Of the announcements made at The Game Awards, one has struck a chord with horror fans, especially those who were disappointed when EA liquidated Visceral Games and axed the future of the Dead Space series. So, with Dead Space Co-Creator Glen Schofield's Striking Distance studios announcing The Callisto Protocol, it looks like the developer might have found somewhere to reincorporate some older ideas.
Fans have only been shown a short trailer of The Callisto Protocol so far, as is often the case with an announcement trailer, but the new game gives off some serious Dead Space vibes. Even The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley said the same as soon as the trailer premiered, thanks in no small part to the sci-fi aesthetic and strange alien monster.
It isn't exactly a one-to-one comparison between the two, especially when it comes to the nature of this new alien in The Callisto Protocol and Dead Space's iconic necromorphs. However, while the games are clearly meant to be separate entities, that doesn't mean that there won't be any crossover at all between these two horror titles. Players might be in for a new gameplay experience, especially given that this is a new development team working on the new game, but elements like government mysteries and corrupt officials investigating dangerous alien devices are something to look out for.
The New Sci-Fi World
One of Striking Distance's first hurdles is going to be building a world within the game that feels unique to itself, something that's difficult with a reputation for having created an iconic horror universe. Placing The Callisto Protocol in the PUBG universe is a step in the right direction away from Dead Space, and could set up for the dark tones that come with creating a narrative around a battle royale concept. That being said, it does look like there is plenty of crossover in the design of this new title and Schofield's claim to fame, specifically when it comes to the presentation of the science.
A familiar design that many noticed in The Callisto Protocol's announcement trailer was the device that appears on the back of the prisoner's neck as the short scene follows his discovery of some type of creature. Many Dead Space fans immediately called the device out for having a similar appearance as the diegetic interface that appears on Isaac Clarke's back throughout the series, even when he's in a hospital gown. This combined with the hologram and similarly interfaced computer panels shown throughout the trailer really makes the new world look like it could fit into Dead Space fairly easily.
Human-like Aliens
So, third-person UI aside, the aspect that reminded many Dead Space franchise fans of the games came when the alien creature stood up in the background and attacked the prisoner that the trailer follows. Some have already begun speculating that this is some sort of new version of the necromorphs, with new lore behind them to fit the iconic horror monster into the new universe. Of course, that is the least likely option at this point, with the more probable answer to what this new enemy is being tied closer to the classic horror films that the necromorphs were originally inspired by.
It's often believed that the Dead Space developers took inspiration from John Carpenter's film The Thing when designing the twisted forms of the necromorphs within the series. From the look of this new monster in The Callisto Protocol, it seems that the inspiration will be taking the imitation and subterfuge to the forefront, made evident by the prisoner not realizing that his cellmate has transformed until its far too late. In this case, it looks like Striking Distance's new game might be taking a turn, both in lore and gameplay, from Dead Space, even if some connecting elements that will appeal to fans of the older franchise will be present.
The Callisto Protocol is set to release in 2022.