The Callisto Protocolis a third-person action-adventure game that roots its combat in horror. LikeDead Space,The Callisto Protocolis a survival-horror game with more exciting and cinematic options in combat than a traditional survival-horror game may have.Dead Space’s Kinesis is a valuable resource when ammunition is low, for example, andThe Callisto Protocolis adding even more mechanical layers of combatto give players a greater fighting chance. That said, how players are meant to master these combat mechanics inThe Callisto Protocolmay be a challenge in itself.
The Callisto Protocolhas stealth tactics that allows players to dispatch biophages quietly from behind. Furthermore,The Callisto Protocol’s Jacob Leewields a retractable baton for dedicated melee combat. It will be interesting to see how much of an impact melee combat has on the player’s choice to engage with biophages, such as if there are incentives to bashing a biophage instead of shooting it. In close-quarters-combat, however, players also have a dodge mechanic. This sounds great on paper, but where it is mapped on the controller may make movements and decisions much more panic-inducing.
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Dodging is Mapped to the Left Stick in The Callisto Protocol
On console,The Callisto Protocolmaps its dodge input to the left stick—the same left stick that players use to control the character’s movements. This effectively means that while strafing and moving about in the vicinity of an enemy, any sudden or panicked flicks of the player’s left thumb can trigger a dodge.
Players will need to be close enough to an enemy in order for the dodge input to become available, and a flicked motion on the stick is what triggers it, as opposed to simply pressing it in the direction players would like to move. Players are probably accustomed to a dodge input being on a face button at this point, especially with regard to modern action games, and this is surely a dramatic change as a result.
If implemented well, this deliberate choice could make movements perilous when cornered by one ofThe Callisto Protocol’s gruesome enemies. Moving left and right will be a decision that needs to be timed well, but players may likely flick the stick in that direction anyway. Perhaps the hardest hurdle with this mechanic will be to understand how close enemies need to be before dodging is allowed.
The Callisto Protocol Wants Players to Master Their Panic
This distinction between a sharp flick and a gentle push may be difficult to control early on, particularly while players are attempting to learn enemy attack patterns, or are frightened bya biophage’s sudden mutations inThe Callisto Protocol. That said, constantly flicking the left stick and spamming directional dodges could be a tactic in itself, where players could potentially dodge infinitely. Flicking backward on the left stick interestingly instigates a block, which could also come in handy if players are unsure that a dodge will successfully get them out of harm’s way. If enemies have ranged attacks, it will also be interesting since the player will seemingly not be able to dodge them in the same way.
The Callisto Protocol’s combatbalances a unique approach between long-ranged gunplay and close-quarters melee that players will need to consider in each encounter. It may actually be preferable to stand toe-to-toe with some enemies that players can easily evade and strike, for example, while others may be too much of a threat at close-range and may be better kept at arm’s length with a firearm.
The Callisto Protocolis scheduled to release on June 27, 2025, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
