The most highly anticipated horror game of 2022 is coming out in a few days, someone like me is itching to preorder this, because of how grotesque, and true to Schofield's vision it seems to be. In fact, someone inside couldn't just help himself and leaked 13 minutes of the intro. People who've seen it were already sold, but there's still a lot to speculate on.
From here on, I am going to explore what was showcased to us, including from the leaks. Some supposed expectations made from my own speculations, and maybe some tidbits circulating around the DLC content along with the controversy tied to them.
It's a big budget title, but also happens to be the first ever made game from Glen Schofield's third new studio. There's good enough reasons to instill doubt, but it's also a scary thing to look at things this way, because I really don't want this game to fail and want it to bring what is promised us from all that he's shown us so far.
What's To Know
Before the project got pitched, Schofield left Sledgehammer Games of Activision. He quit Call of Duty in order to pursuit different creative endeavors. Hence, later he pitched an idea to PUBG Corporation while creating his studio, Striking Distance that he wanted to create a survival horror game with its narrative being canon to the PUBG Universe. Multiple teasers and interviews later, the project would sort of shift, but somewhere in 2021, they had a story and knowing where it's gone.
By the time they've worked on most of the game, Schofield made it clear that it will no longer have ties to the PUBG Universe and that it'll be its own thing. While still being distributed by PUBG publisher, Krafton. By this year, we started learning more that he's making a Dead Space successor. An action survival horror game, with gameplay elements and mechanics borrowed from the Souls game. But as I continue to delve more into the game, there's a lot more going on than that.
Around the time of forming his new studio, and getting a team for his new game, he hired up to 30 people from both defunct Visceral Games, and Sledgehammer Games. Many of these people worked closely on these games, and to him. So, it was obviously telling by how well this game was going to come out, because you have a large team of experienced developers, who've worked very closely with the producer, Schofield himself, creating a passion project such as this. I can see, just from the trailers alone, how well it is coming along.
Plus, featuring a number of Hollywood actors like Josh Duhamel, Karen Fukuhara, and Sam Witwer. They put high sum budget for every aspect of the game from production, sound design, writing, and putting great polish on it.
The Game Itself
His original project, Dead Space, was a lot more necrotic, basically juxtaposing voodoo cult in space with body horror. It was obviously inspired by Event Horizon, diving deep into hedonistic aspects of the materials. One could say, Dead Space was true survival because of getting both the engagement and atmosphere right.
Callisto Protocol, from what it seems, will be much more action-oriented. But will have more intense horror elements, obviously will be more eldritch than his prior game was. But also with a prison escape premise, kind of like the first Resident Evil movie. I think this is great, since we live past the 3D visual exposition horror era of the late 2000s and early 2010s. So, a lot of substance, as well as nods and familiar elements of the prior games they've worked on, will be jam-packed in this triple A package. As well as modernized gameplay mechanics that gives actual next-gen feel.
The gameplay in Callisto Protocol will provide multiple ways to engage the enemy, to start off, you can brawl with the infected. Dodge left and right, timing is important as they are violent, reactive, and can suppress you randomly. It'll be difficult to read their patterns, as there's a lot going on, especially with the different varieties you'll fight against. Some will even regenerate if you don't kill them fast enough. The protagonist can get knocked down, and will quickly have to get up. This isn't the case where you can take a lot of damage, you have to be careful, otherwise you will be easily killed off.
Then there's the gunplay, yes, there will be various weapons, and they seem really effective. Though, guessing by the fact that the melee aspect exists, ammo will be limited. So using both ways, combat becomes fast and engaging. Requiring to act fast, react and think quick to eliminate as much as possible. If things got sticky, there's that alternative gravity gun, which you can grab them and throw them at environment kill zones. A nice way to provide crowd control opportunities.
From what is shown, this will definitely have open-world design where you can explore just about any areas you see, but mostly will be linear as to follow the story through and through. Though, side activities like finding trinkets, upgrades, and maybe some new weapons will probably be also a thing.
Expectations
This will be a very intense game. Both Visceral and Sledgehammer worked on some amazing shooting games, though, the brawler thing looks to be entirely new, I can see it'll be working well. The other factors are the exploration, as the character can crouch and prone, and the stealth element, which is added, as a way to kill enemies quicker and quietly or avoid combat in general.
There's probably a lot that is going to be found out, I mean, this was created with PUBG in mind. So, inventory management, doing some light puzzles, scavenging, and so on. The environmental storytelling is a great blessing, especially for a game like this by these guys, that'll create a dreadful atmosphere inside a prison outbreak. On top of that, the gameplay is frantic.
I wish I could say more, but I am guessing there's going to be a lot of stuff, as you'll unlock them gradually, and probably also new abilities too. That's more of a guess. This is probably going to be more claustrophobic, but also intense, to the point that if you're not familiar with action and horror games, you will sort of struggle. But I believe this will also be a highly elevated experience for veteran players too.
There are even going to be sections where you have to move left and right avoiding objects, while sliding down a sewage, it was pretty adrenaline inducing from one of the videos I saw. There was a swinging fan and when he got caught, he got split in half. So yeah, it's going to involve set pieces like these, like it is another blockbuster game. I don't honestly think they're going to change the formula entirely here, but as I've said before, pretty elevated experience. Also, it won't be all one-shot, just like Dead Space was.
It's nice to see that the same UI design is back, but Schofield stated that he wants to also do things a lot more things differently and in more spades. Which is great to hear, the man is earnest about trying to make the best game he possibly could. I hope Callisto Protocol comes out amazing, but man, it's a new game made by a new team, I was burned out before, I am not sure if I want to put the money in here. I have 2 days to decide that as well.
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