Callisto Protocol is technically a completely new IP and a whole new story, but the skeleton of Dead Space is clear. In the same way, it’s clear to everyone in House of the Dragon that Rhaenyra’s children aren’t fathered by Ser Laenor Velaryon. So can the spiritual successor live like the original?
During preview time, we played a level called Habitat. The first thing I noticed immediately was the eerie ambient noise. Random squelches, rattles, and faint echoes were everywhere, and I felt constantly tense. I had to take a breath and get through. At the very least, Callisto Protocol brings the eerie and constantly unsettling environment down to science.
Controlling the main character, Jacob Lee, was a lot like controlling Isaac in Dead Space. You’re always looking over his shoulder to see what’s in store. Jacob feels his movements very heavy. He’s more like a real person trying to get you going in the right direction than a video his game character. His melee rolls up slower than his normal FPS melee. His run also feels like a realistic jogging speed, not like a tireless super soldier with never-ending stamina.
Jacob’s heavy presence in the world combined with his cautious pacing made the Callisto Protocol feel even scarier. Combat is actually pretty slow and intentional for the same reason. While this feels great in helping with realism and prediction, it was a bit frustrating to deal with when you just wanted to slap the biophage enemy in front of you.
Plus, the PS5’s DualSense controller worked great with Callisto. Manipulations such as falling off ledges, shooting guns, and stomping on the ground all had their own vibrations and vibrations inherent in the controller, which could have made the game feel even more immersive. In adding a cinematic experience to the game, Callisto has no map functionality, so unlike Dead Space, you can’t see your next objective and sometimes get lost.
Callisto has new dodge and block mechanics not found in Dead Space. You can dodge by moving the controller stick in the opposite direction of the enemy’s swing direction. You can also block by pushing the stick back like in a fighting game, but doing so will take some damage. To be honest, the timing was difficult immediately after avoiding, and I was often caught on the second swing.
The dodge seems to be very precise and exactly when the enemy swings, but it was difficult to pinpoint it during the fight sequence, especially since it’s easy to get surrounded. If is attacking you, dodging was very difficult as you cannot tap the stick fast enough to dodge both monsters.
As ammo is scarce in Dead Space, melee seemed like the best option to deal with the monsters in front of you. I can do it. You can also use Jacob’s GRP Gravity Weapon to pull things in or push them away. In combat, GRP is useful for pulling enemies in and throwing them at walls and objects for even more damage. However, the weapon’s battery is limited, so it can’t always fling enemies.
At the start of the level, I was free to blast enemies with my pistol and restock, but I found that the farther I went, the less ammo I had. I realized I had bullets left. Callisto definitely recommends saving bullets and using different combinations with the environment to fight a torn prison, but it’s actually helpful in realizing that other options should be prioritized. No-beginning, especially if you’re given a lot of free ammo.
I originally thought I would have more freedom of choice, but being forced into a certain playstyle was a bit frustrating. There was one room where I had to utilize whatever combat mechanics I had to survive, as there was no way to shoot through or fling each enemy. I got the perfect combination of GRP throws, pistol shots, and baton slaps to kill every enemy in the room. You can also stomp on it when it hits the ground to make sure it’s actually dead, like when you aim for a specific arm or leg in Dead Space.
Combat seems to reward perfect pairings like this. I’ve played Dead Space, and I know how limited ammo feels, but in Callisto, it somehow felt even scarcer. At some point, the alien you fight will spit out tentacles from its chest and mutate into an even stronger form when it takes enough damage.
If this happens, a single shot to the tentacle will prevent the tentacle from mutating. However, if you run out of ammo, or have a few shots left and miss, you’re very out of luck and either dodge up close (which feels incredibly difficult) or die and try again. need to do it. This often locks you into dying and respawning. This was a cycle that was frustrating every time I approached it.
Combat in Callisto seems to focus on accuracy and precision. So he went into Callisto expecting something like Dead Space, especially with so many mechanical similarities, is a mistake I made and wise to avoid. Entering Callisto is a challenging experience that really tests your survival skills with precise combinations of attacks. I had to try and fail some practice before proceeding.
Some may like this more difficult experience, but I was a little disappointed with the difficulty of Normal mode. All in all, now that I know what to expect, the environment was very well done and I would love to give Callisto another chance, but the frustration and the need to mentally prepare for replaying certain sequences there is.
The Callisto Protocol will be released on December 2nd. For more on your favorite horror games, don’t miss our hands-on previews of Resident Evil 4 Remake and Dead Space Remake. For everything else in the video game world, stick with IGN.
Stella is a Video Producer, Host and Editor at IGN. Her gameplay focus is on her competitive FPS games and she has previously reviewed her Apex Legends, Hyper Scape, Halo Infinite Multiplayer and Battlefield 2042. Competitive She regularly hosts and screams Apex Legends and her Halo Infinite tournaments when she’s not streaming on her Twitch channel after work. out. You can follow her on Twitter @ParallaxStella.
