A masterclass in suspense and utter sci-fi dread, Dead Space scared its way into the hearts of horror game fans and made itself worthy of being considered one of the best from the 2000s. Now, co-creator Glen Schofield has a new nightmare in store for you in The Callisto Protocol.
The Callisto Protocol quickly earned the title of being a spiritual successor to Dead Space, but does it indeed succeed the original? There’s no question that the two games share many similarities in their design but also contain quite a few drastic differences. We’ll examine some of these defining categories to determine the natural winner.
Some story spoilers and graphic material ahead.
10 Characters And Cast - The Callisto Protocol
The first order of business is the cast of characters that are pulled into these brutal interstellar tales of survival. While Dead Space had its share of solid voice-acting performances, even the famous Peter Mensah portraying Sergeant Hammond, the cast of The Callisto Protocol is full of familiar faces from games, movies, and television.
The main protagonist Jacob Lee is movie star Josh Duhamel who previously worked with Glen Schofield on Call of Duty: WWII. Karen Fukuhara plays Dani Nakamura and is best known for her role in The Boys. Deacon St. John and Starkiller actor Sam Witwer, no stranger to games, plays the antagonist. And James C. Mathis III, who's also in God of War Ragnarok, is the voice and face of Warden Cole.
9 The UI - A Draw
The user interface in The Callisto Protocol is where the influences of the original Dead Space start to trickle in, so this one earns a draw. Both games seek to create a frightening and immersive experience for you, represented through the UI containing minimal HUD elements on-screen.
The weapon and health bar UI remains the same, with Jacob's attached to the neck and Isaac's on the back of his RIG suit. The interface of the doors changes slightly, a green rectangular holographic block for those unlocked rather than the small blue circular holograph in Dead Space. The 3D printer station for weapon upgrades has a much clearer interface but is slower than the node system.
8 Gruesome Deaths - The Callisto Protocol
Terrifying death animations became the distinguishing feature of the Dead Space franchise. Now, all the horrible yet memorable ways in which Isaac Clarke could die in Dead Space carry over to Jacob Lee in The Callisto Protocol. As with the former title, Glen Schofield and his team spent some time researching actual gore to give you the grossest animations imaginable.
And they delivered on that front. The Callisto Protocol's death animations are some of the most depraved and realistic to be done in a video game. Jacob's face and body get mutilated in several slow, disturbing ways by the Biophage creatures. Aside from enemies, Jacob can also be pulverized into chunks and have sections torn off from various blade contraptions.
7 Level Traversal - Dead Space
The Callisto Protocol and Dead Space have you navigate two distinct but equally atmospheric environments, one taking you inside a massive spaceship and the other a lunar penitentiary. The sections of both locations divide into chapters, but the map of the Ishimura and the level and room design ultimately give this one to Dead Space.
The determining factor is the freedom to roam around and explore the surrounding space, which Dead Space excels at encouraging you to do, even granting you an objective tracker in the form of a blue line pointing you in the right direction. Callisto railroads you more toward the main objective and has limited hidden areas.
6 Set Pieces - The Callisto Protocol
In video games and films, set pieces are considered cinematic moments that produce either a shock reveal or a riveting sequence that leaves you in complete awe. Dead Space had its fair share of them in the spectacular opening reveal of the derelict USG Ishimura vessel, the zero gravity chambers, and the giant Necromorph boss fights.
The Callisto Protocol manages to top all those with even grander set pieces. The most striking ones would be the initial glimpse of Black Iron Prison once you exit the transport, the waterslide sequence where you avoid obstacles and encounter two Biophage Rushers, one jumping at you through a waterfall, and when you're plummeting in free fall toward Callisto's surface.
5 Combat - Dead Space
The combat design gets handed to Dead Space. Although Callisto tries something completely different with their combat system, as it can't be an exact Dead Space clone, the original fighting style is much more satisfying. Using the ranged plasma cutter to shoot off the limbs of Necromorphs with the stasis pack to slow them down is more fun and fluid.
Callisto tries to pack a lot of elements into the combat that aren’t as refined. It mixes in stealth with their blind enemy types inspired by clickers from The Last of Us but overwhelmingly pits you into close-range melee combat with the Biophage creatures, where dodging and swinging become the primary method of getting out alive.
4 Graphics - The Callisto Protocol
Without question, the graphics are in favor of The Callisto Protocol. That's not to say that Dead Space's graphics don't deserve praise, which they do, especially since they still hold up quite well to this day. The Callisto Protocol, however, set out to utilize the capabilities of next-gen gaming technology, so it's no surprise the gameplay is graphically and technically astounding.
The details and features on the character models, the objects and textures on the environment art, the grotesque mutant creatures attacking you, and just about every section of the map you find yourself in all appear lifelike and are an absolute marvel to take in. The lighting is likewise brilliant and effective at conveying the ambiance of isolation and trepidation.
3 Weapon Design And Variety - Dead Space
Weapons are among the most crucial aspect to consider. While The Callisto Protocol has an ample array of more ranged weapons other than the baton, the classic ones from Dead Space offer a more thrilling, authentic variety. The guns in Dead Space also produce more of an impact since Callisto emphasizes getting up close and personal or throwing foes into blades.
Dead Space has some of the most creative weapon designs in a survival horror game, with the first you acquire being the iconic plasma cutter. Then, you also have the ripper, which sends out a buzz saw blade to work on the limbs, a flamethrower that has you channel your inner Ellen Ripley, and a pulse rifle that fires rapid bursts.
2 Enemy Design - Dead Space
A tale of two infected: the Biophages from The Callisto Protocol or the Necromorphs from Dead Space? Both enemy designs are ripe with body horror and a nod to films like The Thing and Event Horizon. The Biophage variants are each extremely grotesque, especially the Rushers and Big Mouths, but Dead Space's aesthetic is unmatched.
As creepy as the Biophage tentacles seem, the arachnid arms and deformed bodily appendages of Necromrophs are a step above in that regard. Necromorph designs also come in more forms, with the standard Slashers that have multiple versions, the tentacled child-like Lurkers, Guardians that attach to walls, Infector bats made of flesh and bone, and fanged Leapers.
1 Storytelling And Plot Twist - Dead Space
It all comes down to which game told a better story and left you with a well-crafted final twist, and that would be Dead Space yet again. The lore behind the Necromorphs and what happened to the Ishimura, especially the twist of Isaac's girlfriend Nicole being nothing more than a hallucination, has a bigger payoff than Callisto's lackluster exploitation of a virus to create enhanced soldiers.
Both also use audio files as an environmental storytelling technique, but they’re done better in Dead Space because you can listen to them as you move, which helps with the pacing and contributes to the immersion. Another immersive quality is that Isaac is a silent protagonist with zero dialogue, allowing you to project a bit of yourself into the character.