Horror is a fairly particular genre in gaming and one that fans can be even more particular toward in terms of taste. Many horror games mirror another more seminal entry, while some at least try to carve out an emergent path for the genre moving forward. The Callisto Protocol was highly maligned when it launched due to it landing in the former category, where its apparent inability to separate from inspired Dead Space roots arguably made its rigid gameplay features more cumbersome.
The Callisto Protocol was generally disliked for one reason or another, and has made any discourse about it relatively moot. This is disappointing because The Callisto Protocol has had updates and content drops since its launch, with a Final Transmission story DLC releasing next week. It’s been made clear that this story DLC will conclude The Callisto Protocol’s run as well as its Season Pass content. This should be a great reason for Season Pass owners to return to The Callisto Protocol, but others might not be inclined to pay for it now.
The Callisto Protocol’s Story DLC Not Being Free Might Turn Players Away
It’s unfortunate, but because The Callisto Protocol was received poorly it is unlikely that its same players will be eager to hop into story DLC for the game, especially if they need to fork over more cash to do so. The DLC can be bought individually, too, but it is still undetermined how much it will cost on its own.
Players who had bought The Callisto Protocol’s Season Pass content when the base game launched will already have access to it and might elect to play it on that merit alone. On the other hand, it might be a tough ask for players to purchase the DLC on its own now if the base game underwhelmed them. The Final Transmission DLC does add a Kinetic Hammer weapon and a new Biophage Robot enemy type alongside other interesting inclusions, though that might not be enough to wash out a sour note some players have expressed experiencing.
It could also be worth buying the story DLC now if fans are interested in seeing whether improvements have been made to gameplay since the base game’s content. The argument could be made that if the story DLC is received well then fans might want more from the IP in the future. The Callisto Protocol had a fairly divisive combat system—for example, it leashed players into claustrophobic melee encounters and made fleeing those encounters quite aggravating at times.
It is impossible to say whether the changes made to gameplay will address any and all concerns that players had back when The Callisto Protocol launched, but having the Final Transmission be a paid DLC might be a big enough barrier to thwart players from learning that for themselves. If Striking Distance Studios walked back its Season Pass it would’ve been absolutely absurd due to the number of people who had paid for that content initially, and keeping it as paid content makes sense as a result.
But when it boils down to how many people will be excited to play The Callisto Protocol’s Final Transmission DLC, more people would likely be intrigued enough to try it out if they already owned the base game and didn’t need to pay anything more for extra story content. There might not be any plans to continue the IP after this story DLC comes out, and if so the aptly titled Final Transmission will hopefully be a blood-soaked and magnificent swan song to go out on.
The Callisto Protocol is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
