3/5 ★ – Madsines's review of The Callisto Protocol.

I'm a massive fan of science fiction and horror, so anything that blends the genres together immediately catches my attention. Last year I played Dead Space and its sequel for the first time and was blown away, and thus Callisto went to the top of my most anticipated games list. But oh boy, was I disappointed by this game. It's not that Callisto is a bad game, not even close. But it consistently falls short with some baffling design decisions, mediocre writing and lack of real scares. I think my biggest issue is the atmosphere here, or lack thereof. Callisto just isn't very scary. I played this game like I do every horror game, at night with the lights off. Sure, I jumped a few times but I never really felt 'a powerful sense of dread', as Super Hans would say. The checkpoint system is also atrocious. It's probably the worst checkpoint system I've experienced in recent memory. Often you'll grab a load of upgrades and currency, and even buy and sell items in the shop only to die a few minutes later and have to do it all over again. Or you'll shimmy through one of the the game's many, many crevices before a trap in the next room kills you, forcing you to do it over and over. Why not just put the checkpoint at the part where your character is actually in danger? Why make the player replay these sections where there's no danger of death just for the sake of it? It makes no sense. That said, when the game works and you're going room to room, clearing out enemies and searching for upgrades and collectibles it can be a lot of fun. The combat can be a bit finicky, and it falls apart in tight spaces; but it's still a good time. I genuinely liked where the story went too, with a couple of twists and turns towards the end that I genuinely didn't see coming. It ends a bit abruptly, but as much as I've criticised this game I'd still like to see a sequel. If you're a sci-fi horror fan, this is probably worth picking up on sale. Ultimately it's a disappointment, but I don't regret playing Callisto. Playtime: 9 Hours Platform: Xbox Series X