Fans of Dead Space’s brand of sci-fi horror are in for a treat in the coming few years. Not only is EA working on a remake of the original survival horror title, but one of the game’s original creators is working on a brand-new space-based IP entitled The Callisto Protocol.
The new game’s available details, as well as its trailer, show that it undoubtedly shares a healthy dose of Dead Space’s DNA. However, Glen Schofield’s Striking Distance Studios faces a challenge if it wants The Callisto Protocol to surpass EA's remake of his original horror classic.
What Is Known So Far About The Callisto Protocol
The Callisto Protocol is set for release in 2022 and, like Dead Space, will be a third-person survival horror title in a science-fiction setting. The game’s trailer is intriguing and terrifying in equal measure, and showcases some creature design horrifying enough to rival the best survival horror classics.
Intriguingly, the game will apparently be set in the PUBG universe, albeit several centuries in the future. This odd connection has led to fan speculation about how exactly a survival horror game and an online multiplayer battle royale game can coexist.
The Callisto Protocol’s story will take place in 2320 and is set in a prison colony called Black Iron, which is operated by the United Jupiter Company and situated on Jupiter’s moon, Callisto. The protagonist will be one of the prisoners, forced to fight for survival against what appears to be an alien invasion.
The game is in development by Striking Distance Studios, which was founded by Glen Schofield, who co-created Dead Space when employed at the now-defunct Visceral Games. The game will be released on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and the developer has stated his intention to create “the scariest game on next-gen platforms”.
How The Callisto Protocol Could Surpass the Remake of Dead Space
It is clear from Schofield’s comments and from The Callisto Protocol’s trailer that his game is focusing on delivering a terrifying horror experience. This is great news for fans of the original Dead Space, a franchise that was criticized for moving away from a survival horror focus over the course of its three main installments.
Indeed, a simple mantra for The Callisto Protocol’s success would be “avoid replicating Dead Space 3”. The third installment of EA’s franchise was criticized for being too action-centric, as well as for including a co-operative mode that further eroded the sense of fear and isolation that made its predecessors so effective. Furthermore, the game was notorious for its use of micro-transactions; nothing kills an immersive horror atmosphere quite like forcing the player to punch in their credit card details.
Other horror franchises have failed to resist the urge to slowly morph into action games, and The Callisto Protocol needs to learn lessons from these failures, too. Even the venerable Resident Evil series was notorious for its shift towards action in Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6, forcing the franchise to return to its roots for the much more widely acclaimed Resident Evil 7. Survival horror fans hope that Striking Distance Studios recognizes that there are already plenty of action games for that genre’s enthusiasts to enjoy, and that the developer focuses instead on a title that prioritizes scares over thrills.
However, there are other areas in which The Callisto Protocol must excel if it is to achieve success. One is to avoid being too derivative of other survival horror titles, including its esteemed forerunner, Dead Space itself. If the game feels like a shameless re-tread of Isaac Clarke’s ill-fated expedition to the USG Ishimura, fans and critics will be quick to criticize its lack of imagination.
Indeed, the horror genre is often guilty of adhering to the latest trends and tropes, as demonstrated by the huge number of recent releases that are thinly-veiled clones of P.T., the insanely popular teaser for the now-cancelled Silent Hills project. Although the setting of The Callisto Protocol seems guaranteed to deliver a more expansive experience than the infamously claustrophobic design of Hideo Kojima’s interactive trailer, any sequences that feature looping hallways are sure to result in eye rolls from a few gamers.
Fans hope that this originality also extends to the game’s story. Dead Space’s narrative was fairly basic, featuring an unearthed artefact that caused humans to metamorphosize into horrifying monsters, but it excelled in its human story about a man trying desperately to save his wife. The Callisto Protocol needs to tap into the same relatable, character-driven side of horror if it is to be truly successful.
A final trap The Callisto Protocol needs to avoid is an overreliance on cheap jump scares as opposed to truly effective, slowly-ratcheting dread. Thanks to the success of titles like Five Nights at Freddy’s, many horror games are so permeated with jump scares that these moments cease to be effective, resulting in players yawning and switching off rather than leaping out of their skin. The Callisto Protocol must adhere to the blueprint of classic horror games and movies and keep its deployment of such moments sparse, sparing, and all the more shocking as a result.
Survival horror fans eagerly await more information about The Callisto Protocol, and will be intrigued to see whether it can live up to its early hype. One thing is certain: 2022 promises to be a fantastic year for those yearning to experience the unique terror that only the unknown depths of outer space can deliver.
The Callisto Protocol is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S for release in 2022.