We feel like we've been waiting forever for this one, but The Callisto Protocol is finally out today, December 2nd! Ahead of launch, a bunch of outlets have been playing this horror shooter — directed by one of the creators of Dead Space — so we have a fair idea of what the critics think so far.
Update: You'll also now find our Pure Xbox review of The Callisto Protocol in the roundup below!
Here are some launch opinions on The Callisto Protocol:
PCGamesN (9/10)
"A spiritual successor to Dead Space that blends and riffs on ideas from the best horror games of recent years, with plenty of blood and guts to go around, though a lacklustre plot is its one minor flaw."
God is a Geek (8.5/10)
"The Callisto Protocol is violent and brutal, with stunning visuals, but it's intimacy causes a few problems that are hard to be overlooked."
PC Gamer (7.9/10)
"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."
IGN (7/10)
"The Callisto Protocol is a satisfyingly gory spiritual successor to the Dead Space series, but it’s ultimately more of a striking modern mimic than a scary new mutation."
Push Square (7/10)
"The Callisto Protocol is a consistently good game that, when it's at its best, gives many of the survival horror greats a run for their money. However, there's no getting around the fact the game has very little to truly call its own."
Pure Xbox (6/10)
"The Callisto Protocol really is a game of two halves. Striking Distance Studios has served up a slice of sci-fi/horror that gets off to a reasonably strong start, introducing a jaw-dropping world and punchy new combat system that impresses until it becomes strained by busy enemy encounters, a handful of miserable boss confrontations and a narrative that goes absolutely nowhere."
GameSpot (5/10)
"Though it starts off on a strong note, The Callisto Protocol's focus on action-heavy spectacles fails to adequately explore its horror and overcrowds its weak combat mechanics."
The Callisto Protocol seems to have fared OK across the board, then, but some critics clearly wanted a little bit more from this spiritual successor to Dead Space. The game currently sits at 75 on Metacritic for Xbox Series X and 76 for PlayStation 5, which is still a respectable score all things considered!
Are you still wanting to give The Callisto Protocol a go? Let us know down below.
Comments 29
Funny isn’t it, when this was first shown the buzzword around it was ‘dead space’… now when it’s released it seems like reviewers are surprised and saddened it’s basically dead space
It seems to be doing better than most "indie spiritual successors" releases but seems to be usual issues.
Better than I feared, worse that I'd hoped
Shall be giving this one a miss.
I’m no company accountant, but I guess it is hard to make money on games like this.
It's done pretty well considering it's their first game, but will not be picking it up until it's on sale.
I expected mixed reviews tbh. Glen comes off as an arrogant pr*ck and I won't forget his "praise" of 13-hour work days. Like crunch wasn't a chronic problem of the industry already🤢
As for the game, it literally looked like a Dead Space game but the one you get from a shady seller on eBay. It's not terrible but it simply doesn't hold a candle to DS. I was expecting something totally new and refreshing, yet it turned out like a cheap copy.
I'll wait for a hefty price drop. Sorry if anyone gets angry with me, but those are my two cents.
As a word of warning, John Linneman has tweeted that the Series X version of the game has various technical issues compared to the PS5 version. The details will be in the tech analysis video which is due to be up sometime today.
I mean, it is a bit funny how every reviewer is deducting points for a Dead Space clone being a dead space clone. It is a bit like deducting points from MW2 for being focused on military stuff. But for being the first release of the studio it is still a decent output. Hopefully if they get to make a sequel they can inject some originality in there.
@Spaceman-Spiff ah *****. I’ll watch that later on.
It looks great, but horror game is a niche. And it seems to do nothing new or exciting besides the sweet graphics. It is probably fine for lovers of horror but not for many reviewers. They tend to want evolution mostly.
I like horror games where you can move like a normal being and not the typical "I am a fright with leg". There are other ways to create tension. Like a fear system where you fumble more if you are unsuccessful in killing monsters and more stable when you do. Would be more realistic. Or just let us move like a normal human without forced slowness.
Skillups video shows why you should wait for a sale - he does not recommend this one despite waiting for it and recognising how great it looks.
If you want to hear his thoughts for 25 minutes, its a well rounded critique that covers just about everything..
@Spaceman-Spiff I can already see it now. "150 Sony devs helped with the game, so that's why the Series X version has problems." All jokes aside, I would like to know why it struggled in some areas as well when it shouldn't have.
@Bleachedsmiles I swear they get hyped for what they see and then piss and moan when it is exactly what they saw.
Been playing it this morning for a few hours on my Series X. I love it and it being like Dead Space is a positive for me personally. I haven't noticed any technical/performance issues so far.
@BrilliantBill because this is a brand new IP that isnt really new. its a copy of a game thats getting a remake. with nothing that stands out.
if it was a DS4 sequel type then it wouldnt have deductions probably
As someone who thought dead space was pretty overrated (although I did play it years after release) ...some of the issues reviewers are having with this game are problems I had with the original dead space so was kinda surprised by the universal praise it got......
Anyway I will still give this a rent
@Spaceman-Spiff I read a comment on Youtube that stated the exact opposite. Better performance on the Series X than PS5. I can now attest to that. About three hours into the game on the Series X. I love it, so far. No issues.
@LoquaciousB Same here.
I’m having a blast with the game so far. It’s a more action packed Dead Space, which is exactly what I wanted. No issues on my Series X.
Had a notion to get this on Steam. Maybe I will wait a bit for a sale.
@theduckofdeath
Steam reviews are all complaining about stuttering. Xbox user reviews are almost all 5*. I'm tempted to grab for Series X. I put more stock in user reviews than IGN/Gamespot/etc reviews.
@Spaceman-Spiff seems to be a common thing, unfortunately.
@Atlis54 User reviews are tricky because people will tank a game (rate it 0 or 1) and that doesn't help anyone. Better to just detail your gripes with the game and give it a reasonable score. Also, some people see a '5' as 'OK' and others see it as 'bad' or 'poor'.
@Romans12 Did you see DF vid on this? It's not better on Xbox Series X. PS5 seems to be marginally better.
@StylesT I played Dead Space at launch and found it pretty overrated. It was a 7 for me. Decently fun combat mechanics and great visuals for its time, but not at all scary, unless you are just highly susceptible to jump-scares. I love survival-horror, but it felt much more like action with (highly predictable and rote) horror set dressing.
@Rafie Gotta go with what I have experienced at this point. All I know is that it looks amazing on the Series X and the Series X is the more powerful console. I have both consoles. I played the Cold War and RE Village demos on both consoles side by side and the Series X looked more vibrant during both demos. The PS5 had a very washed out look. Again, my experience only. Playing GOW Ragnarok currently on the PS5 and loving it. Looks amazing. At this point, I'll probably only play exclusives on the PS5 and buy multi-platform releases on the Series X.
Just got home from work and there the game was waiting for me.
Can't wait for it to load up.
Probably in about 8 hours time then
We seriously need to stop validating the opinions of these reviewers. "Too much like dead space" and "Too hard" are idiotic things to say at best.
@Romans12 Oh I wasn't trying to dissuade you kind sir. Just what DF said about this particular game. I also have a PS5 and Series X. I find certain games on Series X washed out versus the PS5 version AND vice versa. The differences are so marginal that it doesn't make any sense to console war over. Not talking about you and I. Just our gaming community. I'm reeeeeally thinking about becoming a PC gamer in addition to consoles.
I don't care how pretty it looks, the dodge mechanics is an absolute L. + Boring bland ass story
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...