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The Callisto Protocol - Spiritual Dead Space successor

Vemsie

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Vemsie

Vemsie

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In my opinion, Dead Space was the best new IP of the PS3/360 generation, along with the Souls games. I'd go as far as to say they're two of the greatest survival-horror games ever made and they're still extremely playabale today and have aged far more gracefully than the Resident Evil games.

But EA being EA means this rather wonderful sci-fi/horror IP is now dead (even though the ideas for DS4 sounded great) and despite a resurgence in survival horror lately, no developer seemed willing to make a spiritual successor.

Until now. The Callisto Protocol was revealed at the Game Awards and is helmed by Glen Schofield, the creator of Dead Space. Dead Space 2 director Steve Papoutsis is part of the team of around 100 people as well.

It's being developed by the new studio Striking Distance and published by PUGB publisher KRAFTON, so it looks like those PUGB millions are being put to good use. And yes, it's a single player survival horror game.
 


Set on Jupiter’s moon Callisto in the year 2329, The Callisto Protocol is a next-generation take on survival horror. The game challenges players to escape the maximum security Black Iron Prison and uncover its terrifying secrets. A blend of horror, action and immersive storytelling, the game aims to set a new bar for horror in interactive entertainment.

“We’ve built a world class studio of passionate developers that is ready to once again tackle one of our all-time favorite genres—survival horror. We’re setting out to make one of the most terrifying games of all time, and we can’t wait to share more about The Callisto Protocol next year.”

—Glen Schofield, Founder and CEO, Striking Distance Studios
https://www.callistothegame.com/en

This now joins Returnal and Elden Ring as my most anticipated game in development, because space horror is the best horror.

Also, if you want to see how many Dead Space references there are in the reveal trailer, watch this:
https://www.ign.com/videos/is-the-callisto-protocol-the-dead-space-successor-weve-been-waiting-for-rewind-theater

 

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Ran

Ran

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So glad it's happening finally. The second I saw the life bar decal on the character I felt all giddy.

I hope it has the same balance as Dead Space and is a great feeling action game that scares the shit out of you as you creep around.

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17 hours ago, Jamie John said:

Has anyone played Dead Space again recently? It's on sale in Steam at the moment. I might have to get it again now. I wonder if it supports 4k...


I played through Dead Space 2 a couple of years ago, and thought it held up really well. It’s much more of an action game than DS1, and some of the scarier bits were a bit diminished through being played out, but overall it was a really fun experience, if you can describe something that intense and disturbing as “fun”. 

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Alan Stock

Alan Stock

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Yeah the horror wasn't as good in Dead Space 2 but the gameplay was spot on. No other survival horror series has come close to me for great game balance, fun combat, excellent level design and really memorable setpieces. I also found that playing on hard the resource management was spot on and it even had a well thought out upgrade system where you were geniunely excited to unlock new gun upgrades or get new suits. I really hope they bring those game design philosphies over to Callisto and get some good game designers on the case.

 

Maybe its too much to ask but I would love a less cliched story and less reliance on tired horror sci-fi tropes. Like no more evil cults, silly conspiracies, graffiti in blood or bulletproof windows to watch NPCs die behind. And I suppose we'll know if its a real Dead Space game if every objective is 'something's fucked - go and fix it!'.

 

Do we know anything about the team they've been given?

 

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pinholestar

pinholestar

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Glen Schofield at the helm is great news and this is easily one of my most anticipated games. It always irked me that after overseeing what I consider the best survival horror game of its era he then spent the next 10 years on Call of Duty.

 

This is worth a watch to give an insight into the creative process of the original Dead Space:

 

 

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teddymeow

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Dead Space 1 and 2 are just sublime.

 

I loved them so much I finished them on both PS3 and 360 about three times each!

 

3 is weird, far too actiony for it's own good but I like the pooling about in the spaceship to go to other ships.

 

I've got the trilogy on my Series S and, with this news, might make it the next thing I play once I've done Miles Morales and Sackboy on PS5.

 

 

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Vemsie

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1 hour ago, Alan Stock said:

Yeah the horror wasn't as good in Dead Space 2 but the gameplay was spot on. No other survival horror series has come close to me for great game balance, fun combat, excellent level design and really memorable setpieces. I also found that playing on hard the resource management was spot on and it even had a well thought out upgrade system where you were geniunely excited to unlock new gun upgrades or get new suits. I really hope they bring those game design philosphies over to Callisto and get some good game designers on the case.

 

Maybe its too much to ask but I would love a less cliched story and less reliance on tired horror sci-fi tropes. Like no more evil cults, silly conspiracies, graffiti in blood or bulletproof windows to watch NPCs die behind. And I suppose we'll know if its a real Dead Space game if every objective is 'something's fucked - go and fix it!'.

 

Do we know anything about the team they've been given?

 

 

Only that the team is well over 100 people and that the directors of both Dead Space and Dead Space 2 are involved.

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Spacehost

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1 hour ago, pinholestar said:

It always irked me that after overseeing what I consider the best survival horror game of its era he then spent the next 10 years on Call of Duty.

I can see why Activision put him on them, though. He seems to be very, very good at delivering projects.

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pinholestar

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9 minutes ago, Spacehost said:

I'm more excited about this than any other upcoming title I think, particularly what the team will do with audio on next gen hardware. It may be a killer app for Sony's 3D sound engine, assuming it's not all hype.


Up until The Last of Us Part 2 finally took the crown, I rated Dead Space as having the best sound design of any game I’d ever played. He makes a point of mentioning how that was a focus in the video that I posted. 
 

I’d put good money on The Callisto Protocol doing amazing things with the 3D audio capabilities of the new consoles.

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Vemsie

Vemsie

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4 hours ago, pinholestar said:

Glen Schofield at the helm is great news and this is easily one of my most anticipated games. It always irked me that after overseeing what I consider the best survival horror game of its era he then spent the next 10 years on Call of Duty.

 

This is worth a watch to give an insight into the creative process of the original Dead Space:

 

 

 

You can see how passionate he is about Dead Space and survival horror in space in general. It's pretty clear that he wanted to make something like DS again, so I'm glad someone gave him the money to do so.

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Vemsie

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29 minutes ago, Gabe said:

The UI for DS was superb and really kept you in the world at all times. I have a memory of some kind of terrible asteroid bit though, was that in this game where you had to shoot them?

 

In the first, yeah.

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Pob

Pob

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The big improvement in Dead Space 2, for me, was the way you didn't know what was coming next. I remember DS1 had a very regimented structure where you took a train to a new section of the ship, did some stuff, returned to the hub and then went on a train to the next area etc etc until the game was done (I assume - I never actually finished it). It made me realise that these linear games need to mix things up and chuck in twists to avoid being stultifying.

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K

K

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This apparently set in the PUBG universe. I was only dimly aware that PUBG even had a universe, and I can't see this affecting the game much - it looks like a fairly generic Alien-style gritty sci-fi setting - but thought it was interesting nonetheless. 

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Vemsie

Vemsie

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Yeah, there will probably be some references to PUGB that will fly completely over my head unless a trophy called 'Winner winner, chicken dinner' pops up, but I don't think it will affect the sci-fi horror Schofield is clearly aiming for.

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Alan Stock

Alan Stock

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Interview with the studio head:

https://www.polygon.com/interviews/2020/12/16/22178915/callisto-protocol-striking-distance-glen-schofield-interview-dead-space-sci-fi-horror-pubg

 

Sounds promising, he's got more than a few ex-Dead Space team members as well as some of the designers. Some of those staff have brought others they've worked with as well so the talent here is off on the right foot. Doesn't sound like he's too keen to break the mould in terms of the cliches etc so don't hold your breath there, but he sounds very passionate about sci-fi horror and we know that passion is a lot of what drove the first two games to being so good. I'm pretty optimistic now, just a shame its still a few years away!

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pinholestar

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Dead Space 2 is awesome. It leans more towards an action game than the outright survival horror of the first but the core premise and gameplay loop is pretty much the same and it’s still full of moments of sheer terror with some brilliant set-pieces to boot. One section in particular that is dripping in tension is probably the series’ highlight.

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Lying Cat

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Dead Space 2 is solid because they were still making the game they wanted to play, rather than the one EA made them do. I was a but discombobulated when they gave Isaac a voice rather than the wordless dogsbody that he is in the first - but again, it was handled pretty well. It's weakest points are the ones which closely ape the first game, like...

 

Spoiler

The Regenerator

 

... still being a thing - but if you've not, I'd recommend giving it a go. It's got to be only a couple of quid now!

 

---

 

I'm very excited about The Callisto Protocol; Dead Space was one of my favourite games of it's era and I think my Hardest Difficulty / Plasma Cutter Only run was one of my gaming highlights of the generation.

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Ran

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Aye, also in the 2 is well worth a go if you like the first game.

Dead space 3 is a bit of a heartbreaker because it feels compromised in the weapon department where EA have forced in a monetizable system around it and human enemies are a real turn off but I wouldn't say it's a total car crash (saying that I couldn't quite be bothered finishing it)

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