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The callisto protocol coop5/21/2023 ![]() The differences between Dead Space and The Callisto Protocol are subtle but important. I know, I know-playfulness isn't exactly the first thing you think of when it comes to a game about being wrongfully imprisoned in a complex filled with monsters, but even Dead Space, with its brilliant plasma cutter, knew how to how to have a good time. ![]() ![]() It can be exciting and very occasionally scary (though not often, and I'm increasingly of the opinion that this isn't really a horror game, just a gory action game), but there's not much playfulness here. This isn't restricted to the death animations, either-no part of it is fun. The Callisto Protocol is just grim and angry. They're so over-the-top that they cease to be disturbing. But they're also incredibly silly and, despite the buckets of blood, have cartoon sensibilities. It revels in violence and viscera, and the latest game's fatalities really upped the ante-they're horrifying. I love my gore by the bucket-load, but even for me these sequences feel a bit much after repeated viewings. The only way to prepare for these ambushes is by expecting them, but that turns each fight into a miserable experience where I'm always wondering, "When is the next asshole going to appear?" And expecting a nasty surprise doesn't do anything to fix the other things that make death imminent. There's always an enemy hiding in a vent, in the ceiling, or behind a locked door. I can clear out a room and explore every nook and cranny, but it doesn't matter. I could put up with this a bit more if it didn't feel like The Callisto Protocol wasn't just trying to screw me all the time. Weapons can be upgraded, however, so this might stop being a big problem later into the game, but where I'm at it's a massive pain in the arse. While you've got a few extra tricks up your sleeve thanks to your guns and gauntlet, the lack of automatic reloading and the tiny energy pool of your gauntlet means that your bag of tricks often ends up greatly reduced, making survival all the harder. The lack of precision controls just turns these fights into a big ol' mess, while the camera and persistent darkness make it easy to lose track of your mutant adversaries, who may have ended up behind a crate or decided to briefly retreat. Even if you're lucky enough to have time to react to the surprise arrival, managing to position yourself and your foes so they are all in front of you, you're not out of the woods. The camera, audio and sluggish movement all feel designed for solo encounters, keeping you focused on a single enemy. The Callisto Protocol, unfortunately, is definitely on the side of the monsters.Įverything seems to have been set up to make sure you're fucked when another mutant wanders into the fight. Monsters coming out of nowhere to murder another clueless victim is a horror staple, which is fine in films, but in games you need to have that sense that the devs have your back that while they want to scare you and give you a challenge, ultimately they want you to survive the surprise and kill the monster. The Callisto Protocol, unfortunately, is definitely on the side of the monsters. More often than I'd like, though, that anticipation turns into frustration when another mutant walks up behind me and instantly puts me in my grave. ![]() Still, I enjoy these one-on-one brawls quite a bit, to the point that, when I see a mutant's silhouette at the end of a dark corridor, I'm buzzing with anticipation. ![]()
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