⭐⭐.5
Developer (Platform): Striking Distance Studios (PlayStation 5)
Publisher (Release): Krafton (2022)
Length: 10-12 hours
Genres: Adult; Horror; Sci-Fi; Action
❗️Disclaimers❗️:
an incredible amount of violence and gore, with body horror galore
this review contains low-level spoilers
recommendation: vibe check before playing and buy on sale
this review was updated (see the end of the review) and I lowered my rating from 3.5 to 2.5
👍 Pros 👍
Somewhat satisfies that itch left by Dead Space
Weighty, love-hate gameplay, with visceral finishers and some surprising scares
Gorgeous graphics with pristine lighting and decent sound design
👎 Cons 👎
Sadly doesn’t even come close to touching the magic that was Dead Space
The shallow story and characters make it a forgettable experience
Gameplay mechanics don’t always work as they should
👀 Synopsis & Trailer 👀
300 years in the future, Jacob Lee is a victim of fate and thrown into Black Iron Prison, a maximum-security penitentiary located on Jupiter’s moon, Callisto.
When inmates begin to transform into monstrous creatures, the prison is thrown into chaos. To survive, Jacob must battle his way to safety to escape Black Iron Prison, while uncovering the dark and disturbing secrets buried beneath the surface of Callisto.
🛎️ Introduction 🛎️
I won’t lie, The Callisto Protocol might have been my most anticipated game in 2022. Dead Space is my favourite horror game in existence, and there are plenty of fantastic ones, so when some of the minds and creators behind it announced this, I was there, am there, and what a there it is.
Nailing its atmosphere with stupendously stellar sound design and lighting, The Callisto Protocol follows the Dead Space formula closely, bringing brutal and pure survival horror back into the limelight.
🧩 Plots 🧩
Comparisons to almost every aspect of Dead Space are unavoidable, even for me, and for its story, The Callisto Protocol doesn’t quite nail the mystery and alien-ness that Dead Space managed. However, its themes of redemption and conspiracy are wrapped neatly into a standard sci-fi horror story.
What is it with spaceships that can traverse the universe but not install lights?
It’s slow, with the game more focused on immersing the player in its atmosphere, but, with audio logs scattered throughout, we thankfully never come to a complete stop. It’s still sad that, while marketed with a strong focus on narrative, The Callisto Protocol always has it low on its list of priorities.
Oh, this won’t do at all…
The finale is, well, fine. A little anticlimactic but there’s no doubt this is intended to be the beginning of a series (which I am all for), so while Jacob’s story comes full circle at Black Iron, some plots are left hanging for a sequel. It’s not as tidy as I’d like, but it does the job.
‘…while marketed with a strong focus on narrative, The Callisto Protocol always has it low on its list of priorities.’
🎭 Characters 🎭
Characters follow the same kind of trajectory as the plot, with little focus other than to provide breaks in the action. Despite being one-dimensional, they’re incredibly well-acted, which isn’t surprising given the Hollywood talent behind them.
You don’t do the crime…you still do the time…
Enemies, sadly, and also thankfully, surpass their human counterparts, but not by much. Suitably horrifying and mutated in true grotesque fashion, The Callisto Protocol suffers from a lack of enemy variety and one-note boss battles.
You can’t survive on your own
‘…The Callisto Protocol suffers from a lack of enemy variety and one-note boss battles.’
👾 Gameplay and Graphics 👾
Now, this is where the true meat of the game lies and, from the snippets I’ve seen online (I’ve tried to stay away), where most of the contention comes from. The Callisto Protocol is a third-person, over-the-shoulder survival horror with a healthy dose of action. Weighty controls work well with making the player mindful, and the inability to run from enemies does wonders for the game’s tension. Yep, running from enemies, the basic instinct of anyone facing crazed monstrosities, will get you killed, with your only option being to fight and make sure you fight well.
You’re not you when you’re hungry
Setting itself apart from Dead Space, The Callisto Protocol has a sharper focus on melee, equipping the player with, in my opinion, an intuitive dodge mechanic that, while it takes a second to grasp, becomes pivotal for the rest of the game. Physical attacks are punchy, with responsive crunch and satisfying finishers. Guns and stealth add variety, but they’re more there to compliment the main mechanic of melee. In other words, fun, but they don’t have the same skillful feel as taking down an enemy with perfect dodges and crippling head bashes.
The Callisto Protocol, with no negatives, absolutely shines in its atmosphere. Sound and lighting are phenomenal, and when testing enemies in vents I give major kudos to the developers for having an enemy follow the player audibly as they move. I was in a ‘safe space’ when an enemy spotted me and listening to him rummaging around in the vents of a room with no openings was absolutely terrifying. It’s not as scary as I found Dead Space, but I think that’s more a consequence of being older and more jaded than anything the game fails at. What it doesn’t suck at are its in-universe HUD elements. It’s nice to see the return of information being organic and recorded in ways that don’t break immersion.
Can’t deny those views
Let’s talk about difficulty. The Callisto Protocol is not for those looking for a smooth experience. Death, in this game, is a mechanic and not a fail state, and you’ll die a lot. Playing through both ‘normal’ and ‘hard’ shows very little difference, and difficulty spikes can shock the player. Surprisingly, I really, really liked the game’s difficulty. It demands patience and, even during encounters, attacks are well-telegraphed enough for the player to strategise and adapt. It’s let down by some horrible checkpointing, but, I enjoyed the challenge.
‘…your only option being to fight and make sure you fight well.’
💭 Previous Thoughts 💭
The Callisto Protocol is undoubtedly the spiritual successor to the Dead Space series, but it sadly won’t set the genre on fire in the same way. Solid if bland plots and characters are buoyed by an immersive atmosphere, and a brutally unforgiving focus on melee feels tactful and crunchy, making The Callisto Protocol a fresh IP and an incredibly visceral game (sorry).
🆕 Updated Thoughts 🆕
So, after multiple replays, several increasing difficulties, and various DLC (one of which kills any potential future for the property), I felt compelled to do something I rarely do but think reviewers should: change my rating and update a review…
The Callisto Protocol has its potential, but, the more I play, the more frustrated I get. There are moments where just as I feel like I’m enjoying myself, the game reminds me that it doesn’t actually want me to play it. In fact, its biggest issue is just that: so much control is taken from the player. If you’re not shimmying through a tight space, you’re crawling through yet another vent; if the combat isn’t glitching, you’re forced into a ‘cinematic’ grab; and, until recently, if you weren’t doing any of the above, you were in an unskippable cutscene.
Too much playtime consists of, well, very little actual playtime. In my original review, I focused on how, from the atmosphere, setting, and aesthetics, The Callisto Protocol is undoubtedly the spiritual successor to Dead Space, but it’s almost as if the game realises this and tries to pivot violently the other way, leaving a confused and messy horror that tries too hard to force an experience only to, sadly, avoid one entirely.
