This modern era of gaming is an exciting one, particularly for those who are interested in horror. Upcoming releases such as Sllitterhead, Scorn, and The Outlast Trials are among some of the most anticipated horror games of this year, as is The Callisto Protocol. The latter in particular is noteworthy, partly due to its association with the original Dead Space director. Teaser footage has also been doing the rounds and keeping fans excited, and now a recent interview gives additional insight into the game's visuals.
When speaking to TechRadar, The Callisto Protocol's Chief Technical Officer Mark James discussed the importance of detailing and the visual realism that is going into the game. Characters themselves have been created with such detail that some people believed they were pre-rendered. James has insisted that this is simply how the studio has gone about designing characters, to such an extent that even the eyeballs have ray tracing on them and it's possible to see the reflections on them.
Along with AI upscaling, ray tracing is pretty much an industry standard in gaming. By using an algorithm, the hardware determines the lighting of a game by realistically depicting things like reflections from a pool of water, as well as better shadows, depending on where the player is standing. It may seem like such a small thing for The Callisto Protocol to feature ray tracing even on characters' eyes, but James states that this has been important to the team. Video games don't always have to be completely realistic, but anyone who's been checking out Striking Distance's upcoming horror title will have seen that it certainly doesn't hurt things any by having a greater sense of verisimilitude for added immersion.
In general, it seems as though the developer is putting a lot of work into the game, with The Callisto Protocol getting a long term investment from its developer. This may include DLC as the team is leaving the "world expandable." It might also mean some new game modes could get implemented after release.
After a slew of horror games were shown at Gamescom 2022 recently, hype for The Callisto Protocol has been kept up, especially with the new gameplay footage demonstrating some of the gorier aspects that fans can expect. It's shaping up to be one to look out for, especially for anyone who's keen on the genre. And the fact that the eyeballs will have ray tracing is evidence of the effort Striking Distance Studios is putting in.
The Callisto Protocol launches on December 2 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: TechRadar, DSO Gaming