Dead Space is a third-person shooter with horror elements. Playing as Isaac Clarke, the systems engineer, players will be isolated on the spaceship USG Ishimura after the crew was slaughtered by mindless Necromorphs after the failed investigation of the distress signal. Now Isaac not only has to escape but uncover the dark secrets of Ishimura, while looking for the clues about the whereabouts of his girlfriend Nicole.
Dead Space accents the survival aspect of the game, by keeping minimal UI and keeping HUD on the armor, making sure that the players can see the corners of the screen. Only weapons Isaac has access to are his engineer tools, which can all be upgraded with the limited supplies. Dead Space introduces a new variant of zombies called Necromorphs, that are highly mobile and instead of aiming for the head, players will be asked to attack the limbs, in order to incapacitate and slow them down, eventually killing them.