The Callisto Protocol Reviews
The Callisto Protocol is a nice surprise that certainly honors the series it was inspired from. Close quarter combat adds a unique gameplay element that really nurtures the horror and survival side. Striking Distance Studios offers us a balanced experience with the right level of action and horror that replicates the 2nd Dead Space perfectly. At last, the game is wrapped in a visual presentation that can't shy away from any AAA games. Apart from small problems with a few misplace saves, the experience is excellent. I'm already looking forward to the sequel.
Review in French | Read full review
With a proposal focused on terror, The Callisto Protocol succeeds in offering a solid, scary and addictive adventure. The battles are challenging and the setting is great, leaving that constant apprehension in each new corridor and room explored. It's not an absolute masterpiece, but it's certainly one of the best recent releases in the genre and deserves a place in your library.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The Callisto Protocol is a stunning and terrifying sci-fi experience worth getting scared over.
The Callisto Protocol is the best start for a new survival horror series to date. Schofield, Papoutsis and the other veterans at Striking Distance Studios have managed to create a new nightmare with a very bright future ahead.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The Callisto Protocol is a deeply immersive sci-fi horror experience that firmly grabs you at the start and doesn’t let go. While this immersion shows its cracks during the transition into new areas, it’s not enough to ruin the overall experience.
The Callisto Protocol is a gorgeous and gory science fiction horror experience that lives up to its big brother Dead Space in many ways, but fails to do so in others. The high production value, stellar cast of characters, top notch audio and visual design, and an excellent mix of adrenaline pumping action and terrifying horror are all overshadowed by a frustratingly designed dodge mechanic.
The Creator of Dead Space is back to horror and it hits hard. The Callisto Protocol is an intense, violent and old-school survival-horror. A game with a sense of horrific aesthetics that hits the nail on the head, a delightful atmosphere carried by a devastating sound design and a solid, brutal and gore combat system. Very Good.
Review in French | Read full review
An unflinchingly violent and gruesome survival horror that ratchets up the tension from the get-go and doesn't let up, The Callisto Protocol is superlative stuff, and a must for anyone with even a passing fancy for Dead Space and its ilk.
The Callisto Protocol is a modest starting point for what I hope will flourish into another heavy-hitting horror franchise. It's gory and gratuitous, with an endlessly satisfying combat system. But the lack of enemy variety scares, and surprises, even if engaging, stop it from being the horror game masterpiece it's trying to be. Despite all of its shortcomings, it's an immensely enjoyable romp that's left me desperate for more.
The long-awaited horror action is very contradictory and you can either love it or hate it. Anyway, probably no other game deserves the 18+ label as much as this one. It decides whether you just want an adrenaline-fuelled brutal action ride, or if you expect something more from the game than an interesting, but by the end, just a primitive massacre.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Aside from one or two overly frustrating encounters, we’ve truly enjoyed our time with The Callisto Protocol. And over time, we’re sure it’s going to get better. This is a mighty debut for Striking Distance Studios, and we can’t wait to get our hands on an improved sequel or something entirely new from the studio in the future. We wholeheartedly recommended The Callisto Protocol to horror fans open to brutal close-combat encounters, but some might want to wait until features such as New Game Plus have been added and certain issues have perhaps been ironed out. With a solid update or two, it will be essential.
The Callisto Protocol is definitely not going to be for everyone. It’s a game with a more rigid combat system that requires mastery to play the game, but it has a good story with a good redemption arc toward the end. I do have my fair share of complaints with the game, particularly with how healing is handled, the lack of an objective marker, and learning the near unforgiving combat mechanics of the game, but overall, the game is worth the journey if you are willing to put up with these minor gripes. With a strong visual and auditory presentation, the title is one that I won’t forget anytime soon.
The Callisto Protocol is an impressive first release from Striking Distance Studios with sublime visuals and immersive 3D audio, all set in a captivating new game world I just have to see more of. The performance on PS5 is exceptional: buttery-smooth frame rates, crisp 4K resolution and one of best implementations of ray tracing and DualSense features I've seen yet. If only the combat was better this would be a near-perfect outing, but alas that aspect needs some major reworking.
The Callisto Protocol is a perfect example of a game that is well-polished yet suffers from several design faults that highlight its weaknesses. In this case, the melee and dodge system can be a thorn in the game's side, but don't let that stop you from enjoying this otherwise fantastic experience.
The Callisto Protocol is an exceptional horror adventure title. It will be hard for Dead Space fans to ignore the similarities, but it should be enjoyed on its merits. With slick combat, amazing aesthetics, and an incredible plot, this needs to be played.
I enjoyed the game and the visuals as I found the look and story very engaging but I did have abundant frustration with the slow controls and combat which caused some segments to be replayed more than I wanted.
The Callisto Protocol isn't going to go down as a survival horror classic that some were expecting, but it might go down as an entertaining, technically brilliant way to spend a few afternoons across its roughly 8-10 hour journey. It's elevated by superb visuals and atmosphere, and an engaging combat system that really opens up once you learn its rhythm.
Overall there’s a lot to like about The Callisto Protocol. It’s a tight and well paced 10 hour experience and looks and runs great on the PS5 and It’s art direction and sound design help portray some really unsettling and horrific moments. It’s held back by some frustrating scare choices, repetitive combat and boss encounters and it’s push towards focussing on action in it’s later half. If the team at Striking Distance decide to flesh out the world they’ve established with a sequel, I’d love to see where they could take these characters and build out the setting next while having the benefit of having this first game to look back on.
Although the game suffers from some flaws, they are pretty mild. The Callisto Protocol is visually stunning, but unfortunately, the gameplay is mildly mediocre.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Gory and moody, The Callisto Protocol doesn't mess with the survival horror formula, instead embracing all its beats and clichés to tell a grim sci-fi tale that drips with menace.