Dead Space Downfall strips away the atmosphere of dread that made the original so compelling, leaving behind a rough-feeling experience. I recall when Electronic Arts first released ‘Dead Space’; I downloaded and tried out the demo. That short thirty minute section really showcased the dark horror elements and how you had to survive. It was honestly enough for me at the time—too intense and absorbing. So, hearing about this animated prequel, my interest returned, with the hope that it might reignite my appreciation for the video game series. Unfortunately, it ended up having the opposite effect, pushing me further away from those games. The story involves a flight crew finding an alien marker which quickly transforms people into terrifying, violent creatures, forcing the survivors to struggle for their lives. This sets off a prolonged conflict against the monstrous Necromorphs. But beneath all the blood splattered across the Ishimura’s surfaces and the straightforward violence of limbs being cut off, there's a poorly developed plot centered around religion. Members of the Church of Unitology are demanding to see this newly discovered holy object, completely unaware of the destruction it has unleashed. You could call it religious persecution. However, the writers seemed to downplay this potentially interesting element and instead included a thirty minute sequence showing crew members being attacked by Necromorphs through some incredibly flat, awkward, and frankly awful animation. The 3D CGI is overdone and blurry, making me wonder if I was even wearing my glasses—it doesn't work with the simple 2D character designs at all. Even the original ‘Scooby Doo’ series looks better than this, a cartoon made decades ago! The characters themselves lack any real personality; they come across as hard-edged and hollow. Lines like “Fight...or die!” and "I’m not a hero, just a man!" felt forced. The voice acting was almost as monotonous as someone reading the Bible with the same emotionless delivery as Tommy Wiseau. The amount of blood is excessive, but it's also too muted to be truly impactful. If it weren't for the pervasive sense of paranoia, widespread panic, and delusional beliefs that can come with traveling in deep space, this animated prequel wouldn’t have much going for it. It feels like a cheap imitation of ‘Alien,’ and about as lifeless as the animators’ artistic judgment. Just play the game instead.

Source on TMDB