The recently revealed gameplay trailer of “The Callisto Protocol” is making the hearts of horror game fans pound once again. It’s been two years since Striking Distance Studios, one of the independent studios of KRAFTON, released a cinematic trailer. Keep reading to find out the five reasons why you should pay attention to The Callisto Protocol.
The creative DNA of renowned horror game maker
What was the most impressive horror games for you? For this editor, “Dead Space,” which opened a new chapter of survival horror games as soon as it was released in 2008, instantly came up. Though this game was launched long ago, it’s still considered as a legendary title thanks to its terrifying cosmic mood, unique presentation and quality game design. Even many horror game enthusiasts were overwhelmed by fear and gave up the game.
Despite its sequels that came later, the first Dead Space is said to be tensed and scary the most. Glen Schofield, the creator of this legendary horror game, is now leading The Callisto Protocol project as its director and as the CEO of Striking Distance Studios. The Callisto Protocol reminds many fans of the Dead Space series as the two titles both are about the mysterious happenings in the universe.
Tapping into the new technologies and long-accumulated know-hows after Dead Space, Glen Schofield is going to present an advanced sci-fi horror through The Callisto Protocol. One thing he’s particularly concentrating on the development of horrifying sounds. He didn’t deem the sound as a mere compartment. He designs all the sounds ranging from monster sounds, background music to sound effects to cause horror and blend well with the game.
Creatures
The two-minute-long gameplay trailer shows the game’s identity such as the terrifying cosmic mood, the way creatures attack, and gunfight. The most conspicuous element, for this editor, is creepy designs of creatures.
The new trailer features various types of monsters. The tentacles remind of “Facehugger,” which is a gruesomely deformed human from the movie “Alien,” and the humanoids that confuse the players whether they are enemies or friendly. Watching the scenes of these frightening creatures mercilessly slaughtering humans, a worrisome thought came to this editor’s mind that this game could be way too horrific to play through. In particular, “Biophage” looks like “Necromorph,” which made many players dreadful in Dead Space, and they make many horror game fans look forward to meeting them in the game. Besides the monsters, various plots and enemies are getting ready to put the player into trouble. The creature sounds, which is being made by the best creature audio makers from the Hollywood, is also raising expectations.
Original Universe
A series of cohesive stories builds a universe and leads the players into the world of the game. The Callisto Protocol is about a mysterious outbreak in Jupiter’s dead moon “Calisto.” In 2320, Black Iron Prison falls into chaos as an unidentified disease spread throughout Callisto. The player becomes “Jacob Lee,” an inmate in the prison, and reveals the shocking truth behind the giant “United Jupiter Company,” while fighting against the monsters. In addition to its wonderful graphics, the characters’ faces, movements and dubbing would also absorb the player into the game with well-known actors such as Josh Duhamel, who starred Captain William Lennox in the movie “Transformers (2007),” and Karen Fukuhara, one of the “The Boys (2019)” casts.
In a recent interview, Glen Schofield said The Callisto Protocol will be based on its original universe and stories. In its early stages of development, the game was based on PUBG Universe, but it changed the course to create an independent intellectual property. Still, the players are expected to find out some connections to “PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS” through several easter egg objects located throughout the game’s world.
Horror Engineering
Striking Distance Studios stresses that Horror Engineering is its unique system of game design to present horror. Its purpose is to give the players feel the extreme fear with a wide range of elements of horror. Every moment the players encounter during the play is a thorough and elaborate frame designed by developers, not just a mere system.
Striking Distance Studios has adopted this unique system because horror games can maximize fear that they give only when the factors like cruelty, mood, tension and fright exactly fit into situations. Hereby, the players are tensed at every moment of play as well as when they clear a stage or confront boss monsters. As you can see, The Callisto Protocol is a horror game that is created with craftsmanship by Glen Schofield and Striking Distance Studios.
Quality
The Callisto Protocol is a single-player game. The reason for this is to maximize the amount of horror. The mere fact that there’s no one else who can help you defeat the monsters makes you more nervous. It’s a story-based single-player game but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s made only for one-time play. There are various hidden elements, skill trees, upgradable weapons and diverse ways to proceed that will encourage the players to repeatedly play this game.
Death animations are another attraction of The Callisto Protocol. From a character’s head being torn out by a monster to a body gets under a machine, a variety of brutal animations will arouse a slight kick of horror game fans. The game also has unique weapons and gunplay systems. For instance, the “GRP” uses gravity for various purposes, not just to pick up the items but also to pull the creatures or hurl them back. Jacob’s unique “Grip” skill will also allow the players to experience distinctive plays from other horror games. Although it can be a bit difficult in that there isn’t a given way to play through, the beginners will be given with varied settings and options to make the game less difficult.
