The survival horror genre has had some glorious times throughout video game history. With titles like silent Hill oh resident Evil, many players have spent hours running, shooting, and occasionally scaring each other with the darkest enemies our minds could ever imagine. The context of these games was mostly split between the paranormal and the classic zombie story, something that never fails. However, what happened in 2011 would take this genre to a virtually unfamiliar environment, outer space. What brought us to The Callisto Protocol.
with the creation Glen Schofield at its head, Visceral Games in the hands of Electronic Arts, would publish dead spacea completely different vision of terror and far from our planet. This adventure, starring space miner Isaac Clarke, would captivate millions of users in the generation of Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. After three mainline deliveries and an ongoing remake, it looks like we will be scared in space again thanks to a new reimagining of the original creator of the saga. The striking distance will release independently The Callisto Protocol later that year, again with Glen Schofield at the helm.
Throughout this article we will analyze the keys to the next space survival Horror and we will review the trajectory of Glen Schofield himself, as well as the importance of dead space.
The mind behind the Callisto Protocol terror
Since the first images of The Callisto Protocolthere have been few direct comparisons with the saga dead space. And it is that its gameplay, its genre or its aesthetics are not due to simple chance, but to the spirit that underlies it. The director of this new horror adventure is the same Glen Schofield, now at the head of his new studio, Striking Distance. But let’s dive a little deeper into his career.
Linked to video games from the start, he began his long career with Absolute entertainmentthen passing through names as recognizable as resident Evil, Contra oh armament of war. And it is that, as they say, experience is a degree. But without a doubt, its most critical point derives from the arrival of North American creation on the Vice President of Crystal Dynamicsin addition to his contribution to the saga Call of Duty (modern warfare).
And the thing does not stop there, since Schofield also has in its history the position of general manager of Visceral Games (Electronic Arts). Work side by side with Brett Robbinsfully immersed in the development of the saga of The Lord of the Rings. Finally, already in EA Redwood, he would end up devoting himself to the development of dead spacea veritable magnum opera of the survival-horror genre.
This title would win numerous awards, completely catapulting the career of Glen Schofield, who then held the position of executive producer. And then, in 2019, Glen Schofield would found Striking Distance Studios, thus activating the “Calisto Protocol”.
Isaac Clarke would be proud
Few have defined The Callisto Protocol as a spiritual sequel to dead space. The title starring Isaac Clarke had a series of very specific features that worked very well, and it’s no coincidence that the game Striking Distance takes advantage of them.
The terrifying setting in space is more than obvious, but if we pay attention to details, one of those that will remind us the most dead space This will be the costume of the main character (Jacob Lee). In EA’s game, it was almost part of the HUD itself, showing Isaac’s health in the form of lights along his spine. Although this costume looks quite showy, in Callisto Protocol a slightly more discreet design was chosen (at least in what has already been shown). This time we’ll take a closer look at the character’s face, while health will be displayed with a green LED bar at the back of the neck.
In combat, Striking Distance also testifies to the EA saga, with weapons that will recall the same, as well as a evolution of the dismemberment system enemies. For many (like me), it will remind you of the remakes of resident Evil most recent. With this and a similar third person view, The Callisto Protocol will put us face to face with new enemies who could well be part of dead space. All this in a place called Callisto, the dead moon of Jupiterwhere we will have to escape from a maximum security prison and discover its darkest secrets.
“Smart” enemies?
From my perspective, in an industry where technology is advancing so rapidly, it continues to surprise me that little progress has been made in the area of artificial intelligence. Considering all that has been achieved in terms of performance, graphics, gameplay… a fairly significant leap in this area is starting to be lacking. And on that, precisely, the creators of The Callisto Protocol.
We’ve already had a glimpse of the behavior enemies will show in our presence, thanks to a few statements from Mark James, technical director of video games. And that’s very good news, since it seems that our terrifying enemies will opt for different strategies when they hunt us down.
“The AI sometimes won’t attack you. Instead (for example) he will jump into a vent in front of you so you know an enemy is in there he will be waiting for you and the next time he can he will come out another vent and will come after you..”
Mark James, Callisto Protocol Technical Director
The beings we face may not be fully human, but their instincts will cause them to plan their attacks well. Something that will also force us to take all the precautions on our way, because danger lurks in every corner. Now we will not only have these enemies in the corridors, but they will be able to move with a certain freedom through ducts or other spaces to surprise us at any time.
The comparison with Alien Isolation it’s unavoidable, but it says a lot about what they do at Striking Distance Studios. Over at SEGA they’ve been able to create one of the most impressive AIs that can be remembered in recent times, and it looks like in this case Glen Schofield and his team are planning to do something similar, which leads us to be optimistic (again) with The Callisto Protocol.
where ideas are born
Strike distance It is the culmination of the career of Glen Schofield, a powerful and talented studio where the steps taken by the creative will mark, for sure, an exciting roadmap. And if we have to talk about said study, it is not only because of the great potential of its first video game. It is also due to the philosophy that brought them to where they are today.
At a time when the word “crunch” and other bad practices were baited by some developers, Striking Distance was born with clear principles when it comes to bringing your projects to life. Clear references to this can be found on the studio’s website, highlighting its clear focus on the people within it. The most important motto is “people first”, so it seeks to create a healthy environment both in the gaming community and in the studio itself. Respect, trust, diversity, creative freedom… sounds good, right?.
With the same transparency, we can appreciate all the workers who are part of the company, with images of each of them. The objective, therefore, is to achieve a healthy work ecosystem, but also in which there is the freedom to seek limits, excellence and, as indicated on the web, to maintain the highest standards.
Together with Glen Schofield, they conducted the study:
- Stacey Hirata: Executive Director of Marketing and Operations.
- Chris Stone: creative director.
- Mark James: Chief Technology Officer.
- Steve Papoutsis: Director of Development.
And as always, if you liked this article, we remind you that in Area Xbox you will find many more like this.
I’ve traveled to worlds you’d never believe, ended up with enemies that elude all mysticism. I felt my pulse quicken with each battle, and the sigh of someone who knows they will have to get back up. There’s always a villain waiting and an adventure around the corner.
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