Dead Space 3: latest dev-blog discusses the game's Marker-induced insanity

Dead Space 3 will see brothers in arms Isaac Clarke and John Carver tussling with their own inner demons in two very different ways. Back in November we explained how their marker-enduced hallucinations and flashes of insanity impact on co-op play, and now developer Visceral Games has penned a new dev blog on the matter. Check it out below.

The blog post comes from Viscerals' senior production designer Ben Wanat, and explains that while Isaac banished most of his demons in Dead Space 2 and is now relatively untouchable by the Marker's influence, John Carver will become deeply troubled - a by-product of losing his wife and son to the Necromorphs.

He sees flashes of his family everywhere - projected on the environment, and even on Isaac's face - causing instability among the pair. Things are going to get very messy indeed.

"The dementia caused by the Markers has always been a staple of the Dead Space franchise," writes Wanat. "Just being near them is enough to induce personality shifts, insanity and hallucinations (all of which usually lead to death). But the Markers affect people differently and some characters in the series are more resilient than others.

"In Dead Space 3, Isaac Clarke is much more resilient to the effects of Marker-induced dementia, having defeated his inner demons in Dead Space 2. His mind still has the secrets of the Markers crammed into it but it manifests more as an affinity for the Markers rather than a madness.

"This affinity has made him the closest thing there is to an expert on Markers and ultimately it's why he's pulled into this latest adventure."

But John Carver is in for a rough ride, Wanat suggests, "In Dead Space 3, Carver drags himself through a number of punishing but revelatory ordeals. He knows he won't like what he finds but he's determined to face his past and atone for his sins. Isaac's resilience to dementia allows him to act as a grounding element for Carver as he explores these waking nightmares."

You can check out the full blog post here for more insanity chatter and concept art of the game's Marker artefacts.

Thanks Game Informer.