Review

The Callisto Protocol

Space horror games excel at creating fear through isolation and the unknown dangers of their environments. Dead Space is the first game that comes to mind for most people when thinking about space horror.

Dead Space was released during EA’s golden era, a time when the company was experimenting with bold new ideas. Games like Mass Effect, Dead Space, Dragon Age, and Mirror’s Edge were standout examples of this era.

Now, Glen Schofield, the original creator of Dead Space, brings us The Callisto Protocol after years of teasers and hype. With criticism about its similarities to Dead Space, the big question is: does this game stand out?

Story

The game follows Jacob Lee, a cargo transporter in 2320. Jacob is tasked with delivering a mysterious shipment to a high-security prison on Callisto, a moon of Jupiter. After an ambush by pirates, his ship crashes on Callisto, leading to his imprisonment by mistake.

Things quickly spiral out of control as prisoners turn into grotesque zombie-like creatures. The primary goal becomes escaping, with uncovering the secret behind the mutation as a secondary objective. Is it related to experiments on inmates? Who is behind this, and why?

While the story begins strong, its focus fades halfway through. At 10 hours max, with a linear progression and no side quests, the narrative feels predictable. The open-ended conclusion suggests a sequel is planned.

Gameplay

The gameplay is what you’d expect from a Dead Space-inspired title: survival horror in an abandoned space station filled with violent creatures. Combat focuses on melee attacks more than guns, unlike Dead Space. However, the combat system feels repetitive.

While the one-on-one combat is cinematic, battles against multiple enemies can feel chaotic and frustrating, especially without a lock-on feature. Later in the game, an overpowered GRP weapon removes much of the challenge.

The weapon upgrade system adds some variety and progression, but the overall gameplay loop remains shallow.

Graphics

The game boasts incredible graphics, with highly detailed environments and character models. Faces in particular are among the most realistic seen in gaming, rivaling titles like God of War Ragnarok and The Last of Us Part II.

Technical Performance

On next-gen consoles, the game offers Performance and Quality modes, with the latter providing stunning ray tracing. However, Xbox Series X lacks ray-traced reflections, an odd omission given its capabilities.

PC performance has improved significantly after patches, though issues still persist. Playing on an RTX 3080 laptop yielded stable results without ray tracing.

Conclusion

The Callisto Protocol offers a strong, but not groundbreaking, experience. While its graphics and cinematic qualities shine, the story and gameplay fall short of expectations. If you set your expectations low, you’ll enjoy the ride, but the $70 price tag might be steep for some.

Final Score: 7.5/10

Interested? You can buy the game from Gamezawy’s store here.