The Callisto Protocol Reviews Round Up

The Callisto Protocol Update 1.12

Horror fans have something to chew on before the holidays hits, as Striking Distance Studios’ The Callisto Protocol is now out! If you’re wary of diving in just yet, go check out what the critics are saying in The Callisto Protocol reviews round up!

The Callisto Protocol Reviews Round Up:

Note that we included each scored review with a quote, and a link out to the complete review.

OpenCritic | MetaCritic

Digital Trends (3.5/5):

 While issues like that are disappointing, I find myself willing to forgive The Callisto Protocol when looking at the work as a whole. This is an ambitious project for a new studio of this scale and, for the most part, the developer rises to meet the challenge with a horror game that feels both classic and original. It’s clear that a lot of care — and unfortunately a lot of crunch, which is worth reading up on before making a buying decision — went into creating a game that wouldn’t just imitate Dead Space, but bring its legacy forwards. Though parts of it feel overworked as a result of that goal, there’s a strong foundation here which I expect to be overflowing with gore next time around.

We all know Dead Space 2 was the best one anyway, right?
 
The Callisto Protocol is still doing a lot of what Dead Space did, for better and worse. And to that end, there are moments of fun, even if, in contrast, they’re light on genuine terror. I’m okay with The Callisto Protocol being another version of its spiritual predecessor, but it struggles to nail even the basics. As a result, I’m underwhelmed, annoyed, and disappointed. If you wanted anything more out of this second crack at making a new sci-fi IP in survival horror, or something markedly different that acknowledges just how far gaming has come since 2008, The Callisto Protocol is not your answer.
 
Overall, individual elements of The Callisto Protocol are just at odds with one another too often. The enemy design and melee-focused combat mechanics lend themselves to these incredibly tense and fun close-quarters brawls when you’re only fighting against a couple of targets at a time, but the game regularly locks you into frantic moshpits or frustratingly difficult boss fights instead. And despite the vocal talent and mocap skill on display, The Callisto Protocol’s story isn’t all that interesting, save for an intriguing final twist. Some genuine horror might have improved the experience of this survival-action game, but The Callisto Protocol instead leans too far into absurd high-octane spectacle, dampening the tension and adulterating the narrative core of the experience.
The Callisto Protocol drip-feeds you with story until some big reveals in the final third, and while I wasn’t particularly playing it for its plot, there’re some interesting reveals. The acting is great, with a special nod to Karen Fukuhara from The Boys who gives a great performance. It’s a stunning game in both the animations and how it creates a tense and scary atmosphere, and the sound design is excellent. While it can be more difficult than it needs to be due to zoomed in camera angles, I won’t be forgetting it in a hurry. It’s disturbing, savage, and forces you to survive in the worst possible conditions.
 
The Callisto Protocol is a supremely atmospheric and action-heavy tour through a spectacular slaughterhouse set in distant space. Its largely linear design makes for minimal backtracking, meaning it trims the fat while leaving no shortage of bone and gristle to rip and tear. However, it also betrays its survival horror roots by regularly tipping the balance of power too far in favour of the player, and while there’s plenty of murderous fun to be had using giant grinding mechanisms to make mulch out of mutants, such cheap thrills come at the high cost of puncturing any tension and dread that the tremendous art and audio design work so hard to invoke. Aside from the meaty melee combat, there’s also the overriding sense that there’s not a lot here that hasn’t been done before – and there’s disappointingly little to do once you’ve beaten the campaign. Thus The Callisto Protocol is a satisfyingly gory spiritual successor to the Dead Space series, but it’s ultimately more of a striking modern mimic than a scary new mutation.

This is a rollercoaster videogame. It’s riddled with cinematic videogame clichés. Yes, you’ll navigate a crumbling structure that will start to collapse as you cross it. Yes, you’ll need to power on a generator by finding three breakers that are located in three dangerous locations. Yep, you’ll need to survive a certain amount of time locked in a claustrophobic space as baddies attack you. And naturally, there is more to what’s going on than the narrative précis provided above suggests. In a lot of ways, The Callisto Protocol feels like a new, albeit well-qualified studio, singing to the crowd: “We can make the kind of games we know you really, really want.” And we, the crowd—most of us anyway—will sing back: “Yes, you can, keep on going.”

A big part of me wants a blockbuster horror game to go off the rails a bit, in a way a lot of people hoped Hideo Kojima would with Silent Hills. But it’s hard to fault The Callisto Protocol for nailing—or GRPing to a row of wall-mounted spikes—exactly what it sets out to achieve: engaging, linear sci-fi survival horror that spins a deepening dystopian yarn around dozens of stressful encounters. In other words, for the abundant masochists among us: comfort food for weirdos, or Wario Dragon Quest.

 
Calling The Callisto Protocol uninspired is incorrect; on the contrary, it wears its many inspirations boldly on its sleeve. Rather, The Callisto Protocol is a celebration of the best horror games of the previous generation, including Dead Space. It excels at what it sets out to do, which is deliver a rollicking good ride with plenty of scares along the way, and it takes clear pride in its heritage. During the game’s denouement, a line of dialogue seems to address me directly: “I do hope you’ve enjoyed your stay at Black Iron.” I’m gratified to say that I have, and I’ll certainly be making a return to The Callisto Protocol again in the future.
 
The Callisto Protocol is a consistently good game that, when it’s at its best, gives many of the survival horror greats a run for their money. However, there’s no getting around the fact the game has very little to truly call its own. In borrowing so heavily from Dead Space, there’s always a sense of having been there, done that. With frame rate issues and an unimaginative story with poor characters, The Callisto Protocol is good. But it’s not great.
 
The Callisto Protocol is a deeply immersive sci-fi horror experience that firmly grabs you at the start and doesn’t let go. While this immersion shows its cracks during the transition into new areas, it’s not enough to ruin the overall experience. The Callisto Protocol is an impressive first outing for Striking Distance Studios, and the latest entry in the pantheon of excellent sci-fi horror stories.
 
An unflinchingly violent and gruesome survival horror that ratchets up the tension from the get-go and doesn’t let up, The Callisto Protocol is superlative stuff, and a must for anyone with even a passing fancy for Dead Space and its ilk.

For those wondering where our review is, it’ll hit the site soon, as we weren’t given a review code prior to launch.

Are you happy or disappointed with the review scores? And more importantly, are you looking to get the game?

Top Games and Upcoming Releases