![Dead Space left off on a sour note, one with a pungent aftertaste which has been fading for nearly a whole decade. The Callisto Protocol seemed to override that nasty aroma if it was given a unique approach to the genre, it was as easily conceived by those two major companies. Instead of [a] rest of the shit, they [everything] have no.](https://fox-fun.com/wp-content/uploads/Callisto-Protocol-Review-Something-More-Than-Empty-Dead-Space-Half-Time-Review.jpeg)
Dead Space left on a bad note, one with a pungent posttaste that has lingered for almost a full decade. The Callisto Protocol seemed to finally override that nasty aroma by its own approach to the genre, as it was clearly inspired by that series, and some of the same creatives. The Callisto Protocol is a shameful criminal game, that is uselessly lost in space.
In the callisto program, it looks like Dead Space, although it may fail quite clearly, but all its limitations are scattered around the surface. The combat is the most obvious example, since it looks interesting from a point of view but doesn’t take part in the most effective strategy, the effort done isn’t very efficient.
That game is usually used as a melee-based game where guns don’t play important roles particularly in first half. The enemy is unlike Jason Lees who stun batons and the general public is unprofessional. From the the sex of mutated to the the tiger’s enemies, it turns out a little like a boxing match where players will duck and weave to strike accordingly.
As its uniqueness as it is, the controls are too simple and hardly permit much variation. Almost every enemy has the same speed as a counterattack. That is an easy to exploit loop that hardly changes throughout the game. The heavy strike is too slow for no use. Parrying doesn’t absorb all the damage, meaning the default swing is the only useful choice. Due to the lack of choice and limited motivation to target specific body parts, Callisto’s physical combat is hollow and a far cry from Dead Spaces rewarded endlessly rewarding strategic dismemberment.
Lacking precision and depth is the most fundamental problem that is worsened when combined with its multiple smaller grievances. Even the weakest grunts can randomly get through heavy, standard and heavy blows. This is an unfair and frustrating way to frustrate players to not throw buttons, especially given these armored moves aren’t telegraphed. Evading at one time isn’t working, and it’s too easy to reverse a successful sidestep, due to how finicky the input is. Successful jukes might even hinder the player, since the camera might wig out and make it difficult to focus on the immediate threat. Some perfect dodges can alleviate this, but the window is ludicrously narrow. Thus, while a friend moves predictably, the game does seem to pull it up and make something sense.
Of all these irritating inconsistencies we cannot be fully absorbed into our beautifully rendered world. It’s counterintuitive for the horror genre that thrives on immersion. Horror without immersion is being annoyed in dark.
If the action’s sound, it’ll not hold up even though you are separated from its weak mechanics. The biophage, which is very gross, is not distinctive, yet much can make for a well-rounded bestiary, as it usually occurs in simple grunts. Both biophages that sit on the extremes are aggravating in their own ways, too. In the dark, the smallest leeches are completely overused in cheap and ineffective jump scares, whereas the two-headed elites just spam the same impulsive move in crowded environments and highlight the ill-controlled controls.
Its stilted enemy design has the best effect with its blind variant that pulls from the Lickers and Clickers seen in The Last of Us and Resident Evil respectively. The Callisto Protocol makes them a huge threat, but poor hunters aren’t good at any point. They only have good hearing or echolocation to make their obvious weakness up. Tapping inwardly killing them is tedious and outrageously easy, leading them to dangerous beasts and nauseous irritants.
Gunplay can’t save the action, but it’s still an uninvited game. When you get into the swimways, the battle is a little messy and a lot of money is wasted. These are hard ways to counter the tension. Shooting is more tactical, since there are no incentive to blast off certain limbs confined to random tentacles that cause mutations; a new addition that would be better central focus, despite how difficult they are to shoot off.
But its problems aren’t strictly mechanical; it’s filled with surprising choices that make it feel even more unpolished. The camera usually can clip through the floor, masking any fatalities causing to the human body, or otherwise an actual death attempt. Enemies can and can also clip through the walls at random and are temporarily impossible to shoot. In the menu, sound logs are not safe, so it’s difficult to stop and listen to them. This screen, complete with detailed mission instructions and detailed tutorials, is plastered in a manner that contradicts the clean and minimalist presentation that it begs for. This game isn’t a good game, but it’s filled with odd tricks that can even further alter the experience with little to no avail.
It was shocking because the callisto protocol is beautiful. Characters are very detailed and noticeably drenched in sweat, while biophages are as meticulously constructed with sufficient veins, pustules, and tentacles to compliment the extent of their disgust. Light is the undisputed star here because its use of ray tracing allows the game to more accurately cast shadows and bounce light around in ways that lead to more believable environments and lifelike characters. It’s subtle in particularly in a way that reflects natural beauty, but it does, so it can help improve the visual presentation at the entire time and fit the frightened horror genre otherwise.
Even though the characters are funny, the story they tell is sexist, bad and uninspired. The Callisto Protocol is hardly concerned with any more than the basic story of the escape he built for a long period of time without the most important questions and concerns about the death of an enemy. Since the game didn’t take an hour to find out how far apart the giant bread loaves are in the shit in the last hour, and instead of giving an evenly up weight of bread in the future of the game. The answers are a little ridiculous and aren’t hard to draw, but they wouldn’t likely be easier to accept if Striking Distance Studios had waited so long to start doing everything out.
The Callisto Protocol, with such a hollywood story and an insane performance, proves the legacy it was built on. The ingenuity of an action horror game makes no mistake. It can’t show how empty it is all at its core. These ever-present sins not only cause an unfortunate game, but are also believable against the modern age of Dead Space. The Callisto Protocol is at least trying to break into that series and make a new era of identity. In some regard, it was successful since it’s not a simple clone of Dead Space, as it would be a much better game if that were the case.
4.5/10.
The negatives are a lot bigger than the positives, so it’s hard to get to the right point.
Disclosure: The publisher provided our Callisto protocolreview a PlayStation 5 copy. Reviewed version 1.006.000.