Dead Space, the new survival horror video game from Electronic Arts is a tense, visceral experience that will have you screeching at times.

The game – for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 – is derivative and owes a debt to many games – and films – that have gone before. The mood, atmosphere, and environment are a little bit Alien and a little bit Event Horizon, the creatures and characters a little bit Halo and a little bit Half-Life.

There’s nothing wrong with borrowing from the best, especially when, as is the case with Dead Space, the whole is so much greater than the sum of its parts.

You play as engineer Isaac Clarke, and your goal is to survive. If you can do that, then you can also fix a deep space mining vessel, combat a horde of creatures that were created from the bodies of the dead crew, and unravel the mystery of how it all happened in the first place.

Your survival will be easier if you adopt a “strategic dismemberment” combat plan, so be prepared to lop off the legs, arms, and razor-sharp tails of your attackers.

The narrative hinges on a new religion that has enraptured much of Earth and a discovery made by miners on a planet far from home. It’s a chilling tale that is paced perfectly.

Dead Space, with its fine balance of atmospheric terror and shock horror, is one to play with the lights out, and the sound turned up. Just make sure nobody sneaks up on you or they’re bound to lose a limb.

Rated mature.

Cross-posted at the Georgia Straight.