Necromorphs are a collective of undead creatures in the science fiction horror multimedia franchise Dead Space by Electronic Arts, introduced in the 2008 comic book series of the same name. Within the series, the Necromorphs are constructed from reanimated corpses and come in multiple forms of various shapes and sizes. They are violent creatures driven to murder and infect all life within their vicinity by a signal emitted from mysterious alien artifacts known as Markers. The Necromorphs' creation and design were led by Ben Wanat, who served as production designer on the first Dead Space and creative director of Dead Space 3; though the team did not initially settle on the Necromorphs as the main antagonistic threat. Wanat's wife came up with the term "Necromorph" at a whim later in the development of the original Dead Space. The team found it useful as an internal reference but decided to limit its usage to a minimum as it does not match the serious tone of the video games series' narrative. The artistic direction on the various strains of distorted Necromorph monsters drew inspiration from seminal works such as System Shock, Resident Evil 4, and John Carpenter's The Thing. The Necromorphs are intended to instill a sense of unease from the player's fleeting glimpses of their former humanity, though later games introduce other variants made from non-human biomass like dogs and alien lifeforms. Each Necromorph form is intended to have an improvised aesthetic, with body organs crudely repurposed or modified to increase its capacity for grievous bodily harm of its victims. For example, a Necromorph form may have bone shards that have broken into teeth-like protrusions which are not literally teeth or possess wings which are organs that have been bent backwards and stretched. The design process involved with creating a diverse variety of Necromorph forms posed some unique challenges for the team, with some forms requiring a redesign in order to function practically within certain levels and environments. The limitations of the in-game engine also presented a major influence over the design process, requiring team members to come up with solutions which work around these restrictions or discard certain Necromorph monster concepts altogether. The audio design of the Necromorphs, which involves a layering technique that combines human and animal sounds, is an important element of their portrayal as horror-themed antagonists. A staple antagonistic force across all franchise media, the Necromorphs of Dead Space have been recognized by critics as one of the most influential and memorable video game depictions of horror themes.
Characteristics The Necromorphs first appear in the 2008 Dead Space comic book series, the inaugural release of the multimedia Dead Space franchise which was published between March and August 2008. They are highly aggressive reanimated undead creatures which originate from the strange powers exhibited by alien artifacts, known as the Markers, emitted through signals that cause paranoia and hallucinations to living beings in its vicinity. The signals also lead beings to engage in strange behavior or violently attack each other. Upon their deaths, their corpses are reconstituted or repurposed by the Marker signal, then broken and twisted into something else in a violent improvisational manner. The Slasher is one of the most recognizable Necromorph forms. Their arms are appendages with blade-like protrusions that they use to attack their victims. A dead host's skeletal system is reconfigured to focus its bone structure for an offense. The 2008 Dead Space title introduced several Necromorph forms. Notable examples include Leapers, capable of jumping great distances with their powerful tail-like appendage; the Lurker, mutated human infants who crawl along walls and produce three long tendrils capable of shooting projectiles at the player character; the Brute, a large Necromorph form composed of multiple human corpses; and the Spitter, which could deliver charged attacks from long distances. A gigantic Necromorph form, known as the Hive Mind, is portrayed as being capable of telepathically commanding other Necromorphs within its vicinity and is encountered as the final boss of the first Dead Space. Subsequent sequels and entries in other media have explored the Necromorphs' origins and introduced further new or variations of Necromorph forms. Dead Space 2 introduced forms such as the Pack, children who are twisted into horrific forms, and the Puker, which vomits a short range, acidic projectile as an offensive ability. It also introduced a multiplayer mode where players could assume the role of various Necromorph forms in player versus player team battles between human and Necromorph forces. In Dead Space 3, Necromorph forms reconstituted from mummified human remains or a long-extinct alien species are also introduced, the Feeder, based on wendigo, which Feeders are a necromorph created when a human consumes Necromorph flesh, along with the redesign of creatures such as the Lurkers, which are now based on dogs as opposed to infants. Dead Space 3 reveals that the Necromorphs are part of a life cycle that culminates in the completion of a "Convergence" event and the formation of colossal space-faring entities known as Brethren Moons, the true source of the Marker signals. An essential gameplay element of combat scenarios involving the Necromorphs is the "strategic limb dismemberment" mechanic. To halt their advancement and properly eliminate most Necromorph forms, the player must utilize a handheld mining tool modified into an improvised weapon, known as the Plasma Cutter, to completely cut off the limbs, heads, or other protruding features of a Necromorph.
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