplay, being a hybrid between the chapter format of the previous games and the new, non-linear style.

It was intended that the ships would be diverse, each with unique purposes, floor plans and gameplay. Taking inspiration from the flotilla section in Dead Space 3, the notion was that the player (Ben Wanat stated that he would have made Ellie Langford the game's protagonist) was trying to survive on a day-by-day basis, scavenging supplies while looking for survivors and withstanding the Necromorph-infected ships. The game would have followed on directly from Dead Space 3 with humanity facing extinction at the hands of the Brethren Moons.
