In 2011, Iron Monkey Studios released a game for iOS and Android devices, also called Dead Space. Since it has the same name, tropes for it are kept on this page, although it's more a prequel to Dead Space 2, showing the early stages of the Sprawl outbreak from the viewpoint of a Unitology operative sent to sabotage the station.
This game contains examples of:
- The Bad Guy Wins: Vandal unwittingly lays the foundation for the Necromorph outbreak on the Sprawl, and even though she manages to deal one last giant monster and survive its attempt at taking her with it, in the end she still expires and Tyler gets away scot-free.
- BFG:
- The Heavy Pulse Rifle has unlimited ammo, fully automatic and costs 200,000 credits. You can either get it after at least five playthroughs, or you can do a microtransaction.
- The Corer
. Tyler describes it as having the power of the fist of God. It can cut through 65% of heavy elements.
- Big Bad Friend: Tyler guides Vandal through much of the game and provides some needed company for the beleaguered engineer as the Necromorphs begin to appear. But it's all a ploy for Tyler to trick Vandal into overriding the lockdown protocols, so the Necromorphs can pour into the Sprawl... and it works.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: The fake battery-life indicator flashing red is there to screw with players' minds.
- Bribing Your Way to Victory: The iTunes Store has several DLC packs with suits and credits that can give you a leg up on the early parts of the game. You certainly don't need them in standard gameplay unless you want to totally break the game, but if you attempt the Harder Than Hard Nightmare Mode, it may come in handy.
- Corrupt Church: You play as a newly-converted Unitologist engineer recruited to (unknowingly) unleash Necromorphs into the Sprawl.
- Downer Ending: After defeating the final boss, Vandal is seriously wounded and tries to get help but no one answers. The game ends with Vandal's helmet lying on the ground, with a trail of blood starting from where she was lying down. Meanwhile, Tyler reports to his superiors that his mission has succeeded, setting the table for Dead Space 2.
- Face–Heel Turn: All this time, Tyler Radikov was setting up Vandal. And boy, does Vandal get pissed off by this betrayal.
- Foregone Conclusion: If you've played Dead Space 2, you know this game is not going to have a happy ending.
- The Hero Dies: In Dead Space 2, Isaac discovers a recording next to Vandal's eviscerated corpse; the aforementioned conditions in which the log is found, combined with the fact Norton notes that that was her final log, indicate she died in the end.
- Interquel: This game takes place between Dead Space and Dead Space 2.
- Karma Houdini: Tyler Radikov gets away with manipulating Vandal/Karrie Norton into allowing the Necromorphs to spread throughout the Sprawl.
- Manipulative Bastard: Tyler spends much of the game developing a friendly relationship with Vandal and providing some levity in a tense-fueled situation... but that's exactly what he wanted, and he proceeds to trick the engineer into allowing the Necromorphs to spread throughout the Sprawl, effectively setting up the events of the second game.
- Mind Screw: Vandal's hallucinations get very creative and mind-boggling. At one moment, you think you've transformed into a Slasher Necromorph, only to find out it's one of the protagonist's hallucinations.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: This is used to jumpstart the game's events. After sabotaging the powerboxes used to control the infection, Vandal is pressed by Director Tiedemann to repair the emergency quarantine seal.
- Schmuck Bait: That battery life indicator that flashes red while fighting a Brute? It's just there to play with your head, nothing to worry about.
- Wham Shot: Amidst Vandal's hallucinations, she sees a Marker standing amidst a desert. Not unusual in and of itself, except for one detail: Markers come in one of two flavors, Black and Red. This one? It's White. The significance of this, if any, is anyone's guess.
- Unwitting Pawn: Vandal, twice. The first is when Vandal disables the power grid, unleashing the Necromorphs. The second is more of a slow-burn, as Tyler spends much of the game regaining Vandal's trust, only to trick her into jamming the doors open, so the Necromorphs can infect the Sprawl.
