No Known Survivors was a website that allowed the visitors to explore the narrative world of Dead Space. The site employed interactive components, 3D animations, voice acting, original video and "Papervision 3D" technology to tell two equally tragic four-chapter stories. The first, "Misplaced Affection" told the story about an organ replacement technician who fell hard for a capable female P-Sec officer. The second, "13" brought us the tale about a sleeper agent who made the wrong decisions for the right reasons. The site was played less like a typical Alternate Reality Game like ilovebees, the famous ARG for Halo 2 and more like an old-school PC adventure game like Myst.
The game began in a hub built for the site, a cosmic "deathscape". The hub featured 9 severed body parts with each one representing a content release. The week before a content piece went live, its assigned body part began to mutate, finally evolving into a mature Necromorph part. Each Monday (It started on August 25, 2008), a new Necromorph part became live and clickable, ready for the visitors to dive deep into the content featured on No Known Survivors.
NOTE: The website (Noknownsurvivors.com) was sold and the game was no longer available.
The users took on the perspective of a psychologically deteriorating George Greggs, an organ replacement technician in his lab on the USG Ishimura's Medical Bay where the body parts are grown for the injured crew members. The users also learned about the tangential information about the planetcracking of Aegis 7, the Red Marker and life on the Ishimura via the voiceover logs, animated/video content and artifacts. Greggs was hiding from the Necromorphs inside his lab, but it soon became horrifyingly clear to him (And us) that the creatures knew that he was in the lab and are looking for a way in.
Chapter 1.1: Injured[]
This chapter introduced George Greggs who locked himself in his lab to try to escape from the horrors that are spreading throughout the Ishimura. As Greggs quietly sobbed to himself in terror, his CECL-RC console reminded him to review today's request forms. Through the lab window, a sporadically flickering light revealed a surgery room splattered with blood and bodily remains.
The users could review the six Replacement Organ Request Forms that contained animation and stories of dismemberment from the Aegis 7 workers. One of them was Jane Gauthier. File:Dead Space Organ Request.jpg
An opened compartment on the wall contained a jar with Jane Gauthier's fingers preserved inside. The users may click on the jar to examine it more closely.
On the Patient Audio Log Terminal, the users could listen to the "patient consultation audio logs" between Greggs and the recently injured workers including Gauthier.[1][2]
The users could also access the CECL-RC or Concordance Extraction Corporation Litigious Risk Computer. This system "provided many services to help the CEC employees analyze the risk scenarios in both their professional and personal lives" in it's own words There are four data branches that the user could explore.
The current Risk Assessment Analysis showed George's chances of survival depending on the different courses of action. Apparently, it was safest for Greggs to stay locked in his lab, but even his prospects looked extremely bleak.
The Social Interaction Analysis Report was currently inaccessible as it required a password which was not revealed until Chapter 1.2.
A small "About" section showed some additional information on CECL-RC and her functions.
If one waited long enough, they may hear Gauthier's voice whispering to George and begging him to save her.
This chapter's subtitle when it was viewed from the main screen was "Long".
Chapter 1.2: First Date[]
At the beginning of this chapter, there was a loud roar and a terrified scream. The room quaked as a hole was torn in the ceiling and a murdered crew member fell through, landing on Greggs' file cabinet and smashing it. This caused the cylinder containing Gauthier's fingers to fall and shatter on the floor as Greggs slipped deeper into his state of dementia. Something was now banging on the lab door, intent on getting in.
When the user rolled over the fallen crew member with the mouse pointer, the panicked transmissions from the scared survivors could be heard coming from the blinking communications link in the corpse's ear.
George's broken file cabinet unlocked and the user was able to view an interactive staff guide to the attractions aboard the Ishimura including bars, restaurants and entertainment areas.
From reading the attractions guide, the user may be able to figure the password to the Social Interaction Analysis Report out on CECL-RC. Accessing this would allow them to listen to a series of "simulated social interaction sequences" between Gauthier and Greggs, manufactured by CECL based on the known data about them and their relationship. These are used to assist Greggs in finding a topic of the conversation that he could pursue on their date which would lead to a satisfying conclusion.
In the back of the attractions guide was a strange coded message, written with pictographs depicting the human bodies in various positions and states of dismemberment. The pictured bodies are using a signaling system known as a semaphore. Translated, the message readed "THE DEAD WALKED THE SHIP".
Jane Gauthier's whispering voice could be heard again, asking George why he was not there for her.
This chapter's subtitle when it was viewed from the main screen was "Dream".
Chapter 1.3: Observations[]
As the noises outside the lab grew louder and more terrifying, Greggs began to completely break down, hearing more and more of Jane Gauthier's whispers as well as the haunting echoes of the recent past. The strange organic substance that would later be seen spreading throughout the areas of the Ishimura began to creep into the lab, growing in patches on the floor and near the hole torn in the ceiling as well as around the sides of the lab door. There was loud banging on the door now and inhuman growls. It was clear now that the creatures are aware about Greggs' hideout and are trying to breach the door. Terrifyingly, they are succeeding. The door showed signs of buckling. Greggs did not have much time left.
Rolling the mouse over the dead crew member from Chapter 1.2 would trigger a couple of new transmissions from more survivors.
The Genealogy Report data which was downloading on CECL-RC in the previous chapters was finally completed and the users could access an extensive Genealogy and Background Report video on Gauthier which not only gave insight into her background, but also gave a sense of Earth's history by peeking into the different generations of Gauthier's family. At the end of the video, an encoded message was displayed in the stylized alphanumeric characters.
Carefully listening to George's ever-increasing auditory hallucinations may give the user a hint about the password for the video screen above the CECL-RC console. Activating it would display an animated depiction of the date between Greggs and Gauthier.
If the player waited, Greggs' and Gauthier's voices could be heard. Greggs' voice was an excerpt from the date on the terminal and Gauthier could be heard whispering that she wanted her fingers to be returned to her (Which was itself an excerpt from one of the conversation simulations).
Reviewing the injury report files from the first chapter would reveal that the words "I LOVED YOU" are recently written on Gauthier's file.
This chapter's subtitle when it was viewed from the main screen was "Touch".
This chapter consisted entirely of a video depicting Greggs in his final moments. It opened with Greggs kneeling down to collect Gauthier's fingers from the floor while the creatures outside furiously beated on the door which was about to buckle at any second. As Greggs stroked the fingers softly in his hand, a video log from Gauthier back on Aegis VII began playing. She told Greggs that things would not be able to work out between them before a growl was heard nearby and Gauthier screamed in terror, followed by static. The door to the lab finally gave out and the screen went black while Greggs was heard screaming in agony. The video returned and we saw that the creatures tore him into unrecognizable pieces. It showed his mutilated corpse strawn across the floor and the hand on his severed arm was still holding Gauthier's fingers. The tendrils slithered out from the sliced ends of her fingers as her disembodied voice whispered, "Now, we could always be together."
This chapter's subtitle when it was viewed from the main screen was "Lose".
Intermission[]
In a short voiceover, CECL-RC talked about the fate of Greggs and Gauthier, setted the scene up for the next story, "Thirteen" and gave it's personal opinion on the fallacies of the happy endings. She told that the "recent events" (Necromorph infection) on the Ishimura would affect all humans including those unborn.
The intermission's subtitle when it was viewed from the main screen was "Breathe".
Chapter 2: Thirteen[]
In Part 2, the players controlled Stefan, a spaceman who was conducting space experiments and surveys with his colleagues, Gavin and Dennis. In a twist of fate, they reared close to the Aegis System. Unlike Greggs, he was not influenced by the Marker shown by a lack of hallucinations.
Chapter: 2.1: TUB Dwellers[]
If the players clicked on a small TV behind Dennis' body, a video played which was sent by Gavin's daughter. The video portrayed a crudely animated version of the trio along with a simple song consisting of the lyric "three happy spacemen" repeated several times in a cheery tone.
Dennis' dead body could be seen slumped in a seat, but the corpse could not be interacted with.
If the player looked at the window long enough, they would see Aegis 7, but it was far away from their ship.
If the player clicked on one of the two monitors, they would be able to watch a transmission sent by Gavin's wife, saying that her daughter missed him. She asked him for the transmission that he promised to send to Sally.
If the players clicked on the red blinking monitor, they would be notified about a distress call from the Ishimura and Aegis VII, but would be unable to play it because it was "archiving".
If the player clicked on a small monitor on the floor, they would watch a transmission which was made by the trio to be sent to Sally.
Clicking on the weekly board would show the weekly routines and work done by the trio. This included the body readings for stress measures.
The player could tilt the camera upward to see a dark figure looking down a hatch with the light flickering behind him prompting Stefan to say that the figure killed Dennis. The figure, assumed to be Gavin said that he did not want to make it any harder than it had to be.
This chapter's subtitle when it was viewed from the main screen was "Wait".
Chapter 2.2: Unanticipated[]
Clicking on the small TV behind Dennis' body in this chapter showed the video sent by Gavin's daughter. However, the tune became much more sinister and the animation showed Gavin crying before pulling a knife out and stabbing Dennis while Stefan ran for his life.
Clicking on the red blinking monitor again gave the player the option of listening to an audio log of the crew's reaction to the distress beacon. All three of them realized that the Ishimura was in a restricted system and Gavin was heard leaving the scene shortly afterward.[3]
Various computer screens that are operational on the chapter before are now smashed and had blood stains on or near them.
Looking up at Gavin again prompted Stefan to say that they used to be friends while Gavin said that he did not want to kill them, but he had to.
This chapter's subtitle when it was viewed from the main screen was "Contact".
Chapter 2.3: Bad Deeds[]
At the bottom of the ladder coming down from the hatch, a small item could be clicked on. The item was revealed to be a transmission log from Gavin to an unknown man. Gavin told the man about the Ishimura and the other crew members knew about it as well. The man instructed Gavin to execute "Eventuality 117" and wait for pickup. Gavin protested to the option, but was told that his family may be in danger if he did not carry the task out. This explained why Gavin killed Dennis and was planning to kill Stefan as well.
Looking up at Gavin this time prompted Stefan to say that he saw the transmission and he knew that Gavin was an agent. Gavin claimed that he had to put his family down first.
If you looked at Gavin's daughter's message again, the music became even more distorted and sinister and Gavin was shown dragging Stefan back onto the screen and stabbing him before falling to his knees, crying.
This chapter's subtitle when it was viewed from the main screen was "Lie".
Chapter 2.4: Primary Objective[]
This chapter was another video much like 1.4. It was drawn in a comic style. Stefan was shown backing away from Gavin who now cornered him with a knife. He vainly tried to bring Gavin to his senses by showing a photo of his wife and child, but was stabbed in the chest and killed. Gavin contacted his boss and said that it was done and proceeded to walk away. The boss ordered Gavin to come back, but Gavin refused and decompressed the TUB, blowing himself into space. His body was seen floating outside as his pickup arrived. They mentioned that there was no need to "clean up" and suggested that they should head to their rendezvous point as the video ended.
This chapter's subtitle when it was viewed from the main screen was "Leave".
