The Callisto Protocol has received decent reviews and some praise from players, but most gamers who have tried Striking Distance’s debut title have their share of criticism. Alongside visual flaws like frame drops and stutters, bugs that see enemies randomly disappearing, and a checkpoint system that rarely helps the player, the game is lacking a feature seen in most story-driven titles: chapter select.
The Callisto Protocol not having a chapter select option is obviously a bit frustrating for those looking to re-experience specific parts of the story, like the debut of the Two-Head or the snowy section where Jacob is stuck on his own. However, those looking to gather all the collectibles for lore purposes - or more likely, certain Trophies and achievements - will likely be extra disappointed.
The Callisto Protocol’s Chapter Select Issue
The Callisto Protocol has two collectible-related Trophies that players could miss on their initial playthroughs. The first is called “The Commonality,” and it is unlocked by discovering two secret rooms. These rooms provide some lore on Kallipolis, a mysterious organization behind the disturbing tests done on the planet Callisto. However, they are spread very far apart in the game’s story.
The first comes during the “Aftermath” chapter, which is shortly after the initial prison break. The second room is encountered far later on during “Below,” where The Callisto Protocol's creepy blind enemies are introduced. With multiple chapters separating these rooms, players essentially have to go through an entirely new playthrough if they never explored the locations related to Kallipolis. However, this issue is even more severe with the “Grim Reaper” Trophy.
Acquired by collecting all the implant bios in The Callisto Protocol, players will need to have this Trophy in mind while playing the game. While implant bios are always found on bodies - most of which can be stumbled upon when exploring side paths - just one missed implant will mean that players are locked out of the Trophy for their entire playthrough. Considering that a few of the side areas in The Callisto Protocol are easy to miss, as the game does not always make it clear which route is optional and which direction is the main path, this is quite problematic.
Though The Callisto Protocol is not a long game, missing a single implant in the early chapters will be devastating, as players can get all the others but will not be able to go back to secure the final one. New game plus does not exist, and with chapter select being unavailable, players will have to carefully clear every single chapter in an entirely fresh playthrough. When gamers play The Callisto Protocol, they should be sure to save often so that they can go back if they missed an implant bio, as no other option is available to them. On top of this, players could miss a few other Trophies, such as the one for fully upgrading a single weapon. If they choose to spread out their upgrades instead of prioritizing a single weapon, they may never max out a gun, once again necessitating another playthrough.
What makes all of this so frustrating is that The Callisto Protocol has perfectly segmented and named chapters. Despite this, there is no option to select one individually, which is a legitimate headscratcher for fans of the game. Sadly, if Trophy hunters are not extremely thorough or do not play with a guide, they will be forced to go through the game another time. Thankfully, chapter select is something that can hopefully be patched into the game down the road, assuming Striking Distance Studios has interest in adding the mechanic.
The Callisto Protocol is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
