Dead Space has become one of those classic titles one may think of when considering the Survival Horror genre, especially when throwing the word ‘space’ into the phrase somewhere. The first entry of a three part series featuring engineer Isaac Clarke, the 2008 title from now shuttered studio Visceral Games blended fascinating gameplay mechanics with a whole mess of terrifying jump scares, and now the PC version of the game can be downloaded for free over on EA’s Origin platform. Check out the launch trailer for Dead Space below to get a good feel for the story:

The subscription itself is $4.99 a month and allows players instant access to a growing library for free. It also allows early trials for EA games, and a membership discount for any digital purchases of EA titles. Given that Electronic Arts is one of the most dominant publishers on the market right now, so that’s a lot of titles to have early access too.

The game is also free for members on the EA Xbox program: EA Access. Not a member of either subscription service? No worries, the PC version is free for a very limited amount of time – so you can scoop it up that way while deciding if the membership is worth it or not.

You are Isaac Clarke, an engineer on the spacecraft USG Ishimura. You’re not a warrior. You’re not a soldier. You are, however, the last line of defense between the remaining living crew and deadly reanimated corpses. The undead have become Necromorphs; horrific zombie-alien hybrids that won’t succumb to traditional means. Fortunately, your offense is equally unique, as the high-powered mining tools at your disposal provide the means to fight against the threat.”

Dead Space – Game Features

• Messy monster slaying – The Necromorphs are unlike any enemies you’ve seen before. Headshots do about as much damage to them as flicking rubber bands. To survive, you’ll need to dismember their insect-like limbs, one at a time.
• Improvised weapons – There aren’t many traditional firearms aboard the Ishimura, but there’s plenty of stopping power in Isaac’s toolkit. Send horizontal or vertical blasts of energy at enemies with the Plasma Cutter, remotely control a high-speed sawblade with the Disc Ripper, and fill hallways with wide swaths of destruction with the Line Gun. Switch things up with alternate fire modes, and purchase upgrades to increase ammo, power, and reload speed.
• Real-time attacks – Whatever you do, don’t drop your guard. Everything takes place in real-time. That means any action you take, whether it be reloading or digging through your inventory, gives the Necromorphs a perfect opportunity to attack. This nightmare has just begun and it’s up to get to the bottom of what happened here.

So, plan on trying out Dead Space? Which title in the series was your favorite? Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to Don’t Feed the Gamers for all the latest gaming and entertainment news! Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!