Our Callisto Protocol review begins on Callisto – where else? “Oh no,” Jacob says, as a hulking mass of flesh, teeth, and tentacles lurches towards him, and I can’t help but agree. His time in Black Iron prison has not been going smoothly; in fact, it’s been one setback after another while making his escape through a horde of mutated prisoners, guards, and colonists. He’s also undergone his fair share of grisly deaths along the way (sorry, Jacob) and my dwindling ammo suggests he’s about to endure another.

The Callisto Protocol is the first outing for Striking Distance Studios, and with Glen Schofield at the helm, it’s got a lot of expectations riding on its shoulders. Admittedly, it’s easy to fall into the mindset that you’re playing Dead Space. The Callisto Protocol’s certainly got the basics down: a third-person sci-fi action horror, complete with diegetic health bars and kinetic powers. However, it’s by no means a simple clone, and there are even several homages to other games that’ll spark joy in the twisted hearts of seasoned horror fans. A flooded area flirting with the threat of movement below the surface evokes Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and the spectrum of mutations includes a blind foe that tracks sound, emitting a series of distinctive clicks as it lurches through the dark. Sound familiar?

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