The Callisto Protocol Reviews
Check out The Callisto Protocol Review Scores from trusted Critics below. With 36 reviews on CriticDB, The Callisto Protocol has a score of:
In this narrative-driven, third-person survival horror game set 300 years in the future, the player will take on the role of Jacob Lee – a victim of fate thrown into Black Iron Prison, a maximum-security penitentiary located on Jupiter's moon, Callisto. When inmates begin to transform into monstrous creatures, the prison is thrown into chaos. To survive, Jacob must battle his way to safety to escape Black Iron Prison, while uncovering the dark and disturbing secrets buried beneath the surface of Callisto. Using a unique blend of shooting and close-quarters combat, Jacob will need to adapt his tactics to combat...
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The Callisto Protocol is one of the year’s biggest letdowns. It is joyless, contrived and feels unfinished, as if the studio rushed it out prior to Dead Space Remake’s launch on January 27, 2023. Like Black Iron itself, I can’t help but feel the project was abandoned at some point. It feels so wrong for a game that looks and sounds this great to be so devoid of spark and quality control. It’s fitting that after traversing every tight nook and cranny, the only feeling left once the cre...
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Dead Space remains one of the greatest horror games of all time. A game that is equally both action-packed and terrifying, taking all the right notes from the amazing Resident Evil 4 and ramping it up to eleven. Dead Space 2 elevated this even further, with a more action-packed yet just as terrifying entry. The Callisto Protocol is from Dead Space creator, Glen Schofield, and some key members from that production team, so I’ve been keenly keeping my eye on this game for a while. I was reall...
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Survival horror games come in all shapes and sizes and The Callisto Protocol provides a promising take on the genre so let's get to it.
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If Callisto Protocol was able to get out of its own way (and was less glitchy at launch), it probably would have been an even bigger hit. If they’re aiming for a follow-up I hope they take a lot of the criticism to heart, because there’s something here.
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Aside from one or two overly frustrating encounters, we’ve truly enjoyed our time with The Callisto Protocol. And over time, we’re sure it’s going to get better. This is a mighty debut for Striking Distance Studios, and we can’t wait to get our hands on an improved sequel or something entirely new from the studio in the future. We wholeheartedly recommended The Callisto Protocol to horror fans open to brutal close-combat encounters, but some might want to wait until features such as New Game Plus have been added and certain issues have perhaps been ironed out. With a solid update...
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Amazing visuals and stellar atmosphere notwithstanding, The Callisto Protocol is held back by a cumbersome combat system, technical woes, and other issues.
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The Callisto Protocol is a good first shot at terrifying you in space. While not as scary as Dead Space, and lacking the same kind of satisfying combat, there is still fun to be had amidst the sometimes enragingly-unfair fights and odd story pacing. After just eight chapters, the adventure is over, as it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Things are also setup nicely for a sequel, should sales meet or exceed expectations, so with any luck Striking Distance will have another chance to deliver a more refined adventure that truly terrifies us.
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The Callisto Protocol has occasional bouts of fun melee combat and fantastic graphics, but too much of the game is simply not fun to play to be worth it.
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The Callisto Protocol is a bittersweet survival horror game that doesn't revolutionize the genre as many expected it to do. While this unquestionably stings, we'd suggest people try and look past some of its odd gameplay mechanics, and its slightly dated design. There's an immensely challenging and satisfying experience to be had in Striking Distance Studios' short but sweet first outing.
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The Callisto Protocol has intriguing ideas but its unsatisfying combat and linear level design prevent it from being the Dead Space spiritual successor we hoped for.
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Confused, contradictory and all too reliant on what came before, fantastic visuals that may stand as one of the current-gen's best can't save what's a terribly underwhelming release with The Callisto Protocol. A game that tries so desperately to be acknowledged for its own identity, all while relying on its most blatant and obvious of call-backs. It wouldn't be as bad if Striking Distance had picked one of the two intentions and committed, but it's this indecisiveness that is but the start of an experience, despite its short length and little replayability, you'll desperately want to see the back of....
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The isolation and mystery that lies in the abyss of space are the foundation for numerous horrors. Alien, Event Horizon and of course, Dead Space are just a few examples that use the setting to tell demented tales that aim to gnaw at the insecurities in our psyche. After a sustained period of silence, the co-creator of the aforementioned cult classic is back with The Callisto Protocol. Will this tentative trek down a foreboding corridor be a scream or a nauseating slog?
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A technically impressive action horror game, The Callisto Protocol gets stuck in orbit.
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The Callisto Protocol is a dramatic misfire for the developers at Striking Distance
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Striking Distance Studios has crafted a largely by-the-numbers horror-action title with terrific presentation that could've been something truly special.
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The Callisto Protocol is my biggest disappointment this year. While it nails the aesthetic and is one of the most beautiful games I’ve played this year, it misses the mark in almost every other department. I think it can be refined to at least be more fun, but in its current state, the story and gameplay weigh down this new entry to the survival horror genre from the potential it so obviously has.
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The Callisto Protocol really is a game of two halves. Striking Distance Studios has served up a slice of sci-fi/horror that gets off to a reasonably strong start, introducing a jaw-dropping world and punchy new combat system that impresses until it becomes strained by busy enemy encounters, a handful of miserable boss confrontations and a narrative that goes absolutely nowhere. As much as this one dazzles from a graphical perspective, overall it's a shadow of the game that it most closely seeks to emulate. With little in the way of replayability and a final act we genuinely never want to...
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The Callisto Protocol is a gorgeous mess. I cannot recommend it at the full launch price. The combat is miserable, and the story is simply not interesting. If you are a massive fan of survival horror it lets you down by not being scary either, instead relying on jump scares the entire time. It is highly competent technically though, and I hope the team at Striking Distance gets more time for their next title, which very well could be a sequel to this one.
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The Callisto Protocol is what happens when you aim for the moon and land on your arse.
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Dead Space comparisons are impossible to avoid - but while The Callisto Protocol's missing some of the depth and tension, it makes up for it with production value and bloody-minded fun.
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A fantastic looking game that builds a great sci-fi world only to trash it with an unenjoyable combat challenge.
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The Callisto Protocol isn't that scary and has potentially annoying combat, but it would still be pretty fun if it didn't run like your three day old reheated takeaway.
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Gory and moody, The Callisto Protocol doesn't mess with the survival horror formula.
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The Callisto Protocol has the potential to run well on Deck, but can't quite do it yet.
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For years now, The Callisto Protocol has invited comparisons to the 2008 survival horror classic Dead Space. From the camera perspective and a lot of the combat through to the atmosphere and setting, it all screams silent protagonist Isaac Clarke and his great stomping boot. Wanting to emulate that tense undertaking 14 years later is understandable — particularly as it comes from one of the game's original creators — but it's a double-edged sword. In creating a tribute to a masterpiece, it already has a supremely solid foundation to work with. However, The Callisto Protocol has little it can really...
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The Callisto Protocol could probably be the next chapter of the Dead Space series. Instead, it is its worthy spiritual heir - even more bloody, brutal and dark. This is one of the most atmospheric games of recent years.
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The shadow of sci-fi survival horror classic Dead Space looms heavily over The Callisto Protocol (as does its remake in the new year) – but developer Striking Distance sure does its damnedest to step out swinging.
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The Callisto Protocol is the sum of its inspirations. While it's easy to write it off as a Dead Space clone that implements The Last of Us' combat, that would be a grave disservice to everything else it accomplishes. Its satisfying combat system, meaningful progression, and spectacular atmosphere should be more than enough to satisfy survival horror fans if they can stomach some repetitive sequences. Oh, and all the gore, although that's more a win than anything else.
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Striking Distance emphasizes realistic grit and real-deal peril in The Callisto Protocol, which is an intriguing premise on paper. In practice, this hard-line commitment to realism usually gets in the way of fun. The experience would greatly benefit from quality-of-life updates that speed up many animations, while also tweaking health sliders to give you more of a fighting chance.
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A spiritual successor to Dead Space that blends and riffs on ideas from the best horror games of recent years, with plenty of blood and guts to go around, though a lacklustre plot is its one minor flaw.
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Creating a spiritual successor to one of the most loved horror video games of all time is a tall task, but if anybody could do it, it’s developer Striking Distance Studios. A new team created by industry veteran Glen Schofield, who is credited as one of the creators of the original Dead Space, have created another horrific adventure, this time with The Callisto Protocol. While this is the first game from this team, you wouldn’t think that by looking at it; visually impressive and visceral...
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“Despite some cumbersome combat systems and performance issues, The Callisto Protocol successfully builds on Dead Space's legacy”
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Nearly a decade and a half ago, Visceral Games released Dead Space, a now cult-classic survival-horror game inspired by the likes of Alien and The Thing. If you've ever yearned for a return to its mix of sci-fi and horror, or if you want a near-identical experience to Schofield’s first survival horror hit, you’re in luck. Schofield's latest, The Callisto Protocol, veers incredibly close to Dead Space, for both better and worse. Unfortunately, though, it’s far too familiar. There are glimmers of greatness, namely in its opening hours, but what unfolds after is a tiresome and unsurprising eight hours that...
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Though it starts off on a strong note, The Callisto Protocol's focus on action-heavy spectacles fails to adequately explore its horror and overcrowds its weak combat mechanics.
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