New IPs will always have a harder time appealing to fans unless they are striking and unique, much like Tango Gameworks’Hi-Fi Rushwas when shadow-launched. It is certainly not a bad thing to have parts of a game’s design inspired by other games, especially if those games helped to push the genre forward satisfyingly.Resident Evil 4helped shape what many modern action games look and feel like, for example, and that influence will only be extended with theResident Evil 4remake releasing next month.
The Callisto Protocolis a new IP that draws a lot of its inspiration from Glen Schofield’s ownDead Space, but those inspirations are little more than structural imitations.The Callisto Protocolseems to want to be its ownDead Spaceor a spiritual successor, but it fails to exceed beyond the design or mechanics ofDead Spacein any meaningful way.Dead Spaceis iconic for its originality, and despite the fact that it had its ownResident EvilandSilent Hillinspirations, it still manages to carve its own path in a way thatThe Callisto Protocolcould not.
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The Callisto Protocol’s adherence toDead Spacetropes is so obnoxiously evident that it feels as if Striking Distance Studios was trying to remind fans that Glen Schofield co-createdDead Space. This was surely all the marketing forThe Callisto Protocolneeded, especially in a nearly 10-yearDead Spacedrought.
That is not to say that no other game is allowed to havesimilar mechanics or diegetic UI, butThe Callisto Protocolis an imitation of these features rather than an attempt to reinterpret them creatively.The Callisto Protocol’s CORE is simplyDead Space’s RIG, for example, andThe Callisto Protocol’s GRP is simplyDead Space’s Kinesis—which is also unironically used to pull GRIP levers.
However,Dead Space’s Kinesisis excellent because it can be used to sever and wield necromorph appendages, while hurling biophages off of scaffolding or into spiked walls is only interesting and satisfying for so long inThe Callisto Protocol. Moreover, melee combat certainly helpsThe Callisto Protocolstand out, but it is not balanced well enough in its implementation to make it a truly great part of gameplay. Otherwise,The Callisto Protocolis a slog due to countless back-to-back shimmy sequences and a fundamental lack of atmosphere.
The fact thatThe Callisto Protocolreleased a month before Motive’sDead Spaceremake was the biggest nail in its coffin.The Callisto Protocolwas generally disliked at launch nonetheless, but having such a faithful yet additive remake of the game it imitates release soon after truly punctuates everything inferior aboutThe Callisto Protocol.
TheDead Spaceremake accentuates the original’s atmosphere with upscaled lighting, shadows, and volumetrics, and entire levels are redesigned or restructured with more exploration throughout the USG Ishimura. The weaker gameplay designs from the originalDead Spaceare replaced with theupdated designs fromDead Space 2, side quests dive deeper into lore and optional rewards, and the storytelling is much better with Isaac able to converse with other characters.
The argument can easily be made that this is a remake and not its own IP, butThe Callisto Protocolcould have either chosen to separate itself with more original ideas or exceed upon the mechanics it had drawn inspirations from. Unfortunately, it does neither.
The Callisto Protocolis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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