The story of The Callisto Protocol takes place in 2320 on Callisto, Jupiter’s dead moon. Our protagonist is Jacob Lee, an inmate of the Black Iron prison who, after the appearance of a mysterious outbreak that transforms the guards and the rest of the inmates into creatures called biophagous, must fight to survive. During his escape from him, Jacob will also have to find time to discover the secrets of the United Jupiter Company, which in addition to managing the prison has carried out a series of mysterious activities under the surface of Callisto.
The Callisto Protocol’s combat system is presented as “strategic and innovative”. Striking Distance Studios argues that a horror game must “strike a delicate balance between a sense of helplessness and despair and strategic, skill-based gameplay.” It is difficult to maintain this balance and the studio says that it has achieved it by offering a system that mixes ranged shots and melee combat. The central element of this alloy is a gravitational weapon called GRP that allows you to go from one mode to the other quickly.
“We want players to have options, but we also want them to be afraid in every encounter, when they get close to enemies,” says Striking Distance Studios.
When facing biophagous players should keep in mind that not all are created equal. These enemies range from newly converted creatures, still in guard uniforms, to elusive exemplars with the ability to cloak and climb walls. Also, they evolve over time. During combat, Jacob has the ability to block and dodge attacks, while his gravitational weapon allows him to pick up enemies and objects. As in Dead Space, one of the keys is found in cutting the limbs of the biophagous. He is also encouraged to use the environment to dispatch enemies.
Like monsters, Jacob has a way to evolve. To do so he needs credits that can be exchanged at shop stands for ammo, health, and gear upgrades. Not everything is in the store, so exploration will be one of the central elements to survive in Callisto.
