Trigger Cut Game Reviews

The Callisto Protocol starts off strong with incredible visuals and a combat system that feels visceral and fun.  However, that combat only remains fun for a few hours, after that it completely falls apart and brings the entire experience down.  This game is as if the Dead Space franchise didn’t have a sequel that iterated on itself.  The combat consists primarily of melee combat that essentially is the Sci-Fi horror equivalent of Punch Out.  You encounter an enemy, use the left stick to bob left, then right, then left again, then hit the enemy.  Most enemies repeat this pattern with no change in their moveset for the entire 8 hour playthrough.  This approach to combat is baffling and I do not understand how anyone thought this would be fun as it becomes a glorified minigame that once you have done it a few times, you have already mastered it.  The guns lack the inspired design of Dead Space and are not interesting or fun to use.  The enemy variety is limited and the final boss is one of the worst designed encounters I have experienced in a game in a long time.  Without spoiling anything the final boss completely throws out the melee combat the game has been forcing you to use the entire game for an enemy that really can only be killed by guns. The game takes place in space jail and pales in comparison to the Ishimura from the original Dead Space. While the graphics look great, the environments look bland and do not stick out from one another. The game also is constantly taking control away from you by forcing you to fit through tight spaces and crawl through vents. The gore they marketed gets annoying after a few deaths since the animations are long, repeated and sometimes look janky. This game is a huge let down and feels like a misguided and failed attempt to copy Dead Space.  Unfortunately, the Callisto Protocol is dead on arrival.