More details about The Callisto Protocol are being revealed with less than two months left until its scheduled release date. Recently, fans were made aware of how long it will take to beat The Callisto Protocol. Depending on what game genres fans indulge in most, its runtime could either be perceived as a relief or a detriment. Either way, it has also been revealed that the duration of fans’ playthroughs will fluctuate slightly depending on which “beta paths” players take later in the game.
These beta paths suggest that there will eventually come a point in The Callisto Protocol where players are no longer guided to a linear destination with a single means of arriving there. This may or may not lead to alternate endings, but it seems as though beta paths will at least give players different experiences. The announcement of beta paths is exciting as it is unclear when they might appear; for example, players may not know they are already making their way down one. This could give The Callisto Protocol a great sense of replayability if each path is truly substantial and unique.
The Callisto Protocol’s Replayability is Great for Its Playtime
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Modern AAA experiences have taught some fans that a game needs to be at least twenty hours long in order to be worthwhile, but a game’s length should not be a prior indication of its quality. A game that is twenty hours long will surely have more content than a game that is five hours long, for instance, but those fifteen extra hours could pale in comparison. In the case of The Callisto Protocol, not having a JRPG-length playtime is not necessarily a bad thing.
Being 12–14 hours in length gives it enough time to introduce robust mechanics, characters, and narratives and also give them closure in a satisfying conclusion without running too long. However, its length being arguably shorter than some modern games may also be a result of its replayability with beta paths. It seems that Striking Distance Studios intends for fans to play The Callisto Protocol once through, knowing as little as possible and accepting whatever beta path they happen to come upon. Then, once they finish the game, they may talk with others and learn about other diverse paths that maybe they noticed but passed on, or that they had completely missed in their exploration.
This is great for replayability because fans may be intrigued enough to play again, hopefully on an available New Game+ mode, and purposefully choose another path to experience. That way, what was once a 12–14 hour playthrough could be doubled or even tripled depending on how enticing The Callisto Protocol’s beta paths and post-launch content are.
The Callisto Protocol’s Nonlinearity Can Break Up Monotony
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It is interesting that these beta paths were announced when almost nothing else is known about The Callisto Protocol. Almost all the game’s trailers and marketing thus far has depicted how similar The Callisto Protocol is to Dead Space in terms of combat, atmosphere, and design. However, where The Callisto Protocol seems to differentiate most is in its non-linearity, which fans would not have known about if its developer was not so transparent about its game design.
It is possible that Striking Distance Studios wanted fans to know that The Callisto Protocol will not be a linear, monotonous narrative, and that having beta paths breaks those beats into chunks that players will experience independently. If The Callisto Protocol’s narrative is comprehensive and subtly peppered throughout the game, there could even be details players miss until they play it again and explore another path.
The game will hopefully have many moments that invite fans to play it again to uncover other secrets or enjoy new paths, as its nonlinearity now seems like a dedicated feature that players should indulge in to get the most out of it. There is even an achievement in The Callisto Protocol for seeing every death animation, which demonstrates that there will be a lot to explore and experience in multiple playthroughs.
The Callisto Protocol is scheduled to release on December 2, 2022, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
