Callisto Protocol is a Dead Space knockoff from the original creators of Dead Space. The idea behind making a spiritual successor to a fan favorite series makes sense, but the developers seemed to have forgotten what it is that made Dead Space so good in the first place.

The plot is kinda everywhere, and nothing ties together until the last hour or two. A lot of the dialogue exists only as buildup for a cheap jumpscare.

I found the concept of the combat to be somewhat interesting. It revolves around dodging attacks, melee when you get an opportunity, and shooting once their defenses are down. But honestly you can just stealth kill or melee all of the enemies except the one boss and the 4-ish mini bosses.

The ‘horror’ aspect relies a little too much on cheap jumpscares (a common problem of modern horror), and the actually impressive amount of gory death scenes.

Not the worst game I’ve ever played, but I think it would be a really solid game if they leaned in more on the survival horror side instead of action, focusing on stealth and melee combat (with only one gun instead of the five unnecessary ones you can unlock).

If you’ve never played Dead Space are interested in it, at least give it a shot. Otherwise just play Dead Space.