The Callisto Protocol review: An outbreak that could have been perfect

The Callisto Protocol got off on the wrong foot with fans. What was promised as a successor to the Dead Space franchise was regarded a massacre due to its buggy launch. But, then again, it isn’t as bad as it sounds. While there were a lot of problems at launch, the title actually isn’t bad if we can look past that.

The Callisto Protocol incorporates several new features - from a minimalist HUD to a unique combat feature that focuses more on melee strikes and dodges. It may take you some time to get used to the overall combat mechanics. For gore lovers, The Callisto Protocol is a satisfying game, but it treads the line of being repetitive after a point.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinions.

Jailbreak gone wrong and some unnatural allies form the crux of The Callisto Protocol

In The Callisto Protocol, you have to play as Jacob Lee, a cargo pilot wrongly incarcerated in the Black Iron Prison on the Moon. During one of their routine runs to the prison, Jacob’s ship is intercepted by the Outer Way, a group being blamed for an alleged terrorist attack on Europa.

After a considerable amount of struggle, Jacob manages to crash-land on the Moon. Initially, it’s believed that he’s the only survivor of the crash, but, a few moments later, one discovers that Dani Nakamura, the leader of the Outer Way, has also survived. The two of them are then led to prison and jailed on the orders of Duncan Cole, the warden.

Your survival story begins the moment you wake up from your slumber, which can be attributed to you receiving an implant in the back of your neck. You discover that you’ve woken up in the middle of a jailbreak, but it’s no ordinary one.

There are robotic sentries on the prowl, but you have more to fear - mutated entities roam the world. They were inmates at one point but transformed into flesh-eating, gore-loving monsters after getting infected with a strange virus.

The overall gameplay progression is fairly simple and linear. I’ll keep this review spoiler-free, but one should note that the conclusion is quite interesting. Jacob makes a few decisions that paint his character in a different light altogether. I personally feel his actions are justified, but your opinion may differ.

I wish the plot extended a bit further so we could explore the ramification of the conclusion, but I am hoping this means we may get a sequel to The Callisto Protocol sometime in the near future.

Why shoot when you can punch and yeet?

The HUD is quite impressive. The status of your health is shown on the back of your neck. Your ammo count is displayed on the weapon itself. However, it will take you some time to get your hands on a gun, so you have to rely on melee combat till then. Remember to use guns wisely because ammo is scarce.

The combat system relies heavily on melee combat, and that is probably one of the most challenging elements of the game. During the early stages, you’ll come across one or two enemies at a time, so you should not have a difficult time engaging them or dodging their attacks.

While most titles have a dedicated key for dodging attacks, The Callisto Protocol is an exception. You’ll be using the direction keys (A and D on PC / left analog stick on controllers) to dodge the attacks of your enemy.

During one-on-one encounters, this is fairly easy. All you need to do is keep an eye on your enemy and predict where their attack is going to land before simply dodging in the opposite direction.

If you like gore, you'll love chopping your way through the enemies in the game (Image via Striking Distance Studios)

But, the problem begins when you’re being attacked by a group of enemies. I found myself in a sticky situation multiple times after dodging an attack from the enemy in front of me only to head straight into the claws of another flanking enemy.

Once you pick up a weapon, you’ll notice there’s a marker that tells you when you can land a precision shot. This usually comes up after you’ve managed to execute a combo on an enemy.

Since ammo is really scarce in the Black Iron Prison, you will want to exploit these “precision shot” windows whenever you get the chance. You can take down enemies quicker with a few such shots, and you won’t have to spend your entire clip as well.

The real fun begins when you finally acquire the GRP in The Callisto Protocol. This is an excellent crowd control device and lets you go “Wingardium Leviosa” without having to use a wand. You can lift up enemies and throw them onto items around you that can potentially kill them. Alternatively, you can lift certain objects and hurl them at enemies.

The GRP is a very interesting addition, especially for a title that boasts meticulous planning even for melee combat. Since it is quite overpowered, you won’t be able to utilize the GRP continuously. After a brief period of usage, it will recharge. Or, you’ll have to swap out its batteries (if you have any that is).

Thus, you will not be able to use it as a saving mechanism all the time. You have to get creative with all the weapons at your disposal while thinking on the fly.

Printing a weapon using a 3D printer inside the Black Iron Prison (Image via Striking Distance Studios)

As you progress, you’ll come across weapon blueprints that you can use to print weapons using the 3D printers within the Black Iron Prison.

If you’re a fan of blood splatter like me, you’ll love using the shotgun when you get your hands on it. I enjoyed blasting enemies who dared to come up to me when I was wielding the shotgun. But, be careful about spamming it because you may run out of ammo when you need it the most.

Challenging enemies and gory fights

The Callisto Protocol feels a lot like your run-of-the-mill survival horror game. The enemy types you’ll face are pretty standard. Besides the bosses and the mini-bosses, you’ll also come across regular zombified brawlers, creepy space crawlies, face-huggers, and space vampires that can turn other humans into similar space vampires.

You have to take the mutation factor into account. Every time you see an enemy with exposed tentacles, shoot the tentacles first so they do not have the opportunity to mutate into a more powerful enemy.

At the end of the day, all the fights are rather unidirectional. Although they may seem cumbersome in the beginning, you’ll get used to the mechanic as you progress through the game. Once you get a hang of the combat system in the game, you can enjoy it for a while before it begins to feel monotonous.

Thankfully, the recent patch lets us skip the death scenes that we’ve already witnessed. I winced every time I saw Jacob getting his head caved in by a brawler, and while that was enjoyable, I am happy that we finally have an option to skip it.

Enemies can interrupt your healing process in The Callisto Protocol (Image via Striking Distance Studios)

You have to be careful when trying to heal yourself in The Callisto Protocol, which requires extra planning on your part.

Enemies hit hard in The Callisto Protocol, no matter what difficulty you’re playing on. They’ll come at you when you’re least expecting it. Keep your eyes peeled for danger when trying to heal because these pesky space monsters can interrupt the procedure and send you packing to kingdom come.

Also, don’t ignore the environment. More often than not, you’ll find hints on how to defeat certain enemies written on the walls.

The one thing that bothers me is that we have to pick up everything we find inside a loot box. Having the option to choose what we want to take would make Jacob’s life a tad bit easier inside the Black Iron Prison.

Moreover, when you pick up Audio Logs, you’ll have to head into the Inventory to listen to them. It may have added to the creepiness of the overall environment in The Callisto Protocol if they played in full the moment they were collected.

An audio-visual treat or an audio treat and visual disaster?

At launch, The Callisto Protocol was literally unplayable. However, the developers have since dished out some patches to address most of the issues. Whenever you’re in an area that does not have a lot of geometric detailing in the environment, the title runs very smoothly.

The Callisto Protocol has some really beautiful visuals (Image via Striking Distance Studios)

But, the moment you come across a heavily-detailed environment, the frame rates drop significantly. You’ll notice the difference in the frame rates when crawling through a small space that opens out into a larger room/area. The moment you step out, there’s an instant drop in the frame rates. I won’t say this happens all the time, but it did happen enough times to make the overall playthrough mildly annoying.

The audio is probably one of the things the developers got right. The background score blends in perfectly with the ambient sounds of the environment in The Callisto Protocol. Moreover, if you pay attention to the sounds, you’ll notice that there are certain audio cues to indicate incoming enemies.

It also adds an element of realism to the game. When you’re navigating your way through the guts of the prison, each and every squelch will make you go “yuck” and “eww."

In conclusion

The 8-hour long playthrough has its moments. There are certain pockets where the combat and the setting make the gameplay very intense. However, it is linear, and, after a point, you will know what to expect whenever you enter a new area because the audio cues are very similar.

On the flip side, the visuals are stunning, and I cannot help but appreciate the team at Striking Distance Studios for the artwork in The Callisto Protocol. Despite the gore, I personally felt that no two corridors in the Black Iron Prison were the same. Bugs and stutters aside, the design of this title shows that everyone worked hard on it.

Just like most of the community, I’ll be eagerly waiting for the New Game+ mode that’s set to arrive next year. If you were to look past the bugs and the glitches, The Callisto Protocol is actually a title worth playing. You can also look forward to the forthcoming updates, which will include the aforementioned mode and the Season Pass.

Hopefully, they’ll add more content to The Callisto Protocol, because that’s something the game is lacking in.