Welcome to the Black Iron Prison, a high-security prison on the barren surface of Jupiter’s moon Callisto. Let’s take a closer look at how The Callisto Protocol’s atmospheric environment, charming characters, and monstrous creatures make the battle for survival from the horrors of Jupiter’s death moon a frighteningly immersive experience.
familiar futurist
One of the most important aspects of any survival horror game is the survival or death setting. The Callisto Protocol is filled with fear-inducing locations, such as a series of long, abandoned tunnels “under” the prison that served Arkas, Callisto’s first human colony. For art director Aasim Zubair, the core concept started with a simple design philosophy: make it dark, damp and spooky.
Below is a great showcase of our lighting, giving the environment team a fun challenge to design a unique location that is similar in theme to the prison above, providing environmental cues to its creation and the original Callisto Colony. provided.
And that’s for sure. However, Below’s environment stands out in a sci-fi survival-horror game thanks to its grounded inspiration.
“[Below is unique] A lot of it is based on real-world materials and shapes,” says Zubair. “Instead of the heavy-duty sci-fi design cues that dominate many of the game’s other environments, Below makes players feel grounded in something familiar and relatable, while at the same time showing humanity colonizing Dead Moon.” We can look to the past of our first attempt to transform.”
Besides anchoring the player in a recognizable environment, my favorite part of Zubair’s environment is the mood and storytelling. “The following offer great opportunities to use the space for exploration, hidden areas, spookiness, and compelling environmental storytelling,” he says.
If you dare to explore the dark depths of the underground, there are many secrets to discover and you may even get a glimpse into the original colony’s dark past.
A terrifying human tale in a pioneering future
Like Below’s environmental storytelling, lead writer R. Eric Reeve crafted a compelling story and complex characters to heighten the player’s sense of dread in Callisto Protocol. “Complex characters are important because their actions and choices ultimately drive the plot,” he says Lieb. “But the horror genre serves as a unique crucible where character actions and choices are literally life-or-death.”
The relationship between the game’s protagonist, Jacob Lee, and his jailer, Captain Leon Ferris, is another compelling narrative hook. “When developing Leon, we often described him as Jacob’s ‘mirror of darkness,'” says Reeve. “Thematically, they both start in a similar place: either unaware (or willingly blind) of the consequences of their actions.”
“Their encounter shatters their comfort zone,” says Lieb. “How each reacts to what is happening within Black Iron, and exactly who is responsible, forms the core of their relationship. [as well as] A player’s understanding of the world presented to them through the game. “
Sam Witwer’s voice and acting bring the captivating character of Captain Faris to life. One of the things that made him stand out in the audition was his approach to the character. From the start, he imbued Leon with a subtle threat. It was truly a collaboration.
During readthroughs, for example, Witwer was always asking insightful questions or offering suggestions that resonated with the scene’s logical or emotional motivations. I was. No spoilers, but there is one particular scene Sam suggested while filming that Striking Distance Studios got caught up in the tide. Sam Witwer has amazing instincts and a great understanding of what makes a story work.
Descent into biophages and monsters
Character director Glauco Longhi and creature designers at Striking Distance Studios also recognize the importance of heightening fear by creating familiar and grounded creatures.
“We started with the idea of infected humans, so part of the fear is that what happened to them could happen to you,” Longhi says. Not only are they doing it, but they have postures based on clearly human emotions akin to pain, fear, and anger.
Callisto Protocol has plenty of enemies to intimidate and frighten players, but Grunts are the most human looking. “[Grunts] Bridging the gap between humans and larger creatures, [their] The silhouette, proportions, and anatomy are a little closer to humans,” says Longhi.
Rusher is another twisted enemy that walks on walls, sprints, and pounces on the player. “[Rushers] It has this acrobatic, curved movement with twisted joints and limbs,” says Longhi.
Discover even more frightening monsters, engaging characters, exciting plot points, and frightening environments in The Callisto Protocol, which releases on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on December 2, 2022.
