Jacob Lee ferries cargo in the Callisto Protocol. A terrorist group locks him up in Black Iron Prison, a snow-shocked Jovian moon. I grinned like a loon at this set-up. Like John Carpenter’s The Thing, Assault on Precinct 13, and Escape from New York, it is an isolated compound with cheek-peeling cold. Subgenre contributions are welcome. No matter whether it’s The Suffering or The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, I like stories about characters who are excluded from society, deemed expendable, or confined to spiritual oblivion.
Kafka-esque is the idea of a protagonist who is arrested at random, and the sneaky hint that they may have done something to deserve it. A definite sense of justice hung over the Ishimura, a “Planet Cracker” ship that slurped the innards out of empty worlds. It’s Josh Duhamel’s likeness and voice that makes us sympathize with him. Duhamel is cool. His army fatigues in Call of Duty: WWII looked great, and he looks great in an orange jumpsuit. It seems almost criminal that we see his face repeatedly destroyed in The Callisto Protocol.
I was primed for this from the start. When the Charon hurtles out of the firmament and overheats, telling us that it’s “venting atmosphere,” I thought, Yeah, I’ll bet. After a few minutes, we get a flaming riot and a desperate escape. Like possessed scissors, they’re no match for Necromorphs of old. Maybe it’s unfair to compare the new game to the old, instead of judging it on its own. Especially when most of its merits aren’t its own. Schofield doesn’t risk much with The Callisto Protocol’s close-hugging third-person camera and its airy foreboding mood. In addition to Jacob’s health bar, and the grim arsenal of weapons at his disposal, this game was a reflection on the string of flourishes that held such power.
So why do I recommend The Callisto Protocol so much? First, there’s Captain Leon Ferris, the black-clad head of prison security. Played by Sam Witwer, he devours more scenery than any Biophage. Using what looks like an anti-gravity glove, he throws Jacob around a room. It’s a nice nod to Witwer’s Starkiller role in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, but he also provides some human contact for Jacob. He also forms a frosty truce with Dani Nakamura, the leader of the outfit that attacked the Charon, and pals around with Elias. Karen Fukuhara plays her, who many will recognize from The Boys, where she tore people apart.
They form a warm orbit around Black Iron, which is one of the bleakest sci-fi pieces we’ve seen in a while. Or the tunnel Jacob surges through on a filthy tide, dropping him into the dank netherworld. The place almost hums with lack of hope, which is perfect – it’s an anti-place, angry and hollowed out, almost like the Ishimura lurks above. The Callisto Protocol’s third-person camera and mood of air-locked foreboding make it hard not to think of Glen Schofield’s Dead Space. There’s still plenty to like here, despite its violent tendencies.
