Directors of the action: Lining up strings of personalized combos on unwitting receivers to then elicit the well-timed catharsis of a needle drop…like each character incommunicative by way of life experience (capital T) yet effusive through these very intentional, highly expressionate showpieces like shouting on highmost mountaintop to justify their own existences. Watching intention become fruition. Then to be carpeted by the needle dropped, mantra-like manifesto itself: “I deserve to be loved”, “I am the storm that is approaching.” A reminder as to why they exist, and why they should be here. Action speaks louder than words. Action is healing. Etc.

If Striking Distance unpatched crowd aggression from its current turn-taking etiquette, it might just fix one of the most egregious gameplay issues present in The Callisto Protocol. It would give reason to engage with the mechanics; to think about the application of your kit and the environment. You know, those littered about spike walls that go mostly unused, etc. The overt simplicity of the dodge mechanic makes sense when you're also asked to mind your surroundings simultaneously. The only time the combat "came alive"/worked, in both the utilitarian sense and horror game context, was when I had the untouched moments of a melee grunt coming at me with a spitter spittin' from afar. Finally, crowd control! In purely melee-centric encounters, nobody is stepping on your toes. The Horror Game is in your mind.

To think this could have been one of my Halloween staples as I otherwise adore this himbo-horror funhouse. A John Carpenter meets WWE kind of thing. Gamers might be one of the least adaptable species, and Striking Distance are to be shamed for not sticking to their guns and hollowing out their game. For all their viscera, they're rather gutless!