For whatever reason, some games seem to get the short end of the stick upon release only for player perception surrounding those titles to warm in the months and years following their launch. Such is the case with Striking Distance’sThe Callisto Protocol, which had the unfortunate position of both launching in a less-than-ideal state and arriving just ahead of the remake ofDead Space, a game originally created byThe Callisto Protocoldirector Glen Schofield.The Callisto Protocolmay have failed to garner an audience in its original release window, but thanks to a hefty PS5 Pro update and a roguelike spin-off, the title is back in players' sights once again.
Despite some mixed reviews regarding the game’s content,The Callisto Protocolalways maintained a bit of a cult following thanks to its intriguing universe and atypical survival horror combat, which acted as a sort of play on the oldPunch-Out!!gamesfrom Nintendo. Striking Distance has seemingly kept up with the following thatCallisto Protocolhas, enough to both launch an excellent roguelike taking place in the same universe[REDACTED].as well as deliver a massive performance update for the title on the PS5 Pro.The Callisto Protocolwas already a visually impressive game on the base PS5, but now it stands as a graphical showpiece for Sony’s new Pro model hardware.
The Callisto Protocol’s PS5 Pro Enhancement Delivers The Best-Looking Version Yet
Therelease of the PS5 Prohas paved the way for several games to receive massive updates to enhance them for Sony’s mid-gen hardware refresh, and few titles are capitalizing on the opportunity quite likeThe Callisto Protocol. Along withGran Turismo 7,F1 24, andNo Man’s Sky,The Callisto Protocolis one of the few games to offer 8K support on Sony’s Pro model PS5, provided players actually have an 8K-compatible display. Still, it’s a noticeable jump in fidelity that is already resulting in plenty of side-by-side video comparisons on YouTube.
That 8K resolution does come at the cost ofThe Callisto Protocolbeing locked to run at 30 FPS, but Striking Distance has accommodated for the dip in performance by also offering a new PS5 Pro-enhanced mode that sees the game running at 4K, 60 FPS. Perhaps what’s most impressive is that both the 8K/30 FPS and 4K/ 60 FPS modes seeThe Callisto Protocolusing fullray tracing, really squeezing every bit of performance from Sony’s new console.Callisto Protocolwas already a great-looking game, but it’s now among the best-looking visual benchmarks for the PS5 Pro.
Playing The Callisto Protocol Makes [REDACTED] Even Better
Beyond the visual enhancements toCallisto Protocolmade possible by the PS5 Pro, the game also recently got a surprise spin-off in the form of[REDACTED]. An action roguelike instead of asurvival horror game,[REDACTED]has already proven to be both critically and commercially successful in ways thatThe Callisto Protocolstruggled to be following its release. It’s undoubtedly one of the year’s stronger roguelikes in an increasingly crowded genre. Fittingly,[REDACTED]is even more enjoyable as a companion game toThe Callisto Protocolthan a standalone experience.
Both titles take place in the same universe and center around the fictional Black Iron Prison, but they also happen to feature similar combat, even if the actual mechanics and interactive elements propping up each game’s combat differ. PlayingThe Callisto Protocolprior toplaying[REDACTED]gives some important context to the situation at Black Iron Prison as well as greater appreciation for[REDACTED]’s more irreverent tone compared toCallisto Protocol’s.[REDACTED]is a great game made even better by having playedThe Callisto Protocol, and in turn, it is helping to bring a new audience to Striking Distance’s survival horror title that might have skipped over it initially.
The Callisto Protocol
WHERE TO PLAY
In this narrative-driven, third-person survival horror game set 300 years in the future, the player will take on the role of Jacob Lee – a victim of fate thrown into Black Iron Prison, a maximum-security penitentiary located on Jupiter’s moon, Callisto. When inmates begin to transform into monstrous creatures, the prison is thrown into chaos. To survive, Jacob must battle his way to safety to escape Black Iron Prison, while uncovering the dark and disturbing secrets buried beneath the surface of Callisto. Using a unique blend of shooting and close-quarters combat, Jacob will need to adapt his tactics to combat the rapidly evolving creatures while scavenging to unlock new weapons, gear, and abilities to outrun the growing threat and escape the horrors of Jupiter’s Dead Moon.
