The Callisto Protocolfeatures many similarities withDead Spacethat will inevitably inspire comparisons between the two. This makes complete sense since Glen Schofield, co-creator ofDead Space, is helming the new IP at developer Striking Distance Studios. That said,The Callisto Protocollooks to be coming into its own and seems to serve as a grisly spiritual successor to Schofield’sDead Spacein its own science-fiction survival-horror atmosphere.
Many of the aforementionedsimilarities betweenThe Callisto ProtocolandDead Spacerevolve around said-atmosphere, with common tropes, jump-scares, and gory brutalities executed. Firearm ammunition also appears above the weapon itself, and the player’s health is represented on a minimalist HUD placed on the character’s body for quick visual reference. However, one paramount difference isolatesThe Callisto Protocolapart fromDead Space: an emphasis on melee encounters.
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Players have seen a couple of the firearms that will be available inThe Callisto Protocol, which look fairly similar to those implemented intoDead Spaceas they concentrate on splitting limbs and dismembering biophages.Today’s new gameplay footage at Summer Game Festshowed a brief look at a new weapon called the Grip, which behaves similarly toDead Space’s Kinesis, allowing players to lift and throw enemies.
While the similarities continue,The Callisto Protocol’s last-resort melee encountersare perhaps what differentiates the two IPs the most.The Callisto Protocol’s recent cinematic trailer depicted protagonist Jacob Lee with a baton that holds some sort of stun charge. In today’s brief reveal of raw, unedited gameplay footage, fans are offered a glimpse at how the baton looks in action.
Simple swings of the baton can mean the difference between Jacob being killed or not as an enemy closes the distance or if players are interrupted while trying to manually reload a firearm, which is already a monumental change fromDead Space.Dead Space’s Isaac Clarke can wildly swing his arms and stomp on corpses and necromorphs, but melee is never advised inDead Space’s practical combat encounters because necromorphs are much quicker and Isaac’s haymakers are ineffective against them.
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The Callisto Protocol Lets Jacob Lee Evade Biophages
Moreover, the baton is not the only useful mechanic players will have at their disposal if enemies draw closer and ammunition is low. InDead Space, proper distancing is incredibly important and while the player can sprint away to gain more distance, it is oftentimes more efficient to slice away at their gangly limbs to render them incapacitated.
InThe Callisto Protocol, it seems as if players will have a dedicated evasion mechanic where they can side-step incoming melee attacks. This will surely be an instrumental mechanic for players to use and may get them out of particularly troubling encounters that they would otherwise be killed in. It is uncertain how exploitable this dodge mechanic will be, such as if players can side-step continuously to avoid attacks, or if it is a well-timed skill similar to a parry or counter.
This evasion technique, in tandem with Jacob’s stun baton, make for an already comprehensive melee strategy thatDead Spacenever had.Dead Spacelacks this sort of melee approach due to the fact that it wished to perpetuate an isolated survival-horror atmosphere where Isaac is not a battle-ready soldier, but a lowly engineer.
The Callisto Protocol’s Jacob already looks much more equipped and prepared for combat than Isaac, which will undoubtedly make it more of an action-horror title, but it also looks as if players will not always have these tools and armaments on them, making the combat more dynamic. Either way,this is a great way forThe Callisto Protocolto separate itself fromDead Spaceand offer fans new mechanics to reinvent the action-horror genre.
The Callisto Protocolreleases on December 2 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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