Although Dead Space is still a relatively small horror series with only three main installments, plus the 2023 remake, it still has plenty of notable monsters. When you think of enemies in horror games, you often think of a necromorph, alongside things from other big horror series like Resident Evil or Silent Hill but Dead Space has its fair share.
There are also many standout bosses, but since Dead Space doesn't have a vast amount of entries like other major horror game staples, the total quantity is lower. Both standard bosses and mini bosses will be counted as we take a look at the best in the series, since no boss should be left out of the running.
8 Tripod – Dead Space 2
One of the main recurring bosses in Dead Space 2 is the Tripod. Fought four separate times, it definitely plays differently than the other main recurring boss, the Brute. Tripod's movement is what's deadly in this case, as instead of charging head-on, it will leap from up above to slam you to the ground.
You'll want to use stasis to slow a Tripod down as you blast off its two arms. Once an arm is destroyed, it'll start charging straight at you, and you need to kill it fast. Fighting them is a bit tricky at first, but once you learn the fastest way to kill them, it's pretty satisfying.
7 Snow Beast – Dead Space 3
With three separate encounters, the Snow Beast in Dead Space 3 is in a similar vein to the Brutes and Tripods, but with a major difference. The controls in Dead Space 3 were revamped a bit and offered more movement options, and with the addition of a dodge move, this boss feels much better to face off against.
If you're new to the series, you can get frustrated by the Brutes and Tripods, but with the added dodge, the Snow Beast feels more fair. A crab-style enemy with many weak points, a combination of shooting, stasis, and lots of movement is needed to kill this beast. The third encounter adds minions into the fold, which is actually good because you're probably well familiar with the boss at that point.
6 Hive Mind – Dead Space Remake
The final boss of the original Dead Space is, appropriately, one of the hardest fights in the game. Both versions are pretty similar, but the remake has some additions that give it the edge. The Hive Mind's main attack is slamming down his tentacles, which isn't too bad once you get used to the timing. However, in the remake, he also spits out acid, which is a much bigger problem.
He can spit one time, which lasts a while and gives you a smaller space for avoiding the tentacles, or he can spit out multiple times in a row, and the areas he spits in can be quite unpredictable. The boss is definitely much trickier in the remake, but it's welcome, as the original one was a bit too simplistic.
5 Leviathan Remnant – Dead Space Remake
The Dead Space remake entirely swaps out one boss. In the original game's chapter eight, the Slug was the boss fight, and you used a turret in a rail shooter fashion to defeat it. In the remake, it's completely changed, as the Leviathan Remnant takes its place and is far superior. The fight is completely freeform, as you can move all around in Zero-G but still need to manually use the turrets to attack its weak points.
After destroying two of them, the Remnant dishes out dozens of parasitic mines that you must evade on your way to the final turret. It's quite tricky, especially if you plan on doing the fight with no damage. The boss encounter is like night and day to the original and likely the most fun main boss of the game.
4 Brute – Dead Space And Dead Space 2
Throughout the first two Dead Space games, Brutes are the main miniboss that gets thrown at you. Once you realize a Brute has appeared, you must completely change your priority in battle. Brutes, for the most part, relentlessly rush toward you. Stasis is a requirement here, as a Brute at full speed will likely result in death, at least in the harder modes.
The Brutes do have a hidden weak spot that you may not know at first, and it's their back. You must use stasis and then quickly go behind them and blast away, but you'll likely have to do that process a few times when starting a new game. Add in extra enemies, and it can turn deadly real quick. Thankfully, Brutes always drop helpful items, and it's always satisfying when you finally kill them.
3 Leviathan – Dead Space And Dead Space Remake
While the other two core bosses in Dead Space were better in the remake, this fight is equally good in both versions. The Leviathan is the major boss encountered in chapter six, and each version has different good points. The remake offers full Zero-G movement in this section and feels much better to control and overall more fun.
However, in terms of visuals, the edge has to go to the classic version. The original just has this dirtier, grimier, more gross edge that seems like something straight out of your nightmares. In the remake, the environment is a bit too clean and loses that atmosphere. Both bosses are great and deserve to be counted.
2 Marker – Dead Space 2
The final boss of Dead Space 2 is not only effective as a solid encounter but also incredibly satisfying story wise. Isaac has been affected mentally by the Marker for two whole games, and this is when he's finally going to break free from it. The boss seemingly takes place in his own mind in a greenish hellscape, and you must shoot the Marker while also battling many of the Packs.
It's a great fight and a bit nerve-wracking on Hardcore because you know you're almost done and don't want to be sent back. How this fight plays out and the whole ending is a satisfying conclusion to Isaac's story, and the series could have ended here.
1 Hunter – All Games
The best boss in the Dead Space series is one that's literally undefeatable. The Hunter appears in all four entries, although they have different names in the sequels. Each one has the notable feature of being unkillable by normal means. Due to this, the developers typically put the Hunters in spots where you must wait or otherwise can't simply leave fast.
A great example is the first encounter with a Hunter in Dead Space 3, where you must wait for a tram. It's a truly tense part in which you need to keep the Hunter a non-threat but also deal with all the other enemies that come out. The part's one of the biggest highlights of Dead Space 3, and both previous games also use the boss to nerve-wracking effect.
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