Summary
Striking Distance Studios has revealedProject Birdseye, a roguelike spin-off ofThe Callisto Protocoluniverse. In 2022, Striking Distance Studios releasedThe Callisto Protocol, a survival horror game. The game is set in space and centered around a man fighting through the breakout of an illness on a starship, which, in premise and tone, bore stark resemblances toDead Space. These similarities caught the attention of fans, who were excited to see the project led byDead Spacecreator Glen Schofield.
The Callisto Protocolreleased to mixed reviews, most notably suffering performance issues in its PC release, which caused Steam users to give the game many negative reviews. Recent reception on Steam has shifted towards positive, now that stuttering, general performance, and optimization issues have been fixed in patches. Despite its mixed reception, the game picked up plenty of attention for different features like being so violent that some gamers consider it one of thegoriest games of all time, or its cast, includingTransformersactor Josh Duhamel andThe Boysstar Karen Fukuhara. Since then, Striking Distance has focused its efforts on several new projects, one of which has now been revealed.
Fans ofThe Callisto Protocolmay be excited to hear about the new installment in the series' universe titledProject Birdseye. This game is a “super fast action-roguelike” with a cartoon-ish art style similar to that of theBorderlandsseries. During the trailer, it is mentioned that this game is being developed alongside Striking Distance’s next AAA Game. It is currently unclear whether this additional game orProject Birdseyeare thenew Unreal Engine 5 game from Striking Distance, or if that is something different.
Project Birdseye First Look Trailer
In the one-minute trailer forProject Birdseye, plenty of gameplay is displayed, emphasizing the ideas “fight, die, adapt, upgrade.” The top-down bird’s eye view combat is shown alongside upgrade charts that show “melee schematics,” such as a perk that allows players to repel enemy projectiles by using their melee attack. Some commenters say this game seems likeHadesin space, which may excite players hopingProject Birdseyejoins the ranks of the many alreadygreat roguelike games available to play.
The Callisto Protocolwas given a second chanceby players after Striking Distance earned its players' trust back by improving the game. IncludingProject Birdseye, players who have come to appreciate the studio’s style may have at least two games to look forward to. Fans of the first game will likely hope that this game does not release with similar issues, and as noted from its excitement to loop fans in on the earlier stages of the development process, Striking Distance appears intent on listening to player feedback up to release.
The Callisto Protocol
WHERE TO PLAY
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 the rapidly evolving creatures while scavenging to unlock new weapons, gear, and abilities to outrun the growing threat and escape the horrors of Jupiter’s Dead Moon.
