The way the combat works should be brilliant – you can hold left and right on the left stick to dodge incoming attacks. Even one on one, The Callisto Protocol is prone to absolutely merciless battles that can visit insta-death on you seemingly at will. Having now finished it on default difficulty I now know it's because the fighting system fundamentally doesn't work with any more than a single enemy. When I played the preview back in October I liked the heavy weight and brutality of the combat, assuming the difficulty came from being dropped in cold, part way into the action. But the constant, crushing forgivingness of the fighting makes it an ordeal. On the basis of what I've mentioned so far, I really wanted to like The Callisto Protocol more. There's little slow burn or build, just gaps in between the shouting and things grabbing you. It does have its moments, with some nice spooky touches and a few surprises here and there, but it's very much in the LOUD NOISES wheelhouse of scary gaming overall. There is a more action focus over extended tension building overall. You're constantly trying to manage your inventory weighing up every bit of ammo and health as to what you can afford to leave and take. The Callisto Protocol has a classic survival horror feel in that sense. No one's trying to be a hero, just survive. The alien issue is very much on a list of things to deal with along the way, giving everything a pleasingly grounded feel. go! Like Dead Space, which was co-created by Striking Distance Studios founder Glen Schofield, The Callisto Protocol is focused on survival and problem solving over anything more noble, like saving the galaxy – get out of prison, find a ship to escape in, reach it, and so on. It's nothing groundbreaking, but good enough for a solid sci-fi adventure – you're a cargo pilot who crash lands on Callisto, one of Jupiter's moons, along with the terrorist that sabotaged your ship. It's a weirdly cool little detail, as well as a useful one. When monsters are moving through air vents you can actually follow their position from the audio, and know where they're going to pop out. Sound design overall is excellent, with the station clanging, creaking, and groaning like it's alive. There are some great tonal shifts in terms of lighting, space, and atmosphere as well that add some really nice vibes – areas awash in blood red light (because of all the blood on the lights) a section in an oxygen processing forest that's tense as all hell, while the trees around you rustle and chitter. It's full of levels and environments that I actively enjoyed exploring and finding things to look at – the level of detail, texture, and ambience to everything is incredibly well done, from grimy metal to haze in the air, and it's never less than a beautiful thing to see. Developer Striking Distance Studios has done an amazing job at creating something this polished and visually strong. For starters, The Callisto Protocol is a fantastic looking game. Platform(s): PS5, PS4, PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One ![]()
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