The Callisto Protocol review: Dead Space’s spiritual successor has problems

pitch for Callisto Protocol The creators of the Dead Space series of sci-fi survival horror games have finally created a spiritual successor to the franchise after nearly a decade of hiatus at Electronic Arts. Callisto Protocol It also builds on Dead Space elements — creeping through a cold, abandoned space environment alien‘s nostromo covered in torn gussets event horizon — 10 years of experience and maturity to hopefully make something better.

Developer Striking Distance Studios has instead created something vastly different, a spiritual successor to Dead Space that features some, but not all, of Dead Space’s best. In some ways it’s a step back.

Callisto Protocol It begins with cosmic tracker Jacob Lee, played by actor Josh Duhamel, pulling off One Last Job.Apparently that mission takes a sideways turn when a terrorist group sabotages his cargo ship, forcing him to crash-land on Callisto, Jupiter’s second largest moon. , Dani Nakamura (played by the boysKaren Fukuhara), thrown into the Moon’s Black Iron Prison. The disaster doubles when Jacob wakes up to find himself surrounded by mutated monsters equipped with an invasive implant called the CORE in the midst of a devastating outbreak. Armed only with a stun baton, Jacob fights to escape his illegal and mysterious imprisonment.

Where Dead Space focused on tactically dismembering high-octane firefights and zombie-like grotesque, Callisto Protocol Put meaty, action-focused melee attacks at the heart of combat. The game’s monster swings towards Jacob with a haymaker. Jacob can dodge by leaning left or right.It’s the same system as Nintendo’s Punch out! !, Jacob can bob and weave until he can find an opening to punch his attacker into the bloody mess. Jacob then gains access to pistols, shotguns, and rifles, which become complements to melee combat rather than massive replacements. Gain Jedi-like powers thanks to the battery-powered GRP, a glove that can do anything.

Early on, combat can get frustrating.Jacob’s sluggish movement makes everything feel sluggish and incoherent, and it can be unclear when to dodge or even when attacked. Callisto Protocolgroove — takes time. Eventually switching between melee, gunplay and GRP control starts to click.

Even in one-on-one combat, a series of dodges, bashes, surgical pistol shots (you can, of course, remove the enemy’s limbs here too), telekinetically throwing them at them to give yourself some space, and so on. May lead to successful encounters. The GRP can occasionally deliver one-hit kills, throwing enemies into spikes and swirling fans, turning them into thick sprays of gore. However, GRP is a very limited resource and should be used judiciously. Subsequent encounters change the situation, pitting Jacob against a sentry robot that can kill instantly from a distance, and a blind monster whose stealth kills by Shiv are not only favored, but necessary to succeed.

Still, the game has an overall dull feel to it, and it seems like a deliberate choice to give Jacob and his enemies more weight and impact. It looks likeThis is a big deal in difficult encounters. Turn on “Performance Mode” in Callisto ProtocolThe graphics settings in can help reduce that sluggishness. By default, the game uses a more cinematic and graphically impressive visual mode. But the improved frame rate (and responsive input) offered by performance mode makes a big difference.

Image: Striking Distance Studios/Krafton

But even if you calm down Callisto Protocolthe rhythm of, Combat scenarios often feel unpolished. For example, locking Jacob into a button-mashing quick-time event that drains his health. Monsters also appear right behind you, and some encounters feel downright unfair.It’s a lot less fun, especially when combined with the game’s confusing camera movements. It’s nothing compared to multiple moments where the game throws enemy mobs at you. Callisto Protocol, the resulting tension quickly bursts and turns into pure aggravation. Multiple difficulty spikes pushed the game beyond the realm of “fun challenges” and into the realm of “unfair masochism.” In the end, I had no choice but to switch to easy mode.

The game’s checkpoint system is also inconsistent. Thankfully, there are frequent checkpoints, but they often occur seconds after boss fights, giving you no time to reach a safe position to heal, reload, or reconfigure.

Unlock upgrades over time to make Jacob slightly more powerful.At the 3D printing station, you can spend money earned from chests and corpses, or sell contraband to improve your weapons and GRP. But there are no upgrades that make Jacob a monster-slaying god, and the credits are so sparingly distributed that it seems impossible to upgrade and unlock them all in one playthrough. Now on the second playthrough, Callisto Protocol There is no new Game Plus mode yet where upgrades carry over. According to the developer, it’s due early next year.) Choosing which weapon or device to upgrade can feel difficult. do you need?

Image: Striking Distance Studios/Krafton

Callisto ProtocolOperated by the United Jupiter Corporation, which runs the Black Iron Prison. Posters scattered throughout the prison inform the guards there that they can use so-called Callisto credits to upgrade their equipment, and provide the supplies they need to protect themselves from inmates. I am forced to spend my money on

The story beyond that Callisto Protocol And the Black Iron disaster is largely told through interactions between Jacob and fellow inmates Elias and Dani, as well as the Warden and his sadistic Captain Ferris. You can, but it’s not like similar audiologs in Dead Space games played through the game’s diegetic holographic UI. Callisto Protocol Players need to stop what they are doing and focus all their attention on listening to each recording. Given that some of the recordings I heard were nominally added to the story, I started to feel they weren’t important to the game’s narrative. was. Callisto ProtocolThe story of.

Where Callisto Protocol What excels lies in its ambiance and surroundings. The cold, metallic industrial world of the game is gorgeously realized, giving Black Iron Prison a hard, tangible sense of weight. Jacob slowly makes his way between air ducts, pools of sewage, and dangerous machines that shred him (and his enemies) in an instant. Beyond the prison walls, players explore an equally dark and terrifying lunar surface, beaten by snow and wind. Callisto Protocol It features an impressive and carefully crafted world. It’s not just Hollywood talent, it’s an expensive game. (In addition to Duhamel and Fukuhara, Striking Distance and publisher Crafton also wrote that actor Gwendolyn his Christie and Michael his Ironside. Callisto Protocol.)

Image: Striking Distance Studios/Krafton

Callisto Protocol Very linear, just a few detours, little backtracking, and very little puzzle solving.original Dead Space‘s holographic pathfinding system isn’t here, but there are plenty of arrows and scribbles that act as literal signposts to your next objective. No. After completion Callisto Protocol In about 8 hours — not counting the dozens of times I failed in the section where I ended up choosing the easy mode — until Striking Distance adds a new game plus mode or additional story content, there’s a reason to return to the game. I do not understand. Additionally, the manual save system doesn’t allow you to easily go back to previous chapters.

When Callisto Protocol, Striking Distance proves that a clever mix of sights, sounds, and atmosphere can successfully create nerve-wracking moments of tension and dread. was wise. nevertheless: Callisto Protocol It could have borrowed a few more lessons from its spiritual inspiration and further refined its mechanics to create a game that played as well as it looked.

Callisto Protocol was released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on December 2nd. The game was reviewed on his PS5 using a pre-release download code provided by Krafton. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not affect editorial content, but Vox Media may earn commissions on products purchased via affiliate links.discoverable Additional information on Polygon’s Ethics Policy can be found here.