Announced as horror shocker of the year for consoles and PC, “The Callisto Protocol” is not lacking in advance praise. The mutant battlefield in a space prison has one great strength – but many small weaknesses.
Science fiction horror is a discipline in its own right. Whether it’s the “Alien” trilogy or “Dead Space” – in films and video games, one central element is particularly important: the right atmosphere. In this area, gamers get new fodder with “The Callisto Protocol”, which serves the central aspect of the genre excellently, but disappoints in terms of gameplay.
The developers of Striking Distance Studios are strongly based on the successful space shocker “Dead Space” from 2008, with Glen Scofield they even have one of the creators from back then on board. “The Callisto Protocol” also relies on gore effects, i.e. on particularly bloody confrontations. Splatter at its finest. In any case, there is a reason why the game is 18+. Because the main task is to disassemble space mutants from the third-person perspective as professionally as possible with all kinds of tools and weapons into their individual parts.
The successful story of the game helps to endure this monotony of tasks. Freighter pilot Jacob Lee is forced to make an emergency landing on the moon Callisto after an activist attack on his spaceship. Although he is rescued, he is classified as a convict and transferred to the “Black Iron” prison. Shortly after his arrival, the prisoners revolt there – the space prison descends into chaos. Because many of the inmates and guards are infected by a virus and turn into bloodthirsty mutants. Protagonist Jacob must now find a way to freedom.
What follows is a fairly linear gauntlet of the prison’s catacombs and exteriors. Luckily the developers were able to give each area, hallway or corridor a spooky touch. This ranges from maintenance rooms with corpses dangling from the ceiling, to the few icy passages on the surface of the planet, to the decaying sewage systems. Visually, the game regularly manages to convey discomfort and insecurity to the player.
As far as the atmosphere is concerned, in addition to the great prison setting and the strong graphics, there are also excellent sound effects and background music. All elements that can quickly cast a spell over the player. “The Callisto Protocol” also has a certain Hollywood touch. The protagonists are played by Josh Duhamel (Jacob Lee), known from the Transformers films, and Karen Fukahara (Dani Nakamura), known from “The Boys”. The English language version must be recommended for dubbing here. In the German version, there is often a lack of lip sync.
As great as the atmosphere of the game is, the confrontations with the mutants are so simple. In the beginning it always runs according to the scheme F. The whole process requires neither skills nor real timing: With the movement stick you dodge the attacks quite simply, then Jacob uses his cutting and thrusting weapons to first kill the body parts of the mutants cut off and then beat the brains to a pulp. If you still want to find loot, you have to stomp on the wafting mass on the ground.
This process changes a bit once Jacob finds his first firearm. There are rows of 3D printers distributed throughout the game, where weapons are made and modified using the “pounded” loot. With the first space gun, the mutants can also be eliminated from a distance, but ammunition is unfortunately scarce.
A great element in the game, but one that hasn’t been thought through to the end, is the GRP – Gravity Restraint Projector. With the telekinesis gauntlet, enemies can be lifted into the air and hurled through the area, into chasms or fans. The powerful tool runs on a battery – Duracell, you might think – because this weapon can actually be used far too often.
The approximately ten-hour atmospheric and action-packed trip through a spectacular slaughterhouse in space knows how to entertain. Whether in the gameplay or in the combat system – overall, “The Callisto Protocol” leaves too many chances to become a big hit.
“The Callisto Protocol” is available for Playstation, Xbox and PC.
