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The Callisto Protocol
Critics Consensus (Skip It)
The Callisto Protocol is an ambitious spiritual successor to Dead Space with flickers of greatness, but weak combat mechanics and an uninteresting story hold it back.
Game Info
In this narrative-driven, third-person survival horror game set 300 years in the future, the player will take on the role of Jacob Lee – a victim of fate thrown into Black Iron Prison, a maximum-security penitentiary located on Jupiter’s moon, Callisto. When inmates begin to transform into monstrous creatures, the prison is thrown into chaos.
0%
Recommended
0%
Average Score
Total Reviews: 105
RELEASE DATES:
GENRES:
- Action, Shooter, Adventure, Horror
DEVELOPER(S):
- Striking Distance Studios
PUBLISHER(S):
- Krafton
SERIES/FRANCHISE:
- n/a
GAME MODES:
- Single player
GAME ENGINE:
- Unreal Engine 4
Where to Play
WHERE TO PLAY
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RATING & REVIEWS
Ratings & Reviews
105
Critic Reviews
67
Average Critic Score
Where to Play
CRITIC REVIEWS
All reviews are from professional critics. Learn more about the critics VSG aggregates.
High Score
100%
Median Score
70%
Low Score
30%
What did you think of The Callisto Protocol?
Player Reviews0 Votes
0
Tristan Ogilvie (IGN)
December 2, 2022
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.
Vikki Blake (Eurogamer)
December 2, 2022
Recommended
Dead Space comparisons are impossible to avoid – but while The Callisto Protocol’s missing some of the depth and tension, it makes up for it with production value and bloody-minded fun.
Jordan Ramée (GameSpot)
December 2, 2022
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.
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Score Ranges
Read the Reviews (105 total)
| Outlet | Author | Score | Date | Quote | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33bits | Diego Sierra | 75 / 100 | 12-09-2022 | The Callisto Protocol has failed to live up to all the promises made during its development and those expecting survival horror will be disappointed. However, despite its limitations and numerous implementation problems, it manages to be quite fun thanks to an interesting combat system and excellent art design. | Read review |
| 3DNews | Иван Бышонкoв | 5 / 10 | 12-10-2022 | A pretty but uninspired platformer. Even though one of its developers made Limbo and Inside, don’t expect the same level of quality here. | Read review |
| Areajugones | Ramón Baylos | 9 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is a game that loves fear from tradition; From strictly following the expression: “If something is not broken, do not fix it”. The future of the space horror genre is more than assured with the first forceful step of a work that does not hide when looking at the past; of a game that is fully sincere about showing openly from the sources from which it is inspired. Something horrible lurks deep in the cosmos, but with games like this it’s nice to come face to face with its darkest horrors. | Read review |
| Ars Technica | Alessandro Fillari | Recommended | 12-02-2022 | This breakout horror game stumbles occasionally, but it still stands tall as a thrilling survival-horror experience. | Read review |
| Atomix | Alberto Desfassiaux | 88 / 100 | 12-02-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is just the new survival horror AAA game that we’ve been expecting. Despite not being the revolution that Dead Space brought almost 15 years ago, it’s new ideas, atmosphere and general concept, are a win. | Read review |
| AusGamers | Steve Farrelly | 8.7 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | From the initial prison sequences through to deep underground spaces where you’ll be navigating an old, abandoned colony to the surface of Callisto itself, the game serves up a terrifying feast for the eyes. | Read review |
| BaziCenter | تیم تحریریه بازیسنتر | 5 / 10 | 12-13-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is mediocre at best with nothing to brag about as every aspect of the game like story, ending, boss fights, visuals and pretty much everything else is below the standards of 2022. | Read review |
| Bazimag | Bahram Bigharaz | 7 / 10 | 12-05-2022 | The latest game from the creator of Dead Space called The Calisto Protocol is an experience full of ups and downs. When the game tries to take the Dead Space route, it offers a heartwarming and entertaining experience. But when it tries to act differently, many problems appear. The repetitive combat system and the fight with the bosses are among the main problems of the game, which have severely damaged the game experience in the final sequences. The Callisto Protocol definitely has a lot of potential that the creators could not use well and with their wrong choices during the development, they have caused a lot of damage to this title. With all these interpretations, this title can still be offered to those interested in the Dead Space series and the horror and survival genre and hoped that if a sequel is made, its problems will be resolved. Things like voice acting and game graphics are among the commendable parts of this work. | Read review |
| But Why Tho? | Mick Abrahamson | 6 / 10 | 12-05-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is my biggest disappointment this year. While it nails the aesthetic and is one of the most beautiful games I’ve played this year, it misses the mark in almost every other department. I think it can be refined to at least be more fun, but in its current state, the story and gameplay weigh down this new entry to the survival horror genre from the potential it so obviously has. | Read review |
| Cerealkillerz | Gabriel Bogdan | 7.8 / 10 | 12-04-2022 | The Callisto Protocol fails despite a solid overall performance on its high ambitions. You have to give the studio some credit for the creative approaches, especially for the gameplay and atmosphere but there is a constant lack of a final touch through the whole game, which often lets the gameplay end in frustration and boring/repetitive sections. Horror Fans with lots of endurance should still get it for the PlayStation 5. | Read review |
| CGMagazine | Zubi Khan | 6.5 / 10 | 12-06-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is a competent survival horror game but a poor man’s Dead Space, making it only worth it for those diehard fans of the genre. | Read review |
| Checkpoint Gaming | Luke Mitchell | 7.5 / 10 | 12-01-2022 | An intense atmospheric adventure with an intriguing premise, The Callisto Protocol delivers a solid horror game that focuses largely on its satisfying combat. It doesn’t have much variety and is lacking a bit of creativity, but it makes up for that with impressive visuals and disgusting, intimidating monsters. It might not meet the expectations of its obvious inspirations, but The Callisto Protocol lays a strong foundation of terrifying atmosphere and crunchy combat that makes it satisfying and spooky nonetheless. | Read review |
| COGconnected | Jaz Sagoo | 79 / 100 | 12-06-2022 | As a spiritual successor, the game adopts many traits that are similar to Dead Space. The HUD is implemented within the design, the limbs of your opponent can be blown away and the tight camera obscures your view. While comparisons are expected, The Callisto Protocol does differ. The melee-focused combat cranks up the intensity of encounters but ultimately stumbles when facing numerous enemies. Some may not like the linearity but I felt that this helped with the pacing of the game and the effectiveness of scares. Although it never reaches the heights of its predecessor’s first two outings, it still offers a trembling trek through a terrifying detention center. | Read review |
| DASHGAMER.com | Dan Rizzo | 7.5 / 10 | 12-14-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is a prime love letter which I know is cliché, but it will have Dead Space fans satisfied but leaving with more questions than gratification. A great example of a video game that layers itself with a defining cinematic experience but leaves more to be desired in its interactivity. | Read review |
| Destructoid | Chris Carter | 6 / 10 | 12-16-2022 | Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled. | Read review |
| Dexerto | Andrew Highton | 5 / 5 stars | 12-02-2022 | A wonderfully exhausting exercise in futility is probably the best way of describing The Callisto Protocol as no matter the strength of my own resolve, I was constantly on edge and reveling in those fleeting moments where the game allowed me to breathe following yet another life-threatening fight. | Read review |
| Digital Chumps | Ben Sheene | 8.5 / 10 | 08-31-2022 | The Callisto Protocol aims its sights at being an uncompromising vision of terror, frequently succeeding through oscillating tension and stellar sound and lighting that toy with players’ fears and expectations. | Read review |
| Digital Spy | Ben Rayner | 3 / 5 stars | 12-02-2022 | It’s a shame that, despite looking great and having a good concept at its core, some poorly-executed ideas lead to a frustrating experience overall. For a new studio to produce a brand new IP is obviously a mammoth task and commendable, so here’s hoping the team get another chance to get a grip on this universe and tighten up the experience. | Read review |
| Digital Trends | Giovanni Colantonio | 3.5 / 5 stars | 12-02-2022 | Despite some cumbersome combat systems and performance issues, The Callisto Protocol successfully builds on Dead Space’s legacy | Read review |
| Digitally Downloaded | Matt Sainsbury | 2.5 / 5 stars | 12-06-2022 | As good as it looks, though, The Callisto Protocol is bad horror that has nothing meaningful to say and struggles to have a single original moment within it. I know that there are people out there saying that the game was “rushed out” to meet a deadline of “releasing before the Dead Space remake”… and perhaps it was! That might explain the performance issues on other platforms. However, that’s not really the problem with it. What lets this game down is that the core theme is broken to its foundations, and even if it ran perfectly at all times, in a best-case scenario, all polish would have ever done is ensure that it was entertaining enough to play. It was never going to be a horror experience that anyone remembers, even five years from now. | Read review |
| DualShockers | Elijah Beahm | 4 / 10 | 12-06-2022 | A bland sad protagonist with all the charisma of a rock with a frowny face, a mystery box-style narrative that only ends with more mystery boxes, a combat system that wants to be multiple entirely different games. The Callisto Protocol might function, and it’ll certainly have its launch issues patched out in due time, but in no way can I recommend it to anyone but the most morbidly curious. Everything was stacked in this game’s favor, and it still wasn’t enough. We didn’t need Dead Space 2.0 | Read review |
| Easy Allies | Michael Huber | 3.25 / 5 stars | 12-06-2022 | Beneath the blemishes, The Callisto Protocol is a satisfying survival horror game with gorgeous atmosphere and brutal combat. | Read review |
| Echo Boomer | João Canelo | Recommended | 12-19-2022 | The promise of The Callisto Protocol was left unfulfilled in one of the most unsatisfying horror games of the year. | Read review |
| EGM | Michael Goroff | 3 / 10 | 12-05-2022 | The Callisto Protocol feels like a throwback title, for better and worse. While the Dead Space comparisons are unavoidable, director Glen Schofield’s return to survival horror does bring with it several new concepts, but many, like the melee combat system, suffer from poor execution. Still, if you’re looking for a fun, B-movie disaster story with some famous Hollywood faces and a more straightforward, linear single-player experience, you could do worse-at least until the Dead Space remake launches next year. | Read review |
| Eurogamer | Vikki Blake | Recommended | 12-02-2022 | Dead Space comparisons are impossible to avoid | Read review |
| Everyeye.it | Giuseppe Carrabba | 7.8 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | Certainly a “good first” for Striking Distance Studios | Read review |
| FingerGuns | Miles Thompson | 6 / 10 | 12-05-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is a good game that falls short in almost every department of being a great one. Predictable story, gratifying-yet clunky combat mechanics and a lack of variety hold back what is an otherwise visual and audible spectacle. Dead Space has cast a long shadow since its release in 2008 and The Callisto Protocol can’t emerge from the depth of its superb darkness. | Read review |
| Game Informer | Wesley LeBlanc | 6 / 10 | 12-01-2022 | If you wanted anything more out of this second crack at making a new sci-fi IP in survival horror, or something markedly different that acknowledges just how far gaming has come since 2008, The Callisto Protocol is not your answer. | Read review |
| Game Rant | Dalton Cooper | 3.5 / 5 stars | 12-02-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is an excellent game while it lasts, but it’s missing important features that would have propelled it to the next level. | Read review |
| Gameblog | _SutterCane | 8 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | 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. | Read review |
| Gamefa | Mostafa Zahedi | 7.8 / 10 | 12-06-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is what happens when Developers don’t fully utilize thier game’s potentiality. poor story, disappointing character development, ample Level Design issues like the excessive Encounters and enemies has held the game back considerably. That being said, I enjoyed my experience in Callisto nonetheless. if you’re a die hard fan of linear Survival Horror games, you will have a blast playing The Callisto Protocol. | Read review |
| GameMAG | Unknown | 6 / 10 | 12-05-2022 | If you still really want to play The Callisto Protocol it would be wise to wait for any upcoming updates and significant price drop. | Read review |
| GamePro | Dennis Michel | 66 / 100 | 12-02-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is an atmospheric graphics blender that can only compete with Dead Space in a playful way. | Read review |
| Gamerheadquarters | Jason Stettner | 3.5 / 10 | 12-09-2022 | The Callisto Protocol had some performance issues, but at its core just wasn’t a great game lacking exciting moments or well anything even remotely scary. I was never entertained while playing this game; finding it boring, cumbersome and honestly rather traumatic but not in a terrified sense which is a shame. | Read review |
| Gamersky | 心灵奇兵 | 7.6 / 10 | 12-04-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is a very delicate Dead Space-like game: excellent horror atmosphere, outstanding graphics, and a fairly good combat experience, but the actual content is difficult to meet the high expectations of players. I was very disappointed after playing it, because it’s hard to imagine such a highly anticipated work being so mediocre, it could have been a better game. | Read review |
| GAMES.CH | Joel Kogler | 88 / 100 | 12-02-2022 | What The Callisto Protocol lacks in truly original ideas it more makes up for in presentation and atmosphere. A game this polished and confident from a newly formed studio that had to work through a pandemic is nothing short of impressive. While it won’t change anyone‘s mind who didn’t like the spiritual predecessor Dead Space, this brings back unsettling space horror at its peak. | Read review |
| GamesBeat | Rachel Kaser | 40 / 100 | 12-14-2022 | I hope there’s a horror game or Dead Space fan out there who gets more out of this game than I did. As it stands, I can’t really recommend it. I feel it would probably disappoint both the horror game aficionado and the Dead Space fan. I know I walked away from it feeling unfulfilled. | Read review |
| GameSkinny | Bryn Gelbart | 6 / 10 | 12-06-2022 | A technically impressive action horror game, The Callisto Protocol gets stuck in orbit. | Read review |
| GameSpew | Richard Seagrave | 8 / 10 | 12-13-2022 | 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. | Read review |
| GameSpot | Jordan Ramée | 5 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | 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. | Read review |
| GamesRadar+ | Leon Hurley | 3 / 5 stars | 12-02-2022 | A fantastic looking game that builds a great sci-fi world only to trash it with an unenjoyable combat challenge. | Read review |
| GameWatcher | Nick Akerman | 4 / 10 | 12-20-2022 | The horror is the least scary thing… | Read review |
| Gaming Nexus | Henry Yu | 8 / 10 | 12-08-2022 | 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. | Read review |
| GamingBolt | Shubhankar Parijat | 6 / 10 | 12-07-2022 | The Callisto Protocol looks stunning and can offer small doses of fun, but from misguided gameplay choices and hyper-linear design to ineffectual attempts at horror and a bland story, it stumbles and disappoints in too many ways to be labelled as anything but a disappointment. | Read review |
| GamingTrend | Richard Allen | 70 / 100 | 12-12-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is a unique and often good game which is hindered by its own ambition. The fighting system is sure to be hit and miss with audiences, and the difficulty coupled with the slow movement and weapon swapping will surely turn a few people off. Despite this, Protocol builds a unique world that would benefit from further entries diving more into its backstory and is brought to life with incredibly detailed graphics, fantastic sound design, and gorgeous lighting. The Callisto Protocol may not be the survival horror game many had hoped for, but it does successfully carve out its own niche. | Read review |
| Geek Culture | Jake Su | 7.5 / 10 | 12-08-2022 | In the end, The Callisto Protocol ramps up the atmospheric horror with plenty of visceral action, with the linear design helping to keep the focus on the main objective from start to finish. Although it can have trouble when it comes to empowering the player and losing its horror edge, the main issue remains the fact that we have all seen and done this before. Depending on your preference, that might just be exactly what you want, but the nightmare fades a little, especially with the Dead Space remake on the horizon. | Read review |
| Generación Xbox | Pedro del Pozo | 9.2 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is the true successor to Dead Space. All the good things about the first title can be found in it, but enhanced with state-of-the-art graphics and a cinematic sense that makes it spectacular from beginning to end. | Read review |
| God is a Geek | Chris White | 8.5 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is violent and brutal, with stunning visuals, but it’s intimacy causes a few problems that are hard to be overlooked. | Read review |
| GRYOnline.pl | Dariusz Matusiak | 8.5 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | The Callisto Protocol continues Dead Space’s legacy in a very competent manner. It might very well be the beginning of a new series, because the most important thing – scaring the player – works very well here. | Read review |
| Guardian | Richard Wordsworth | 3 / 5 stars | 12-05-2022 | This intense, gory horror game is steadfastly old-fashioned and lacking in internal logic – but it’s fun anyway | Read review |
| Hardcore Gamer | Jordan Helm | 2.5 / 5 stars | 12-06-2022 | Confused, contradictory and all too reliant on what came before, fantastic visuals that may stand as one of the current-gen’s best can’t save what’s a terribly underwhelming release with The Callisto Protocol. A game that tries so desperately to be acknowledged for its own identity, all while relying on its most blatant and obvious of call-backs. | Read review |
| Hey Poor Player | Jon Davis | 3 / 5 stars | 12-28-2022 | While the game has the same creative forces behind Dead Space, and many of the features are retconned into the game, it’s not quite lived up to my expectations. The game strikes me as a conglomerate of ideas, like a novel approach to dodging, a similar but different storyline, tough combat borrowed from challenging games like Dark Souls, packed into a beautifully presented game. | Read review |
| Hobby Consolas | David Martinez | 90 / 100 | 12-01-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is the game fans of space “survival horror” have been waiting for years. It´s not a revolution in the genre, but a solid addition, full of scary moments and with a deep (and brutal) combat system. | Read review |
| IGN | Tristan Ogilvie | 7 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | 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. | Read review |
| IGN Italy | Davide Ambrosiani | 6.5 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | A horror that does not bring new elements to the genre and suffers from several conceptual problems, although not so serious as to reject the experience as a whole. | Read review |
| Impulsegamer | Nathan Misa | 2.2 / 5 stars | 12-17-2022 | Gloriously gory visuals let down by an unoriginal and scarce story, by-the-books gameplay and minimal replayability. | Read review |
| Kotaku | Ashley Bardhan | Recommended | 12-02-2022 | I consider The Callisto Protocol one of the most ambitious games I played this year, maybe even the most next to Elden Ring (though I think Elden Ring is in a league of its own—I don’t know if anything will be able to approach its depth and sophistication for a long time). Its thoughtful attention to environment, sound, and touch is what, I think, next-gen gaming should be like: an experiment with the senses and with story. The game has its issues, too, which can’t be ignored. But at least it feels human. | Read review |
| LevelUp | Pedro Pérez Cesari | 7.5 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is brutal, violent and will send chills down your spine. | Read review |
| M3 | Billy Ekblom | 7 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is stylish and entertaining space action that doesn’t reinvent the wheel. Rather, the entire foundation of the game is built on tried and tested concepts and we hadn’t objected to a bit of innovation. | Read review |
| Marooners’ Rock | Frank V. | 7.4 / 10 | 12-23-2022 | Between exploring Black Iron Prison, and discovering the secrets that haunt, The Callstio Protocol is an atmospheric fright! | Read review |
| Metro GameCentral | Nick Gillett | 6 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | Dead Space 4 in all but name, except with no puzzles and surprisingly little suspense. The Callisto Protocol has plenty of gritty action but that’s not quite enough to sustain interest for its entire duration. | Read review |
| MonsterVine | Spencer Legacy | 3 / 5 stars | 12-09-2022 | The Callisto Protocol has potential, but its strange melee combat, average story, and average gunplay keep it from standing out in any way. It looks great and has fun moments, but the majority of my time with The Callisto Protocol wasn’t especially memorable. | Read review |
| New Game Network | Ben Thomas | 70 / 100 | 12-10-2022 | As a visual treat and atmospheric marvel, The Callisto Protocol has the presentation to be Dead Space’s modern-day superior, but shoddy lore, gameplay quirks, and blandness mean it does not quite make the cut. | Read review |
| Niche Gamer | Fingal Belmont | 7 / 10 | 12-08-2022 | The Callisto Protocol has a lot of care to make it a more unique experience than just being another third-person shooter. | Read review |
| NoobFeed | Azfar Rayan | 75 / 100 | 12-20-2022 | Overall, it is a genuine sci-fi survival horror adventure that doesn’t offer anything groundbreaking but does know how to please lovers of the genre. Despite its brief length, the game provides a satisfying survival horror experience in a range of settings, carried out by a superb cast. The Callisto Protocol may have been the finest horror game of the year if more effort had been spent fixing some of its issues. | Read review |
| PC Gamer | Shaun Prescott | 79 / 100 | 12-02-2022 | 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. | Read review |
| PC Invasion | Jason Rodriguez | 5 / 10 | 12-12-2022 | Amazing visuals and stellar atmosphere notwithstanding, The Callisto Protocol is held back by a cumbersome combat system, technical woes, and other issues. | Read review |
| PCGamesN | Nat Smith | 9 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | 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. | Read review |
| PlayStation Universe | Adam Byrne | 7.5 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | First out of the gate in what will be a bevy of survival titles in the coming months, The Callisto Protocol is a solid maiden effort from developer Striking Distance Studios and one that has laid the groundwork what is hopefully to come. | Read review |
| Polygon | Michael McWhertor | Not Recommended | 12-02-2022 | The Callisto Protocol could have borrowed a few more lessons from its spiritual inspiration, and further refined its mechanics to make a game that plays as good as it looks. | Read review |
| PowerUp! | Leo Stevenson | 5.5 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | If you were hoping this would be the second coming of Dead Space, you’ll need to wait for next year’s remake. | Read review |
| Press Start | James Mitchell | 8 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | 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. | Read review |
| PSX Brasil | Bruno Henrique Vinhadel | 85 / 100 | 12-02-2022 | Superb in setting, visuals, sound and other technical parts, The Callisto Protocol is impressive from start to finish and a brutal experience that is lacking these days. Although it is not perfect and some problems can be noticed, as well as the lack of content beyond the main campaign, there is a lot of quality showing that the game delivers what was promised. | Read review |
| Push Square | Liam Croft | 7 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | 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. | Read review |
| Rectify Gaming | Unknown | 8.5 / 10 | 12-19-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is a stunning and terrifying sci-fi experience worth getting scared over. | Read review |
| Rock, Paper, Shotgun | Alice Bell | Recommended | 12-02-2022 | The Callisto Protocol isn’t that scary and has potentially annoying combat, but it would still be pretty fun if it didn’t run like your three day old reheated takeaway. | Read review |
| Saudi Gamer | Unknown | 8 / 10 | 12-08-2022 | Beauty can be skin deep as the game squanders its strong points as it progresses with baffling design choices that are annoying and frustrating far more than scary and challenging | Read review |
| Saving Content | Scott Ellison II | 3 / 5 stars | 12-09-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is a ride worth taking, but I’m flummoxed at some of the decisions made here. The melee combat is on autopilot, the weapon selection is limited, and there’s no New Game+ to return for another orbit. The brutal, gory, visceral kills that you perform on monsters is returned in equal measure to you, always bringing a smile and recoil to my face. Compromises had to be made to enjoy parts of this game, but when you can turn your brain off, it’s good fun. The Callisto Protocol doesn’t quite live up to expectations of its spiritual predecessor, but I can’t say I didn’t find it to be mostly satisfying, pustules and all. | Read review |
| Screen Rant | Leo Faierman | 2.5 / 5 stars | 12-02-2022 | The Callisto Protocol brings high-def sci-fi horror to current-gen consoles, but it suffers from a lack of dynamic gameplay ideas outside of its gore. | Read review |
| SECTOR.sk | Branislav Koh�t | 8 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | 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. | Read review |
| Shacknews | Donovan Erskine | 8 / 10 | 12-01-2022 | 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. | Read review |
| Skill Up | Ralph Panebianco | Not Recommended | 12-02-2022 | Video Review | Read review |
| Slant Magazine | Justin Clark | 1.5 / 5 stars | 12-06-2022 | The game’s dedication to graphical fidelity feels like a blinder to thinking outside the box in every other regard. It can’t help but feel like intensive overcompensation for inconsistent, tension-less stealth, one-note combat, level design that doesn’t reward exploration, generically fleshy enemies, upgrades that don’t reward experimentation, and ineffective jump scares, from enemies that get cheap hits in on Jacob every single time, regardless of how well-prepared the player is. Much has been made of the fact that this was meant as the heir apparent to beloved survival horror series Dead Space, a game that, 12 years later, can still induce goosebumps just from its terrifying attract sequence. By contrast, if not for its graphics, The Callisto Protocol feels like a relic from 1998, undone creatively even by the decaying likes of Shadow Man. | Read review |
| SpazioGames | Domenico Musicò | 8.3 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | 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. | Read review |
| TechRaptor | Samuel Guglielmo | 4.5 / 10 | 12-10-2022 | The Callisto Protocol has occasional bouts of fun melee combat and fantastic graphics, but too much of the game is simply not fun to play to be worth it. | Read review |
| Telegraph | Tom Hoggins | 3 / 5 stars | 12-30-2022 | Overrun by mutants, Jupiter’s moon is the setting for this spiritual Dead Space successor | Read review |
| The Angry Joe Show | Joe Vargas | 3 / 10 | 12-23-2022 | Video Review | Read review |
| The Games Machine | Daniele Cucchiarelli | 9.1 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | Glen Schofield and Striking Distance Studios deliver exactly what their audience want: a new horror sci-fi epic with intense combat and cinematic elements that will make you sit on the edge of your couch from the first to the last minute. Worst or better than Dead Space? You decide! | Read review |
| The Jimquisition | James Stephanie Sterling | 3 / 10 | 12-07-2022 | The Callisto Protocol isn’t scary. It isn’t fun. It isn’t entertaining, fascinating, or mildly enriching. It lays a self-entitled claim to Dead Space’s stylistic and mechanical elements yet wields not a single one with grace, instead performing a crude pantomime. | Read review |
| Thumbsticks | Josh Wise | 3 / 5 stars | 12-13-2022 | With its close-hugging third-person camera and its mood of air-locked foreboding, it’s hard not to judge The Callisto Protocol through a lens tinted by Glen Schofield’s earlier creation, Dead Space. And while its more violent tendencies diminish the tension somewhat, there’s still plenty to recommend here. | Read review |
| TrueGaming | Unknown | 6.5 / 10 | 12-29-2022 | Its a shame that the combat do let the game down when you face multiple enemies and you will face multiple enemies a lot. Otherwise the game is stunning, one of the best looking games out there, and story scenes are well directed with the aid of life-like characters. | Read review |
| Twinfinite | Dylan Chaundy | 3.5 / 5 stars | 12-06-2022 | All in all, it may sound like I’m really down on The Callisto Protocol, and in some ways, I am. For those who were expecting the next Dead Space, I’m sad to report that The Callisto Protocol just isn’t quite it. Instead, Striking Distance Studios has crafted a largely by-the-numbers horror-action title with terrific presentation that could’ve been something truly special. Unfortunately, while your journey across the titular dead moon is a sporadically fun and entertaining ride, it fails to authentically push the genre forward in any meaningful way. Still, despite all that… at least you get to stomp on stuff, right? Phew! | Read review |
| Unboxholics | Σάκης Καρπάς | Not Recommended | 12-12-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is a game that can be divisive. I think that fans of the genre, like myself, will accept and enjoy it, since overall it gives an decent sci-fi survival horror adventure, which does not reinvent the wheel, but knows how to win over space horror fans. The rest of you who aren’t crazy about the theme and setting would do well to stay away as there are better games out there to invest your time and money into. | Read review |
| VG247 | Dom Peppiatt | Not Recommended | 12-02-2022 | This isn’t to say there isn’t a good game oozing within the sticky flesh of this Frankenstein, though; it just feels like it’s not what Striking Distance wanted it to be. It’s not the next step in horror gaming, the evolution of Dead Space, or a proposition unlike anything you’ve seen before – it’s the opposite. An amalgam, less than the sum of its parts, whose main focus becomes overwrought and frustrating by the time you’re halfway through its short run-time. The scariest thing about The Callisto Protocol, sadly, is all the potential that’s been wasted on a small moon in Jupiter’s orbit. | Read review |
| VGC | Christopher Dring | 3 / 5 stars | 12-02-2022 | The Callisto Protocol delivers the violence, intensity and horror that lives up to its Dead Space predecessor, but with deeper strategic combat. However, a clichéd story and lack of original ideas means that it has one tentacle stuck in the past. | Read review |
| VGChartz | Paul Broussard | 6.5 / 10 | 12-07-2022 | The combat, when it’s clicking, is genuinely fantastic for a more action-driven horror title. But much of what is built around that combat lets it down: the pacing and atmosphere are largely non-existent; the level design, UI, and checkpoint system are very player-unfriendly; and there just aren’t enough set pieces and gameplay diversions to prevent the combat from getting somewhat repetitive by the game’s end. | Read review |
| Video Chums | A.J. Maciejewski | 4 / 10 | 12-19-2022 | Playing The Callisto Protocol made me feel like I’m wasting my time and I rarely feel that way when I play video games. With simple and repetitive combat and a world that’s completely void of tension yet still filled with absurd amounts of violence, it can go suck an egg. | Read review |
| Washington Post | Jonathan Lee | Not Recommended | 12-02-2022 | Striking Distance’s debut is a swing and a miss, but “Callisto Protocol” ends on a cliffhanger. If the studio decides to revisit the series with a sequel, I’m hoping the second outing will be better than the first. | Read review |
| WayTooManyGames | Kyle Nicol | 7.5 / 10 | 12-19-2022 | The Callisto Protocol has all the right ingredients for what could have been a phenomenal action-horror experience. Sure, it was still a great time, but repetitive combat and enemy designs mixed with a lacklustre story leave for a somewhat underwhelming experience but one that was dripping in atmosphere and phenomenal visuals. It’s not a disappointment per se, but maybe wait for a discount before tackling this one. | Read review |
| Wccftech | Kai Powell | 7.2 / 10 | 12-02-2022 | The Callisto Protocol, throughout all of the tension and suspense, can’t mask the terrors within might only be surface deep. | Read review |
| We Got This Covered | Unknown | 3.5 / 5 stars | 12-07-2022 | The Callisto Protocol shines best in its visceral, moment-to-moment combat, which strikes a good balance between feeling tense, and intuitive. What lets it down is a story that feels a little too unfinished and a few design choices that stick out like a sore thumb in this day and age. | Read review |
| Windows Central | Samuel Tolbert | 4.5 / 5 stars | 12-02-2022 | Striking Distance Studios’ debut title is a horror game that delivers a high-quality experience all the way through. It won’t sway anyone new to scares and frights, but fans of the genre should make this a priority. | Read review |
| Worth Playing | Chris “Atom” DeAngelus | 7 / 10 | 12-08-2022 | The Callisto Protocol is frustrating as a game because it’s so easy to see how it could have been great. There’s no single thing that drags down the game, but it’s an endless stream of annoyances that are exacerbated by the constant reminders of better titles. The Callisto Protocol can be fun, but it’s constantly getting in the way of its own fun. It’s possible that patches might smooth out some of the combat issues and improve the game a fair bit. At launch, though, it’s more frustrating than fun. There’s a lot of potential for a sequel that takes the lessons to heart, but for the moment, you’re better off waiting for a sale. | Read review |
| Xbox Achievements | Richard Walker | 80 / 100 | 12-02-2022 | 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. | Read review |
| ZTGD | Terrence Johnson | 7 / 10 | 12-19-2022 | This game wants to be Dead Space really, REALLY, bad, but what’s interesting about that is I haven’t even finished the first Dead Space game and I can see it. Is this a bad thing? No, it’s really not as Callisto Protocol isn’t a trash game at all, they tried some new things with the controls and stuff some of it worked but for me a lot more of it didn’t. The game’s depiction of excessive violence is fun but even it wears on to the point of feeling overboard, especially when you think why they have giant grinding machines in the open like this in the middle of a prison. The story, while predictable, was an enjoyable adventure, but as far as graphics this game looks incredible. But as most of us know by now, looks aren’t everything and so it is with Callisto Protocol. | Read review |
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