In the latest entry of Dead Space 3's developer blog "Dead Space, Dementia, and Punishing the Heroes," senior production designer Ben Wanat talks about how the Markers affect protagonists Isaac Clarke and John Carver differently.
"In Dead Space 3, Isaac Clarke is much more resilient to the effects of Marker-induced dementia, having defeated his inner demons in Dead Space 2," Wanat said. "His mind still has the secrets of the Markers crammed into it but it manifests more as an affinity for the Markers rather than a madness."
According to Wanat, Clarke's previous experiences with the Markers have made him a semi-expert when it comes to the creatures. He partakes in this adventure because of that.
The game's cooperative protagonist, newcomer Sgt. John Carver will be less resilient to the effects of the creatures. Carver has previously encountered the Markers during an outbreak on a planet where he was stationed. During the outbreak, Carver's family is killed. Carver has a lot of unresolved personal issues due to this tragedy and the issues feed Marker dementia.
"Carver drags himself through a number of punishing but revelatory ordeals," Wanat said. "He knows he won't like what he finds but he's determined to face his past and atone for his sins. Isaac's resilience to dementia allows him to act as a grounding element for Carver as he explores these waking nightmares."
Wanat explained that Carver's nightmare would only manifest in the game during co-op-only missions.
"The primary focus is learning more about Carver's past which serves to make his contribution to the story that much more meaningful by the time you reach the end," Wanat said. "During these missions, players will experience the world differently. If you play as Carver, you'll come across constant creepy reminders to his ugly past. If you play as Isaac, you'll get to see things as they really are which makes Carver's madness all the more apparent."
Dead Space 3 will release on Feb. 5, 2013 for Windows PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. You can check out some new images of the game in our slideshow here. Watch the game's official announcement trailer below and check out how the Xbox 360 version utilizes the Kinect here.
