The Callisto Protocol made a name for itself during the Opening Night Live, with the highlighting of the infiltration aspect, the presentation of a "gravity" rifle and its long slide sequence ending in the gory death of the hero. It was theatrical, it provided the show well and, with the exception of this phase of gliding which was a little too long, it was practically perfect! Quite excited by what we had just seen, I wanted to know more by attending a more detailed presentation of the game!
Before showing the game by commenting on the action, we were treated to a short introduction concerning the ambitions of the studio, and their vision of horror in video games. Unsurprisingly, we find most of the traits that once characterized Dead Space (1st of the name), namely: a heavy atmosphere, omnipresent tension, visceral brutality and the feeling that there is no hope of getting out "alive" from this space prison.
The video shown is virtually the same as the one shown at ONL, with a few more details and developer comments. The latter explains to us that infiltration is possible in the game at certain times, and may be preferred at other times of the adventure. However, everything remains optional, even if managing several enemies can quickly become very complicated.
It must be said that the way to kill the Biophages is quite interesting. A bit like for Dead Space or certain parts of resident evil, aiming for the head does not allow one-shots. Here, we must first get the tentacles out of the body of the creature, then shoot these cursed flagella to put the monster out of harm's way. This therefore implies a fairly precise location of the damage, and the need to aim well to avoid putting yourself in danger. Note also that the weapon seen in the video during the conference is well and truly present in the final game, but that it will not be as powerful as that from the outset.
Indeed, the different weapons of the adventure (which we manufacture using a super stylish 3D printer) will each have a tree of talents that we will have to improve and, for the Gravity Gun, it was improved fully for video purposes to provide as much gore as possible. Because yes, very clearly, the game is bloody and without any concessions, and I can tell you that the developers are delighted with it, given the carnivorous smile of the presenter with each new explosion of viscera. Especially at the time of the passage with the enemies who pass in the species of roller with spikes!
For the rest, very clearly, we have the impression of making a small return to the past, when Visceral Games released the first opus of the adventures of Isaac. The diegetic interface is reused, and the effect is still as striking as ever, with the health bar present in the neck (rather than the spine), relatively heavy movements, a not entirely sane main protagonist (which I easily understand given the places visited) and deaths galore with animations all more disgusting than the other. Technically, not much to report, the presentation made on "new generation" equipment was extremely clean, the consoles clearly serve the atmosphere created by the artists, with fabulous light effects and volumetric fog to no longer know that do it. It's frankly beautiful, and I hope the PS4 and Xbox One won't suffer from too many concessions.
The Callisto Protocol will be released on December 2 on PC, PS4 and 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series. See you then for a full review of one of the most anticipated games of the end of the year!
