Perhaps the biggest surprise of Thursday's PlayStation State of Play event wasn't the Resident Evil 4 remake or even Final Fantasy 16's summer 2022 release date. Instead, it was possibly the unveiling of The Callisto Protocol, the Dead Space spiritual successor made by the co-creator of Dead Space, Glen Schofield. The Callisto Protocol wasn't expected during the State of Play, but it certainly impressed. A new trailer debuted The Callisto Protocol's gameplay while also confirming the horror game would be released later this year.
The Callisto Protocol's State of Play trailer featured a mix of gameplay and in-game cinematics, offering a first look at what it will look like to play the horror game. Dead Space fans will be pleased to see that The Callisto Protocol features plenty of dark, winding corridors with monstrous enemies waiting behind every turn. It's properly nightmarish.
In the trailer, several enemy types can be seen that are certain to haunt some players' dreams. There are human prisoners, what appears to be a gun-wielding security robot, humans that have been transformed into monsters, smaller fleshy monsters that fire tendrils, and something worse. The trailer ends with a humanoid monster breaking away from a wall. It seems sightless, making clicking noises to find its prey. Odds are, these are just a few of the monsters awaiting players in The Callisto Protocol.
Players won't be without a means of fighting back, of course. The Callisto Protocol's new trailer shows the player facing down enemies in incredibly diverse and gory ways. Melee weapons like bats, pipes, knives, and even the player's boot are shown taking down foes. The player is also shown with a slow-firing pistol, too, which is reliable at range but not so much up close. There are also environmental weapons, like doors that can be slammed on enemies or industrial machinery that enemies can be pushed into.
Suffice to say, the moon of Callisto will prove to be a perfect location for a survival horror game and protagonist Jacob Lee seems perfect for the role of survivor. An outbreak is transforming people into something called the Biophage, and it's clearly not a simple transformation. These monsters are creatively transformed into perfect nightmares.
Horror fans won't have to wait too much longer to experience The Callisto Protocol for themselves, either. Developer Striking Distance Studios confirmed that The Callisto Protocol will be launching this year, on December 2 to be specific. Expect more details in the months ahead.
The Callisto Protocol releases on December 2 on PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.