The Callisto Protocol might have been a lot much better than it is. In the lack of Dead Space and other games like it over the past decade, The Callisto Protocol is launching here at the end of 2022 to offer a shot in the arm to the survival-horror category. And while Callisto mainly hits all the standard criteria that you’d anticipate from a game of this type, it doesn’t do anything special to make it an unforgettable experience.

One of my larger concerns with the storytelling of The Callisto Protocol is that a lot of the finer information and lore of this world are expanded via audio logs that can be gathered over the course of the game. And while this is a completely sufficient method of completing the gaps, my main annoyance on this front is that audio logs can’t even be listened to unless you access them manually from the video game’s menu. Rather than being able to listen to these recordings while moving onward through a given level, you rather have to stop everything you’re doing, discover the audio log in question that you simply selected up, and after that activate it. It Is and’s an irritating function one that I’m stunned to see exists in a 2022 video game.

The best thing I can say is that the efficiencies throughout the board are quite strong when it comes to the characters in The Callisto Protocol. Chapel, in particular, adds a great deal of weight to Lee’s character and does an excellent job in the video game’s more psychological minutes. Karen Bukhara, who portrays Dani Nakamura, also functions as a standout existence throughout.

The most special attack that Lee has in his arsenal in The Callisto Protocol is referred to as GRP. Essentially, GRP allows you to get different objects or enemies and fling them about the environment. While simply tossing enemies around offers damage by itself, environmental risks are also regular and can be used to dispatch enemies quickly. GRP isn’t necessarily a game-changing function of Callisto, but nabbing up a beast and tossing it into spinning propeller blades was consistently amusing.

To go along with this, I discovered myself having a reasonable number of other little glitches with the game. In addition to one outright crash, I would frequently discover myself unable to get products or even stop working to see certain products respawn when beginning over from a checkpoint. I can’t talk to how the first day patch might enhance a few of these errors, however my own time with the game was quite rough.

Guns are likewise present in The Callisto Protocol, however unlike what was seen with Dead Space, there aren’t any weapons that feel unique or fun to utilize. Every gun you’ll obtain over the course of The Callisto Protocol is some version of an attack, shotgun, or pistol rifle. These weapons can be updated over time and can unlock alternative shooting modes, however even then, they still mainly run in the very same methods. For a game that wanted to be a spiritual follower to Dead Space, I was surprised to see just how routine its weapons were.

The story of The Callisto Protocol is really simple, and for the most part, I don’t have a problem with this. I think horror stories typically work best when their main conflicts are quite standard, so to have the large majority of The Callisto Protocol center around this idea of getting away Black Iron Jail works quite well.

On its benefits as a horror game, The Callisto Protocol at least does a solid task of crafting gruesome monsters and eerie environments. Striking Distance Studios has actually nailed the tone and vibe that I was hoping The Callisto Protocol would feature ever given that it was very first unveiled.

Gameplay is the part of The Callisto Protocol that I discover myself most disappointed with. In a general sense, Lee acquires a number of tools over the course of the video game, each of which are quite varied from one another. Much of the fight in The Callisto Protocol encourages you to utilize melee attacks in an effort to save ammo. This is a great concept on paper, however the melee combat seen in the video game is far too standard to ever be fun beyond the very first hour. Lee’s hand-to-hand attacks stay one-note for the entirety of the video game, and the included dodging and blocking mechanics don’t do much to shake things up.

Manager fights aren’t very typical in The Callisto Protocol, however when they do show up, they aren’t entertaining. Managers just served to magnify many of my complaints with the gameplay mechanics of The Callisto Protocol, with the video game’s last baddie proving to be irritating beyond the point of pleasure.

Just like the Dead Space series which The Callisto Protocol director Glen Schofield assisted develop back in 2008, The Callisto Protocol is a sci-fi scary game that takes players to the titular moon on Callisto. It’s here that the central protagonist Jacob Lee (portrayed by Josh Chapel) discovers himself caught within Black Iron Prison as it’s overrun with vicious, mysterious monsters. Through the help of a number of other characters that Lee stumbles upon, you’re tasked with trying to find a method off of Callisto while also revealing how this monstrous outbreak began in the very first place.

The Callisto Protocol isn’t necessarily bad, but it does not do much to verify why survival-horror fans desired these kinds of video games back in the first location. With a bit more depth to its numerous systems and mechanics, The Callisto Protocol could have been much more pleasurable from start to complete. Rather, my primary takeaway from Callisto has just been that I’m now that far more fired up to play a number of other survival-horror games that are set to release in 2023.

Far and away my biggest trouble with The Callisto Protocol came with its efficiency and other technical struggles. In short, I can’t advise that you play Callisto on anything other than the high-performance graphical alternative.

Score: 3 out of 5

The Callisto Protocol is readily available now across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC platforms. An evaluation copy was provided by the publisher for the function of the game and this evaluation was used Xbox Series X.

The Callisto Protocol isn’t always bad, but it does not do much to confirm why survival-horror fans desired these types of video games back in the very first location.

In the lack of Dead Area and other games like it over the past decade, The Callisto Protocol is releasing here at the end of 2022 to offer a shot in the arm to the survival-horror category. Much like the Dead Area series which The Callisto Protocol director Glen Schofield helped establish back in 2008, The Callisto Protocol is a sci-fi scary game that takes gamers to the titular moon on Callisto. One of my bigger concerns with the storytelling of The Callisto Protocol is that many of the finer details and tradition of this world are fleshed out through audio logs that can be gathered over the course of the game. Managers only served to enhance numerous of my problems with the gameplay mechanics of The Callisto Protocol, with the game’s final baddie proving to be irritating beyond the point of satisfaction.