Good evening, House of Madness aliens:
The days of "Super Mario Bros.", "Donkey Kong", "The Legend of Zelda", and "Sonic the Hedgehog" reigning supreme in the gaming world weren't THAT long ago, but with the evolution of gaming consoles and PC's, it sure feels like it. We have advanced from pixelated princesses, 2-D scrollers, and save points that were non existent, to games that look and feel like you're watching TV in your living room, some lasting 100 hours or more depending on how committed you are to discovering all the hidden secrets a game has to offer. Mario and his friends are still very much alive and well, providing cartoon action, adventure, racing, and all kinds of entertainment for the whole family. First person shooters such as "Call of Duty", "Fortnite", and "Apex Legends" provide some grenade filled fun as you squad up with your buddies online, in an attempt of world dominance becoming the last ones standing. RPG's can leave you wondering where the last 7 hours disappeared to, as you keep telling yourself "last one" as you begin yet another quest into a dark cavern or a mountaintop in an immersive fictional macrocosm you can practically touch. Not all games are made to cheer you up though; franchises like "Resident Evil", "Silent Hill", and "Dead Space" were made for one purpose, and one purpose only; to scare you into oblivion, and make you ponder about uninstalling the game, while stealing the bravery you boast about at daytime barbecues in the safety of your own backyard. Luckily I want to get the most out of my purchases, so I don't uninstall anything until the credits roll, as I taunt my Xbox Series X while I point and laugh maniacally. It may sound childish, but I know my Xbox would do the same to me if given the chance.
All joking aside, my nerves have now calmed enough after asserting my dominance over "The Callisto Protocol" earlier this afternoon, and I have stopped looking over my shoulder every time I head to the washroom. I've also stopped referring to my gaming chair as my 'space barracks', and I have stopped insisting on being referred to as Captain. I hadn't intended on reviewing a video game when I started playing, but I figure if a video game can be this scary, then why the fuck not? I mentioned "Dead Space" earlier, which has ties to "The Callisto Protocol" not in story, but both are directed by Glen A. Schofield, who returns to horror after a long hiatus directing some "Call of Duty". Welcome back sir, my nerves don't thank you.
"The Callisto Protocol" has you play as cargo pilot Jacob Lee (Josh Duhamel), as his ship crash lands on Jupiter's moon Callisto, and he is falsely imprisoned for crimes he didn't commit. Another victim of the wrong place at the wrong time. After escaping his cell, Jacob realizes he's trapped in Black Iron Prison, a hellish maze with creatures that were once human, but have since mutated into bloodthirsty anomalies that lurk around every corner. Great. As Jacob cautiously makes his way through the prison, he finds he has to work together with people he doesn't know or trust if he has any chance of making it out of this nightmare alive. Do all the people Jacob meets have ulterior motives, or has the implant placed in his head upon capture distorted reality, and perhaps Jacob isn't who he thinks he is? As the game progresses, more questions are provided than answers, leaving Jacob wondering just what's really going on while he navigates through dark corridors oozing with uncertain death. By the time the truth is revealed, Jacob has lost friends, allies, and just about everything and everyone in his existence, and is forced to reflect on his past in order to cope with the present. Did one selfish decision in Jacob's past bring everything to the point of insanity, or is it just a convenient excuse to cover up a methodical plan of a corporation so transfixed on progression, that it was blind to humanity?
The game itself took me about 16 hours to complete, but I am extremely meticulous when it comes to finding the secrets hidden within a game, so I definitely could have done it in roughly 12. The game does play extremely slow from a movement standpoint, but even with my extensive searching it never felt like a chore, and I never felt like it was dragging on in want of a rushed conclusion to the story. I will say the combat gets a little repetitive even with new weapon blueprints, and at times the camera can be a hindrance especially when you're trying to attack after a well timed and executed defensive maneuver. These small complaints didn't impact my experience more than being a minor annoyance; the feeling of dread and discomfort you feel every single time you enter an elevator, door, or building more than makes up for any of the game's shortcomings. I found myself on more than one occasion holding my breath, trying to figure out whether that noise coming from the darkness ahead is just my imagination, or if it's something more sinister, waiting to manifest when I least expect it. The best advice i can give if you're considering playing, is never let your guard down, and it never hurts to have a change of underwear close by........or so I've heard.
Madness Meter: 7.8/10
NB
