The Callisto Protocol

Xbox Series X
Striking Distance

the xbox achievement image for finishing the callisto protocol
It took me two months to do what could have been done in eight-nine hours.

I bought this at launch because I felt a vague need to support Glen Schofield. The marketing took me in, and I could not resist the promise of a “Dead Space spiritual successor”. Which it was, if only as a ghost of what made the original game great.

The visuals in Callisto are everything, with sound design a close second. Camera, movement, and game play all suffer from design choices intended to hamper and frustrate the player. The story has its moments, but by the end it flops limply to the floor like a severed limb: twitchy, ugly, and useless.

The game failed to scare me because the visual design is overbearing. There is nothing subtle about the setting or enemies. By the second chapter—of seven—I was tired of the raw chicken breast texture that wrapped every surface.

The game is not difficult, either. It is tedious: dodge a requisite number of times and then counter attack with a weapon. This is not a terrible thing, but Dead Space’s weapon-first combat felt more immediate and satisfying.

Callisto is a decent showcase for the Xbox Series X, although the raytracing is half-assed and I noticed some frame drops and glitched loads even several major patches into the lifecycle.

If it comes to Game Pass or the bargain bin it is worth a go, otherwise I would recommend spending those gaming pennies on the Dead Space remake.

2023.02.11

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