This generation’s The Order: 1886
The Callisto Protocol is a game that feels like it was made for people who already know how to play survival horror games. The controls feel clunky and the environment is too bland, making it difficult to take the time to really enjoy the experience. While there are some interesting ideas here, Callisto Protocol ultimately fails to deliver on its promise.
The Callisto Protocol is a pretty game with outstanding visuals. This helps sell the game’s chilly, atmospheric look. There are impressive weather effects, excellent lighting and high graphical fidelity. However, all of that accounts for nothing when the gameplay is as subpar as it is here. It’s a real shame too because this game has glimmers of brilliance. ..
The game is a horror simulator, and as such, the scares are all around you. You’ll hear guttural screams, see blood spatter, and feel the cold touch of something slimy on your skin. But it’s the core of the game that truly makes you feel scared. The developers wanted to create a truly unique experience for players, and that’s what they’ve done.
Welcome to Black Iron Prison
Jacob and Dani are on a smuggling run to get away from the law. When they’re caught, they’re forced to work together to escape. They must outwit guards, navigate dangerous waters, and survive the cold winters on Callisto.
Jacob wakes up in a dark and dangerous place. He has to find a way out before the monsters kill him.
The game leaves a lot of questions unanswered, and it would have been nice to see more of the story as it unfolds.
One of the most successful ways to scare people is by making them feel like they’re in danger. This can be done through a variety of techniques, but one of the most effective is by using suspenseful music and sound effects. This will create a sense of fear and anticipation in the listener, which will then lead to an intense experience.
Controls & Gameplay
The combat system in Callisto Protocol is a mess. It’s sluggish and janky, and it doesn’t do anything to help the story woes. ..
Jacob’s cumbersome camera makes The Callisto Protocol a difficult game to play quickly. Despite the sprint button, his movements are regularly stifled to slow crawls through vents, wading through waist-high water or walking over anything that isn’t steel for some reason. ..
Combat can be a bit overwhelming at first, but with practice you’ll be able to get the hang of it. Enemies will constantly come at you, so it’s important to stay on your toes and use your melee to take them down as quickly as possible.
Dodging in Dark Souls is done by holding one of the directional buttons, while there’s also a block button by holding back on the directional pad. However, as this is the same button used as traversing, most of the time you’ll find yourself moving in random directions… and potentially toward further problems. ..
Combat in Destiny is often unpredictable and frustrating. You’ll figure out how to move around the environment, but if you don’t sprint or run forward, you’ll quickly find yourself surrounded and outnumbered. In one instance, I was able to escape a group of enemies by moving backwards and sprinting towards a door. If I had stayed in the fight, I would have been killed. Combat in Destiny is often unpredictable and frustrating.
Combat in the game is locked with animations that can’t be interrupted, so you’ll often find yourself dodging an enemy attack, only to get hit with a projectile from a ranged enemy, looping you into a stagger animation… and a cheap death because you’re not dodging the original enemy again.
In Chapter 6, the bad guys come at you from all sides of a small platform. If you’re not quick enough to stop mutations, you can die.
Enemies can attack from behind, and unless you’re wearing surround sound headphones and constantly swinging the camera around, you will likely die repeatedly from cheap deaths occurring all over the place. ..
The game is not particularly fun to play and can become a tedious chore.
Some people may find the combat system to be unenjoyable, but this is not because they are bad players. The system is flawed and could have been fixed by adding a dodge and block button.
To try and remedy the combat woes, several different guns become available across the 10-12 hour play-time. These can be upgraded at 3D printing stations, exchanged for Callisto Credits that allow your weapon to become more powerful. ..
I personally found the Riot Gun and Skunk Gun to be the best weapons for using in the game. The best tactic came from shooting the legs out from under enemies and then moving in for a melee strike on the ground.
In Dead Space, each enemy can be killed just like in other games to uncover loot, including extra bullets, health or battery packs. However, the combat is so plentiful through the levels that it can be difficult to avoid issues.
Level Design
The Gravity Manipulation glove, also known as the GPR Glove, is a powerful tool that allows players to control gravity and fling objects at enemies. It is incredibly powerful and can one-shot kill enemies if used correctly. Upgrades to the glove are recommended, as it can help with some of the issues with combat. ..
The Callisto Protocol is a game that has potential but falls short in many ways. The visuals are pretty, but the game offers little else. ..
The level design essentially places you in a confined space with little opportunity for exploration. A couple of side-areas either function as one long corridor leading to one collectible or chest, forcing you to backtrack or circle around to where you need to go. Mostly, what’s here revolves around a corridor shooter. ..
The game starts out with a few security robots patrolling the area, but they’re quickly forgotten once you reach Chapter 3. In fact, the only use for these robots is to stealth past enemies, which is why they’re not very important in the early stages of the game. The only other use for them is to get achievements.
The levels in this game are broken up into small sections with identical design, while also having secret areas that are only accessible by standing still and waiting for the decontamination sequence to finish. This makes it difficult for anyone just playing through the level to figure out what’s going on, but from a gameplay perspective, it makes the levels feel like insidious little tricks to try and pad out the run-time.
The game uses the same boss fight three times in the span of two chapters, completely negating any threat or awe that creature had when it first showed up. And unfortunately, these sort of issues, coupled with repeated sound bytes for enemy screaming, really show off the game’s limitations.
These limitations apply to the game’s end, as there is no way to access individual chapters or collect anything you missed at the end. If you want to complete the game completely, you’ll need to make sure you don’t miss anything along the way.
Overall Thoughts
The Callisto Protocol’s weak gameplay loop is sometimes saved by good characters or a compelling story, but the Callisto Protocol lacks both. The characters are wafer-thin with simple motivations, the big-bad is way too obvious, and the story even baits for a second title to continue the mythos which may or may not happen beyond next year’s planned DLC. ..
The Callisto Protocol is a great game, but it falls short in many ways. The graphics are good, but the lighting is terrible. There’s nothing else here that makes it worth your time.
The Callisto Protocol is a proposed plan that would end the war between the two sides. The plan would involve both sides agreeing to a ceasefire, and then using technology to track and study one another. If either side were to violate the ceasefire, they would be punished with sanctions.
