So, I meet “Callisto Protocol” at a party. I walk up to them. A minute into introductions, they shock me with a terrifying personal anecdote. They tell me about the time they stole their uncle’s pistol from his cupboard and used neighbourhood pigeons for target practice. Hungry for some more tea, I pretend that I am not in fact shocked by this information. I continue the conversation. A minute passes, and Callisto tells me about the time that they shot down a pigeon. They’re happy to have me listening. They then go on to tell me about their interesting experience of shooting down their second pigeon. And their third. By the time we get to the story of the eighth pigeon, I am no longer shocked by what they tell me. I leave the conversation disappointed. A few weeks pass. I have forgotten about Callisto.
In terms of the general “vibes”, the game The Callisto Protocol is only slightly different from the Callisto I met at the party. I wake up as a man escaping a zombie overrun prison facility in a planet that is not Earth. While the gameplay is strictly linear, I still bumble around the maze-like facility. I am shocked by the first jump scare from a slimy and disgusting mutant. Eventually I find the eighth mutant emerging from a vent, running towards me. I instinctively raise my electric club and take three lazy swings. As the mutants I meet grow stronger, the combat slowly evolves—but only to an extent. The facility is filled with labs and 3-D printers that add attachments to my weapons. These act as skill and combat upgrades.
Like Callisto from the party, the game reveals itself to be interesting in only one specific aspect. It is interesting in that it is an atmospheric/immersive version of a zombie apocalypse game. The environment is detailed, and the sound effects are amazing. I really like the satisfying squelch that comes with stomping on a mutant to get hidden items. I enjoyed the up close and personal combat with the mutants—it’s like I am doing a little dance with dodging and attacking during every combat sequence. Callisto tried its best to also give me the interesting backstory that surrounds the planet—the story of an experiment gone wrong. But it doesn’t stand out as much as the squelches. The game released last week, and is available to play on the PC, PlayStation and Xbox.