How to get the Z-Baller trophy / achievement in Dead Space remake

Isaac’s got game

Isaac Clarke wears many hats. He kind of has to, to stay alive on the USG Ishimura. And thanks to the zero-G basektball court aboard the ship, the Dead Space protagonist can add Z-Baller to that list too.

Yes, there is zero-gravity basketball in EA Motive’s 2023 remake of Dead Space. And indeed, there is an achievement / trophy tied to it: the title of “Z-Baller.” It’s not just worth bragging rights, but also some resources for surviving the last leg of Dead Space. Here’s how to make sure you grab it.

How to play zero-G basketball in Dead Space remake

You’ll arrive at the court as part of Isaac’s exploration of the USG Ishimura’s Crew Quarters. It’s directly on the main path, so you can’t miss it. While you only need to step inside for the floating power battery in here, you might as well score some points and win some prizes.

There will be some enemies, so you’ll want to take them out first. Thankfully, more necromorphs won’t spawn after you’ve killed the initial batch, so it’s safe to take them out and focus on your game. (Feel free to pop the game and let it fail once while fighting the necromorphs too, as it won’t negatively affect later attempts.)

Once they’re dealt with, move the battery into the other room or just out of the way. Then hit the prompt, and lift off into the air.

How to get the Z-Baller trophy / achievement in Dead Space

To rack up the points, I found it best to park Isaac right in front of the three pipes that can distribute the basketball. From there, you just need to grab it with your Kinesis and chuck it into one of the four goals. If a goal is glowing, it’s worth more points.

Sounds simple, right? Well, you have to clear certain score benchmarks to keep the timer alive. And as you go up in levels, much like Tetris, the shutters will start to move and block hoops. They don’t get too fast until later levels though, so you should be fine.

Overall, I found as long as I was scoring points and not missing too much, it was easy to hit the points needed to become a Z-Baller. Once you pass the final level, the trophy should pop and the level marker on the scoreboard will disappear. From here on, it’s just about racking up score.

After you’re done, head back into the locker room and you can open the lockers for your prizes. It’s worth it not just for the Z-Baller trophy, but certainly for the extra bonuses too, as you hurtle towards the conclusion of Dead Space.

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