A swing and miss from the co-creator of Dead Space
The Callisto Protocol was always advertised as a Dead Space-like game that is trying to pick up the torch dropped after the studio that developed the series, Visceral Games, was closed down by EA several years ago.
It appears that EA didn’t like the ideas Visceral provided for a fourth Dead Space game, so it decided to shelf the franchise. The Dead Space Remake coming this year might be either a death sentence for the series or a new beginning, depending on how well will perform financially.
That said, The Callisto Protocol is supposedly an evolution of the Dead Space formula, especially since it’s developed by Glen Schofield, the co-creator of the Dead Space series, and his new studio called Striking Distance Studios.
Unfortunately, The Callisto Protocol not only lacks any twists or new elements, but also simplifies many mechanics and systems that made the Dead Space games so unique (in a good way).
The Callisto Protocol follows the story of Jacob Lee, greatly played by Josh Duhamel, who weirdly becomes prisoner on the Jovian moon Callisto. There’s absolutely no buildup to the moment that Jacob has to fight against infected prisoners with an unknown disease, but at least Duhamel plays the role very well.
From start to finish, The Callisto Protocol seems a low-budget version of Dead Space, although that might not be true on paper. The entire formula has been copied and adapted to work on the same frame, but with a slightly different taste: a bitter one.
Despite trying to make every level feel claustrophobic and terrifying, I didn’t feel really threatened until the last chapter of the game where I got some Dead Space vibes, even if just for a short while.
