Humans and nonhumans on the moon
With that in mind, the story written for The Callisto Protocol focuses on two characters – Jacob and Ferris. We see both of them from almost the very beginning until the end of the adventure. The characters in the game personally remind me of their counterparts, e.g. from Resident Evil, where the hidden intentions, a skilled player is able to catch from the first seconds. Not to mention the presentation of The Callisto Protocol, this story is quite predictable, but well served. Perhaps tthe creators wanted the start of the brand to be rather safe, with an emphasis on performance and gameplay that emphasizes exploration and intense combat. . This requires a few moments to understand the mechanics of the clashes. Lean out the character with the left analog to avoid taking damage. The quick, unnatural blows of chrysalis humans are hard to predict, so there are moments of frustration at the beginning of the game. Sometimes I got the impression that the title did not stand a chance against a group of infected if we did not have firearms or enough ammunition at hand. In a way, this creates a sense of survival, once the core principle of most survival-horror games.
The Callisto Protocol delivers quality, reasonably solid gameplay, although you need to get a little more “feel” into the enemy encounters. However, we meet opinions according to which the game fails, why? I love the Dead Space trilogy, even the less famous part three. In The Callisto Protocol, the concentration of solutions from dead space is high. Schofield openly admitted that Striking Distance will follow the methods developed by the late Visceral Games. The game looks great, the animations of both Jacob’s outfit and monsters, or the already infamous sequences of brutal deaths are impressive. Optimization is a bit worse. The versions on Sony consoles are often indicated as relatively refined, but it should be mentioned that Striking Distance has received powerful support. Nearly 150 people from PlayStation Malesia and PlayStation Visual Arts Studio Group were involved in the cooperation. At the same time, when running the title without downloading the update, I encountered problems related to e.g. with the efficiency and synchronization of voices with facial expressions of the characters. The Callisto Protocol smells like a budgetbut not everywhere.
The publisher cries that the title does not knock out sales bars. The team working at Striking Distance did a titanic job. With The Callisto Protocol, like a boomerang, the topic of crunch returns. Shofield has high hopes for the brand. There is a lot of potential here, not fully used, despite strong support. The game seems to really kick off in the second half, where we catch our breath for a moment, freed from the claustrophobia of David Fincher’s Alien 3. Jacob’s prison outfit and frieze are probably the apple of the eye towards movie lovers. The Callisto Protocol, despite the shortcomings, funds the expected breeze of new generation games. Unfortunately, there is also a rush. Poor variety of infected, virtually no boss fights, heavily narrowed locations, mostly. Hence, it’s hard to point The Callisto Protocol as a spiritual winner over the classic Dead Space, not to mention the upcoming renovation.
Five to twelve
Certain things in The Callisto Protocol obviously took a little longer. Schofield, though remorseful, did not avoid a crunch before the game’s debut. Hard work doesn’t always pay off, in fact it rarely does. Striking Distance has already achieved powerful results for the launch of the brand in a world dominated by top publishers. Without help, it would be hard. Unfortunately, the budget is the measure of even the best ambitions. Developers from Invader Studios, the team responsible for Daymare: 1998, would certainly agree. We don’t compare the two games strictly to each other, that project was born from the failure of the failed fan remake of Resident Evil 2. Schofield had a reputation, he had contacts, he gained financial support. And before the deadline, it wasn’t easy either. “Anyone who knows me at least a little knows my approach to my passion and the people I work with on a daily basis. Earlier, I stated that I am proud of the amount of work put in by our team. I was wrong. We value passion, not long hours at work. I’m sorry the team had to go through this” – this moving quote from the father-founder of Striking Distance appeared after the “press” intervention of Jason Schreier, a well-known Bloomberg journalist.
We, as gamers, have gained the potential for a new, interesting brand in the sci-fi horror genre. A lot has changed since Alien: Isolation. Soon we will receive a rebuilt from scratch, Dead Space. Are we dissatisfied with The Callisto Protocol? Taking into account the rather turbulent circumstances of the game’s development, pandemic obstacles during the production process (and the title was being developed since the end of 2019), the involvement of Sony reserves – the game was successful. It is still far from ideal, but it is definitely closer than further. Perhaps the publisher, Krafton, should consider possible discounts on the game so that more undecided players will get to know the story of Jacob and his ilk? Building a brand takes time and effort. Glen Schofield wants to develop a sequel, possibly DLC is in the plans. One with new enemies and a handful of bosses? I’m for. The Callisto Protocol does the job, delivering strong visual quality and gameplay that needs some attention. Because the fight here is governed by its own brutal laws. Have you already played The Callisto Protocol or do you expect Striking Distance production prices to drop a bit?
