The Callisto Protocol

 PC
User Score
5.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 294 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 118 out of 294
  2. Mixed: 56 out of 294
  3. Negative: 120 out of 294

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  1. marcinek74
    Dec 3, 2022
    1
    I cant believe that PC version is so bad. Graphics very good but it is not enough. Very poor mechanics. Very unstable gameplay on PC.
    AAAA game? It is a f-ing joke.
  2. Mortanius
    Dec 3, 2022
    0
    Giving it 0 because:
    a) Denuvo
    b) shady season pass
    c) crunching
    d) unplayable dog-excrement port on PC
    e) review embargo lifted during the release day

    Such awful practices has become a norm nowadays which is really sad.
  3. McLamb
    Dec 6, 2022
    5
    The story is predictable, boring and incoclusive (so that we can have a paid story DLC). Charachters have no depth and their relationships are hardly credible for how they develop.
    Adding to all of this the control scheme is terrible and it's impossible to avoid attacks when there are multiple enemies (which happens all the time after a while). The game is not hard, but it's very    The story is predictable, boring and incoclusive (so that we can have a paid story DLC). Charachters have no depth and their relationships are hardly credible for how they develop.
    Adding to all of this the control scheme is terrible and it's impossible to avoid attacks when there are multiple enemies (which happens all the time after a while). The game is not hard, but it's very frustrating because it doesn't feel fair at all (and I finished all of the Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro, Elden Ring, The Surge, Jedi Fallen Knight etc.).
    Even so the game would be at least enjoyable for someone who likes action videogames ('cause this game is not very scary) if it wasn't for the poor performances.
    Technically the game is quite better now than when it launched, but still it randomly crashes, stutters and has a lot of slowdowns. The thing it does best is it turns your Nvidia RTX into a Radeon GPU, so that when you turn ray tracing on it just becomes unplayable, going form 80fps to 30fps and constantly dropping frames, even on a 3080 12gb, 32 bg of ddr5 RAM and a 12600k. It is just ridiculous.
    Evidently Stinking Distance does not gather the true talents behind Dead Space.    … Expand
  4. Mattt013
    Dec 4, 2022
    3
    Prometían ser el juego de terror del año, le dieron demasiado hype, y es inconcebible que un juego AAA salga con esos problemas de optimización.
    Más allá de esos problemas, lejos está de ser un juego de terror. No da miedo para nada.
  5. pheonixx74
    Dec 5, 2022
    1
    Jeu mal optimisé, un sous dead Space déçu par le créateur de ce jeu. Vraiment dommage.
  6. LeandroB
    Dec 18, 2022
    0
    Well, for now i got to give it a zero since for me it's unplayable with all those frames crashes...
    I even tried to set it to 1080p minimum and locking into 30fps, but still, even with a better PC than the recommended specs i couldn't deal with those framedrops.
  7. Gor80hd
    Dec 6, 2022
    2
    I would really like to write a good review, but my 3070 is against it. Honestly, I never thought that running the game on one of the newest video cards, I would not be able to play normally, without lags. With ray tracing, the game will definitely not pass, and without it, the question becomes, what did I pay money for? At the same time, it is impossible to change the graphics settings inI would really like to write a good review, but my 3070 is against it. Honestly, I never thought that running the game on one of the newest video cards, I would not be able to play normally, without lags. With ray tracing, the game will definitely not pass, and without it, the question becomes, what did I pay money for? At the same time, it is impossible to change the graphics settings in the game, go out, change and come in again.… Expand
  8. Alex42Q
    Dec 9, 2022
    3
    this game is very boring and bad . very bad . i am disappoinment .With ray tracing, the game will definitely not pass, and without it, the question becomes, what did I pay money for?
  9. gonace
    Dec 3, 2022
    3
    The game is so badly optimized it ruined the gameplay on PC, it was so unbearable that I just refunded the game and maybe I'd buy it again when the game is not the mess it is today. And I have to agree that it seems to be the way Unreal Engine loads and compiles shaders "on demand.

    And to gameplay it's kind of bad, the mini-boss you fight 4 times during the game can be beaten by easily    The game is so badly optimized it ruined the gameplay on PC, it was so unbearable that I just refunded the game and maybe I'd buy it again when the game is not the mess it is today. And I have to agree that it seems to be the way Unreal Engine loads and compiles shaders "on demand.

    And to gameplay it's kind of bad, the mini-boss you fight 4 times during the game can be beaten by easily dodging and reloading, the boss can't hit you if you just dodge.

    There are also only 4 different base enemies that have been mixed up a bit, but how lazy is that...    … Expand
  10. sabaothkelly
    Jan 1, 2023
    1
    At its current state on PC, it's an unoptimized MESS. Its update on PC by its devs hardly made any improvements. With a high-end PC, playing it at its lowest settings does not solve anything, since it is an obvious optimization problem, and not because of a lack of resources on the PC.

    Performance and optimization aside.... its melee focus gameplay is ATROCIOUS, TEDIOUS and FULL OF JANK!
  11. Pmstz
    Jan 25, 2023
    4
    Very nice atmosphere/vibes. But that's it.

    "Fake" Dead Space
    TERRIBLE optimization.
    Game prize max.
    Solo game 10/12 hours...=> Season pass !

    => NEXT.
  12. ScienceAdvisor
    Dec 4, 2022
    1
    Even if this was not plagued with Denuvo, the fact that it is a half-finished port from consoles that barely works on PC would be enough to give it a poor rating. However, the gameplay is barely that. It is a rail shooter, with pre-determined combat that is so scripted you could use a bot to play those sections. The rest is just jump scares between quick time events. This is justEven if this was not plagued with Denuvo, the fact that it is a half-finished port from consoles that barely works on PC would be enough to give it a poor rating. However, the gameplay is barely that. It is a rail shooter, with pre-determined combat that is so scripted you could use a bot to play those sections. The rest is just jump scares between quick time events. This is just another "game" that wanted to be a "cinematic experience" aka movie, but pretends it is a real game. A massive disappointment that reinforces the basic rule to never pre-order, and if you do to cancel as soon as you learn there is a review embargo before release. They are ALWAYS a cover-up.… Expand
  13. NewUserWhoDis
    Dec 5, 2022
    3
    The game is a turd lacking proper optimizations and full of bugs:

    -Trying to evade damage sucks because it bugs a lot. - Can't sometimes run. Yes, pressing the run button sometimes does... ZERO. - Can't even upgrade gear properly because I CAN'T EVEN READ WHAT UPDATES DO!! Yes, the font, something really basic, bugs!! This "Dead Space" wannabe not only looks dated in mechanics    The game is a turd lacking proper optimizations and full of bugs:

    -Trying to evade damage sucks because it bugs a lot.
    - Can't sometimes run. Yes, pressing the run button sometimes does... ZERO.
    - Can't even upgrade gear properly because I CAN'T EVEN READ WHAT UPDATES DO!! Yes, the font, something really basic, bugs!!

    This "Dead Space" wannabe not only looks dated in mechanics (nothing was updated nor a single new idea/concept was added, feels like Dead Space 1.2) but also has a ton of issues.

    Feels like an indie group got a massive investment from an angel and they decided to pay some AAA company that is really good in the industry to do all the graphics while they took care of the coding. In the end they were new and we got this as a result.

    Know what is the worse in all of this? This turd has a battle pass! A freaking game like this will have MTX that nobody asked for. Freaking disgusting.

    Graphics - 4/5 (nothing special but not bad either)
    Audio - 2/5 (nothing special and even feels boring at times; it even feels empty at times)
    Gameplay - 1/5 (dated, nothing new was added that makes it stand in the middle of the other Dead Space games)

    If you bought it, refund it while you've time. Maybe one day it will be good. But at the moment it's a turd in HD full of nut pieces.    … Expand
  14. lilkillpappy
    Dec 28, 2022
    4
    Biggest disappointment of the year. I was so hyped and then the game disappointed in so many ways

    Pros: beautiful graphics, good sound design, great gore Cons: Very linear game and world design that takes away any agency or any exploration that you might be accustomed to from Dead Space and most other modern games. This game feels more like a movie than a game. The worst thing of    Biggest disappointment of the year. I was so hyped and then the game disappointed in so many ways

    Pros:
    beautiful graphics, good sound design, great gore

    Cons:
    Very linear game and world design that takes away any agency or any exploration that you might be accustomed to from Dead Space and most other modern games. This game feels more like a movie than a game. The worst thing of all though, the big nail in the coffin is the fact that it isn't even slightly scary at any point.    … Expand
  15. sonicmrsumo
    Dec 12, 2022
    0
    A total mess, even after 2 patches. Still stutters and still unplayable as most of the stuttering comes at the same time as enemy encounters.
  16. gorkemozgul
    Dec 13, 2022
    2
    Huge performance issues on PC. There is no visible improvement since Dead Space. It should be considered as action game since it has little horror elements. Terrible game design choices.
  17. aybe_
    Dec 11, 2022
    4
    unfun and uninspiring with a few good elements that still are not enough to carry the game.
  18. Kloido
    Dec 13, 2022
    3
    Triste que un juego salga de esta forma que no se pueda ni jugar. Me da igual que solucionen los errores en el futuro, esto es un robo, es como si me diesen un coche sin limpiaparabrisas y que se le rompen las luces cada dos por tres pero me aseguran que en unos años lo arreglarán. Es una vergüenza que literalmente se ha copiado de Dead Space que salió hace 16 años y está peor. UnaTriste que un juego salga de esta forma que no se pueda ni jugar. Me da igual que solucionen los errores en el futuro, esto es un robo, es como si me diesen un coche sin limpiaparabrisas y que se le rompen las luces cada dos por tres pero me aseguran que en unos años lo arreglarán. Es una vergüenza que literalmente se ha copiado de Dead Space que salió hace 16 años y está peor. Una mecánica de combate para gente que no le llegan las neuronas para hacer divisiones de más de una cifra en el divisor, es lo mismo todo el rato, y ya ni hablemos de que hay 5 enemigos o 6 en todo el maldito juego. La IA es subnormal y eso no se puede permitir en 2022 en un juego triple A como este. Lo único bueno que está traducido al español y que se ve espectacular. No lo recomiendo a la gente que no le gusta que se rían en su cara.… Expand
  19. ROTCEH
    Dec 10, 2022
    3
    As a long time dead space enjoyer and horror game enthusiasts I can personally that the game isn’t worth a 60 dollar price tag,30 maybe 25 dollars at most.The beginning and middle of the game was good but I absolutely hated the ending.The devs had good story building for the atmosphere and potential of a great game but quickly ruined it with how quickly I beat the game and how it ended onAs a long time dead space enjoyer and horror game enthusiasts I can personally that the game isn’t worth a 60 dollar price tag,30 maybe 25 dollars at most.The beginning and middle of the game was good but I absolutely hated the ending.The devs had good story building for the atmosphere and potential of a great game but quickly ruined it with how quickly I beat the game and how it ended on some what of a cliffhanger, this game has so much promise but ended a bit to abruptly so much more could have been done with this game and it had so much potential but now I have to wait for a part two in hopes that I could enjoy a good continuation of a pretty decent horror story… Expand
  20. MrJesse
    Jan 1, 2023
    1
    With Callisto Protocol, buyers remorse sets in right around the 5 minute mark. From the unoriginal and uninspiring storyline, to the broken combat system. Callisto Protocol gives the player only one thing to appreciate, the visuals. But, even this wears thin after your first hour dredging through the game. Striking Distance Studios fails to understand even the most basic elements of aWith Callisto Protocol, buyers remorse sets in right around the 5 minute mark. From the unoriginal and uninspiring storyline, to the broken combat system. Callisto Protocol gives the player only one thing to appreciate, the visuals. But, even this wears thin after your first hour dredging through the game. Striking Distance Studios fails to understand even the most basic elements of a shooter. The best way to describe Callisto Protocol is like the creators had never played a video game and watched a couple minutes of someone else playing Dead Space. Not a single element that makes a good horror game is present in Callisto Protocol. All you get is a melting pot of bad clichés, poor character, enemy and design elements, lackluster gun play, poor pacing, and the feeling you've been ripped off.… Expand
  21. Andrudis
    Dec 3, 2022
    1
    AVOID BUYING PC version!!!
    Buy and play any console version if you can - they both are great 8/10, but PC version is a blatant scam!
    Constant stutters from 120 FPS down to 2-5 FPS every dozen of seconds without any bottleneck (~60% CPU load and ~80% GPU load). Even during cut scenes. What makes it even worse, is that it appears devs perfectly knew about unplayable state of PC version    AVOID BUYING PC version!!!
    Buy and play any console version if you can - they both are great 8/10, but PC version is a blatant scam!
    Constant stutters from 120 FPS down to 2-5 FPS every dozen of seconds without any bottleneck (~60% CPU load and ~80% GPU load). Even during cut scenes.

    What makes it even worse, is that it appears devs perfectly knew about unplayable state of PC version all the time, but instead delaying release or at least issuing warning they just put review embargo till release date and knowingly released completely broken product - unplayable for most and with noticeably spoiled gameplay experience for those lucky few who do not get game breaking stutters every few seconds...
    Wait for a fix and discount at least 50% before considering buying this pile on unplayable...    … Expand
  22. Castrolias
    Dec 6, 2022
    2
    Such a bummer! Had high hopes for this game which proves to be another disappointment. the only thing the game has going for it are looks. It looks beautiful, runs like ass, plays like ass and the story is ass.
  23. Lnowakowski
    Dec 3, 2022
    0
    Unplayable PC version due to poor optimalisation…Another buyers are testers product
  24. Litomaikel
    Dec 4, 2022
    0
    Mala optimización, juego pasillero como pocos, historia mal contada, dudoso sistema de combate.
    Decepcionante en muchos aspectos.
    No es un AAA ni de broma. Si acaso un AA en plan A Plague Tale, pero con muchos más fallos.

    Personalmente yo ya he pedido el reembolso.
  25. Garik_Briks
    Dec 4, 2022
    1
    Как можно играть в этот душный и лагучий кусок дерьма? Для тех кому игра зашла, ты либо терпила, либо говноед)
  26. afroman123456
    Dec 4, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. its the stutter protocol i am very dissapointed by this game so far blunt enemey aı weak story and the boss fight please dont get me started ita awful
    waiting to play dead space remake
    please do not buy this game save your money on something better    … Expand
  27. odenmc
    Dec 3, 2022
    0
    I can't believe it, I have a 4080 (I think it's the best graphics card on the market right now) and IT DOES NOT RUN THE GAME CORRECTLY.

    I HAVE TO FIDDLE AROUND IN GRAPHICS OPTIONS TO GET IT TO WORK. This is embarrassing
  28. esfumato
    Dec 4, 2022
    2
    They forgot to develop gameplay mechanics. It is all about quick time events, jump scares, and a scripted combat that consist in memorizing the enemy patterns so you fight evry one of them exactly the same. Dodge Dodge attack attack and repeat again and again.

    The game is short 6 hours of gameplay.
  29. endless_hallway
    Dec 3, 2022
    6
    This is one of those games which try to be super cinematic at the expense of free exploration.
    The game is constantly on rails, funneling you from one linear corridor to the next, with the obligatory scripted event and jumpscare in between.
    Dead Space did the same thing. But in Dead Space you had at least those spacewalks with your magnetic boots, environmental puzzles and zero gravity    This is one of those games which try to be super cinematic at the expense of free exploration.
    The game is constantly on rails, funneling you from one linear corridor to the next, with the obligatory scripted event and jumpscare in between.

    Dead Space did the same thing. But in Dead Space you had at least those spacewalks with your magnetic boots, environmental puzzles and zero gravity sections where you could float around freely, plus strategic dismemberment of body parts on the enemy, to give the gameplay a little bit of variety. All of those things are mostly absent in The Callisto Protocol.

    There is really not much variety in the level design. They try to break it up with different locations, environmental hazards and various light settings which are all very well done and feel very atmospheric, but at the end of the day all they do is funnel you through a sequence of linear corridors. And most of the time the camera is so zoomed in on your character that you do not see much of the environment anyway.

    Combat:

    The combat feels very deliberate and very slow, to the point that it almost feels like a quicktime event. Animations feel so long and drawn out that you really wonder "Am I playing this right now or is this a cutscene".

    And as said, the strategic dismemberment of body parts you had in Dead Space, is not nearly as important anymore.This time around, it's mostly about close quarter combat with melee weapons and the ability to dodge attacks. Long range weapons are not important anymore.It's barely worth using them, outside of hindering the creatures from mutating.

    Combat really doesn't feel very responsive.
    The animations look great, but they do not necessarily play great.

    On top of that, the game has this weird artificial rule that you can't dodge multiple times in the same direction. If you do, you get hit, no matter how perfect your timing is. Which feels totally unnecessary. You dont need timing anyways, its enough to keep holding the analog stick into the correct direction and your character dodges automaticaly. They even explain that to you in the tutorial. It's a very acquired taste, to say the least.

    Performance (13900K, rtx 4090, 32 GB ram) :

    This game has severe shader compilation stuttering and very inefficient cpu utilization on pc.
    The stuttering is actually worse than in the pc version of Elden Ring at release. While the framerate is constantly fluctuating between 50 and 80 fps on ultra settings at 4K with raytracing turned on and between 100-140 fps on ultra settings at 4K with raytracing turned off. The cpu utilization often doesnt even reach 40 %.

    Loading new areas into the game seems to be also very badly optimized, because after almost every room or hallway there is a hidden loading screen with your character slowly crawling or squeezing himself through a tight space, or opening a door in a deliberately slow way. At the time the credits roll your character has probably squeezed through several hundred interactive loading screens.

    Conclusion:

    I personally would have wished for a little bit less fixation on cinematics and scripted events and a little bit more free exploration. Maybe a little bit of non-linearity with certain areas being more open, like in the Dark Souls games or in Bloodborne. With a healthy mix of small corridors and larger rooms, more open areas and backtracking between the areas. It would have been also nice to have more than only 1 boss fight and 1 miniboss in those locations.

    The graphics and presentation are 9/10.

    The story is a 0/10, its just a handful of very minimalistic plot devices to move you through the levels and all of the characters you encounter have zero personality and relative emotionless voice acting.

    The gameplay is 5/10 if I take the constant stuttering and frame drops into account and the melee combat which feels kind of repetitive after a while, without the emphasis on strategic body part dismemberment out of their previous games.

    Overall this is a style over substance game, with the graphic and lighting being so exceptionally well done that you almost forget about how undercooked the actual gameplay is. At least for a few minutes until you fight the next group of enemies or crawl through the next interactive loading screen.

    Pros:
    + graphic
    + lighting
    + sound design
    + death animations

    Cons:
    - combat
    - level design
    - enemy variety
    - bossfight(s)
    - performance
    - story    … Expand
  30. benjamin666
    Dec 6, 2022
    0
    this game is very boring and bad . very bad . i am disappoinment . it is aweful game . very bad
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Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Most Discussed PC Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 19
  3. Negative: 2 out of 19
  1. Siliconera
    Jan 4, 2023
    40
    The Callisto Protocol feels like a retread of the PS3 era of survival horror, but perhaps in the worst way possible. It’s clear that this title was made with Dead Space in mind, as it shared the same creator, but it’s also a look at how the genre has evolved since Dead Space was relevant. And while The Callisto Protocol’s narrative is lackluster, the gameplay could have been something great and ultimately redeeming about it. Instead, it feels trapped in the past and a worse iteration of what inspired it.
    Read full review
  2. Softpedia
    Jan 3, 2023
    65
    I desperately wanted The Callisto Protocol to be a success so that we can have another Dead Space-like franchise to look forward to, but as it stands, I can’t recommend this game, especially until its issues are fixed in a future patch. I do hope that if there’s a sequel, developers will come up with something fresh to make us forget about the first game.
    Read full review
  3. Riot Pixels
    Dec 31, 2022
    69
    A mildly boring escape from Alcatraz in deep space. It’s neither great or abysmal — an epitome of mediocrity.
    Read full review
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