The Callisto Protocol’s marketing has been overjoyed to share how grisly its animations and death sequences are. There is an expectation with modern horror to perpetuate high fidelity on current-gen consoles, and with that expectation there is inevitably going to be more realism peppered into science-fiction monstrosities. Striking Distance Studios seems to take a lot of pride inhow muchThe Callisto Protocolbrutalizes Jacob Lee, for example, but these choices have evidently rippled into a fairly impactful repercussion.
It was recently announced thatThe Callisto Protocolhas been banned in Japan. Japan’s CERO rating system has apparently deemed the game too excessively gory; however, while Striking Distance could have presumably chosen to alter or censor content in order to satiate CERO, it has chosen not to. This decision has an implication on whatThe Callisto Protocol’s genetic makeup is built around, demonstrating that Glen Schofield and Striking Distance were not willing to pull their punches when it comes to the game’s horrific violence.
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The Callisto Protocol is Clearly Heavy on Body Dismemberment Horror
It comes as no surprise thatThe Callisto Protocolis emphatic about body horror and body dismemberment. Having inherited many mechanics and conceptual designs fromDead Space, it is only natural forThe Callisto Protocolto have its own dismemberment, decapitation, and bodily brutalization.
Now, fans will not have to wonder whatThe Callisto Protocolwould look like without its series of indulgent death animations. Funnily enough,The Callisto Protocol’s death sequence achievement on PlayStationgoes to show how much Striking Distance stands behind its creative gore, and that it was unwilling to compromise after all the work it has put into these animations and moments of terrifying fidelity.
The Callisto Protocol’s graphic violence could arguably be considered gratuitous or excessive, but that is part of its flavor, similar to many other modern horror titles today. Each time Jacob Lee is butchered in a fight or accidentally falls into a giant piece of machinery that churns him into paste, that is another sequence fans will hopefully discuss and enjoy if they are partial to science-fiction survival-horror.
The Callisto Protocol is Right to Not Compromise Its Creative Direction
Choosing not to censor its content is maybe the best choice thatThe Callisto Protocolcould have made. This may impact a wider sales net that Striking Distance Studios and Krafton could have received for themselves otherwise, but it says a lot about the developer and publisher that they were not willing to abandonwhat makesThe Callisto Protocolspecial. Survival-horror games do not necessarily need to have an unreasonably high amount of gore, decapitations, or other bodily mutilations to excel in the genre. These features certainly help it stand out, though, and are a huge proponent to why some fans are drawn to games such asThe Callisto Protocol.
Not only are gory animations more cinematic and visually striking, but they also create greater stakes for the player. There are several options in combat players can rely upon, but exciting death animations make even perishing a fun experience, at least the first or second time that players see each unique animation. IfThe Callisto Protocolneeded to censor itself, it could have potentially lacked the same weight in horror and action, negatively impacting the experience that fans anticipate fromthe mind ofDead Space’s creator. The only foreseeable downside toThe Callisto Protocolmaintaining its original creative intent is that fans in Japan will not be able to experience it as a result.
The Callisto Protocolreleases December 2 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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