Your powers are Stasis and Kinesis.  Stasis slows things down so you can overcome certain obstacles.  Some doors open and close so fast that you have to slow them down so you can enter.  And yep, you can use it on the Necromorphs.  There’s nothing quite like a quick Statis strike and then using the Ripper to slice a limb off.  Dismembering them is the key; remember that.  Headshots do very little if nothing at all sometimes.  They just keep coming!

Kinesis is your power to throw things around or pull them towards you.  The best part about it is that it’s unlimited so you don’t run out.  This comes in handy in nearly every situation especially when you’re low on ammo and you need something to use as a weapon.  How about using Kinesis on the limbs of that dead Necro over there and using the limbs as a weapon?  Yes please…shwing!

One of the coolest things in the game was the decision to keep you in the action by providing a transparent layover scheme for your map, inventory, audio/video/text files and everything else you essentially need to keep tabs on.  It was brilliant.  You’re never taken out of the action because these things simply hover in front on you.  Pressing the Y button brings up the Inventory overlay for quick access to items, ammo etc.  From there you can cycle through objectives, the map and access previous video/audio/text files.  The map keeps track of your position, the stores and other spots of interest.

You can flip the map around to see which path is the best.  The map’s view responds to your positioning which was fun to play around with.  If you’re stuck on which direction to go, just click the Right stick in and let the Deck Navigation guide you.  It brings up a temporarily lit holographic path for you to easily follow.  It was another of my favorite things in the game just to look at.  There are save points in the game for you to manually save instead of relying on the game to save at key points.  The save points are identified on the map.

Something you’ll want to pay close attention to is the upgrading mechanic in the game.  Isaac can upgrade his CEC suit, weapons and powers with things called power nodes.  Weapons deal a great amount of damage when you equip them with enough of these.  The upgrade benches are spread throughout the game and found by looking at the map.  Once at a bench, an upgrade nano-circuit will be your guide to more damage, speed, air, health etc.  Use your nodes carefully because once they’re set, you can’t remove them!  You can find them throughout the ship or buy them in the store (they cost 10,000 credits).  And money doesn’t seem plentiful enough when you’re purchasing ammo, suit upgrades and other things necessary for survival.  Be sure to explore your surroundings to find items you need.

The stores are in various areas of the game and give you access to weapons, suits, ammo and storage.  This is when finding different schematics throughout the game will come into play.  As you play, you’ll find schematics of different weapons, suits or ammo that have to be brought back to the store in order for you to access them.  Once in the store, you’ll be able to purchase what was on the schematic at every visit.  Things are pricey so pay attention to your credits.  You can also sell or move items in your possession just in case you need more credits for something or more space to hold something.

Keep an eye out on what I call your “health spine”.  Your health is displayed by glowing modules on the back of your suit.  It looks just like a spine.  Like I said, it’s the health spine.  Health is restored by pressing the X button if you have health packs to use that is.  It was interesting seeing Isaac slow down and become less responsive the lower my health got.  So keep an eye on your health spine.  Next to your health spine is your Statis module.  You can refill this with Stasis packs or finding a Statis station.  You are your own HUD essentially.

Have I mentioned Zero G?  Zero G is insane!  When you enter Zero G things are literally flipped upside down and sideways.  You have to jump (Left trigger + Y) to certain areas to navigate properly.  What may seem like an area right on top of you is actually an area behind you depending on how and where you jump.  I found myself running on walls a few times before I got the hang of it.

There are also times when you venture out in space that literally blew my mind.  Once you’re out in space, you decompress and your air supply begins to countdown letting you know exactly how much oxygen you have left until you’re “dead in space”.  You can hear nothing but the breaths you take, your heartbeat and your footsteps.  It’s an adrenaline rush having to battle a freaky Necromorph while trying to get back inside for air before your oxygen runs out.  The good thing about being outside though is that the Necromorphs’ limbs can be shot off thus making quite the scene seeing them unable to grip the ship’s hull and floating away.

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