Summary
Developer – Striking Distance Studios
Publisher – Krafton
Platforms – PC, PlayStation, Xbox Series
The Callisto Protocol is the first game from Glen Schofield and the team at Striking Distance Studios. Callisto Protocol may remind you of their previous work, a small horror game called Dead Space, and for a good reason. From the opening moments to the ending scrawl, Callisto Protocol firmly takes the style of space horror and catapults the visuals and style to a new level.
It has everything the genre needs, an intriguing plot, mysterious factions, and the desolation sci-fi horror provides due to its setting. Inspirations from films such as Aliens are just as prominent as this game’s heavy Dead Space design elements.
Callisto Protocols’ structure is classic, but the gameplay contains an exciting focus on brutal melee combat and dodge mechanics.
The plot of The Callisto Protocol is simple enough on the surface. We play the role of Jacob Lee, a pilot in transit to Callisto, Jupiter’s dead moon.
In the future, Callisto has also become a prison where the most dangerous criminals in the Solar System are controlled. As if the security measures weren’t good enough, the temperature on the surface is freezing and won’t support human life.
Beyond the story presentation and gameplay, the striking thing about this game is its world-class visuals. Stunning ray tracing and shadows combine to create an oppressive but beautiful game for players to experience. Each melee hit and close encounter feels desperate, brutal, and uncomfortable, purely on the strength of the visuals. The game suffered some problems at launch, but after a few patches, it’s running much better on the Xbox Series X, while the PC version is improving its shudder problems with each update.
Melee combat is first and foremost, but ranged battle also features heavily, but ranged weapons are never the focus. Stasis grabs are back as well, including the immersive in-game HUD at all times. The Callisto Protocol also ventures into its territory despite the overt Dead Space inspiration, and they have created a stunning and horrific sci-fi worth getting scared over.
