The Callisto Protocol: Gore and Horror Inspirations

Finally, the wait is over. EA has decided to get off their butts and create another survival horror game called Dead Space... just kidding it’s called The Callisto Protocol. Sharing similarities within the 2008 horror game the developers also took inspirations from other types of media within the horror genre.

The Horror/Gore Inspiration

The animator of Dead Space who is now the chief of creative officer at Striking Distance Studios, Chris Stone, spoke on the game’s inspiration during an interview with PCGamesN. Pointing out that the most obvious inspirations came from both Resident Evil and Silent Hill games as both of these games give off a sense of isolation while also making the player vulnerable to unknown entities. While movies like one of the most influential sci-fi horror film The Thing and the 1998 Brussel International Festival of Fantasy Film winner Event Horizon also help inspired the next-gen horror game.

Silent Hill, one of the main horror inspirations that helped create The Collisto Protocol image from blogspot.com

Stone said, “there’s some really crazy stuff out there that is pushing the genre into some terrifying places the French and Koreans in particular are really stepping up their game in the horror genre. On top of that we found ourselves looking at a lot of real-life examples of horror and gore. While these were a lot less fun to research, it was some of the most memorable and valuable content when it came to creating realistic visuals and experiences.”

The Callisto Protocol extended trailer on Striking Distance Studios YouTube channel does depict some gory scenes. From one man getting shot in the head by a robot to the many weapons that are used throughout the game to brutally separate one’s head from their body. However, this could spark another controversial topic withing videogames. As the PCGamesN interview notes that people who often question the games that studied real-life gore like Mortal Kombat have long-term effects on the developer. 

Dead Space

There is also the comparison of how The Callisto Protocol is like another game from Visceral Studios, Dead Space. During the interview Stone said, “all those ideas we had years ago on Dead Space, that we couldn’t do because the hardware couldn’t keep up, now we can do them and it’s amazing.” The survival horror element was truly visible when it was displayed in the extended trailer. With the main character curb stomping the enemies head into the ground. This survival horror gives of an eerie vibe with dark settings and grotesque aliens similar to the necromorphs.

The horror is on full display with the introduction of this necromorph image from Jamesindigital.com

As the game pays homage to Silent Hill and other horror games/movies based on the setting and tempo. This game will keep players on their toes as they look around every corner for the next enemy or objective while trying to escape the area. The fact that this game shares similarities to that of Dead Space. Means that’ll be equally as enjoyable as Dead Space. Giving players more of a reason to replay the gory horror game.

The Callisto Protocol is set to be released on December 2, 2022, for PS4, PS5, Xbox, and Steam. With pre-orders available right now. For more coverage on anything geek culture related check out our website.

Stay Geeky.