I just completed the base game and story DLC of The Callisto Protocol. The Final Transmission DLC extends the story arc of the main character and reveals how the game really ends.
I must say, despite some Steam reviews claiming this game has an uninteresting story, I thought it was pretty well written and suitably as horrific and desperate as you'd want a survival horror game to be.
There was also a bit of cognitive dissonance revealed at the end and a really sad ending in the DLC that wrapped things up well. It's one of those games that puts you in a mood after playing it that makes you really feel for the protagonist.
Gameplay wise, the arsenal, is rather minimalist, especially if you limit yourself to the 3 most effective weapons. You also have more inventory space that way, since there's less ammo types to carry. I actually prefer this in Survival Horror games for two reasons, they are limited resource type games anyway, and it feels more realistic than being able to carry an armory on your back like in Doom.
Combat loop wise it's fairly minimalist as well, requiring careful balancing of melee, guns, and GRP Glove. Some have claimed it gets repetitious, but I feel they varied the types of enemies and environs just enough to keep things from being predictable. Just the fact that you often don't know when an enemy's combo is going to end, or when another will join in the fight, keeps you on your toes.
They also save some of the best potential projectiles to toss with the GRP Glove for later in the game. I also prefer how the use of the GRP Glove looks, sounds, and feels compared to Kinesis in Dead Space. The inventory space is also more minimalist, as you don't change suits as often as in Dead Space. This means you have to carefully weigh your decision of how much health, ammo, and GRP batteries you carry.
Even the monetary system is more minimalist than Dead Space, where money you get for selling rare parts you find is not nearly enough to fully upgrade 3 guns, the baton, and the GRP. In fact I often times had to buy ammo vs an upgrade. It works out well as long as you don't overuse any part of the basic combat elements, which can leave you low on health, ammo, or batteries. In fact I'd say the game is well balanced.
Some have said as well that the combat, especially the melee, feels clumsy. It can, but mainly if you try to overuse melee, as when Jacob gets tired, it shows, as it SHOULD in a survival horror type game. There are also times when the reticule to shoot a worn down enemy appears when you're VERY close to an enemy that is sprouting, which is more likely to happen if you don't balance melee with shots and dodges.
Tentacles sprouting on an enemy while in combat can be good, or bad. With a balanced attack, Jacob will less likely stumble toward the enemy, allowing him space and time to not just blindly shoot at the reticule prompt, but instead at the tentacles. The latter is preferred, because it can down them in one shot. That means less ammo used, and less likely another will gang up on you, leaving two to fight simultaneously.
If you get caught out stumbling tired though, chances are at some point, an enemy's sprouts are going to fester, and they'll transform into something MUCH harder to deal with. A lot of people I find don't pay attention to or appreciate small details like this in a game. It can mean the difference between a well fought fight, and feeling like the game is "too clumsy" in it's combat as some claim in negatively biased reviews.
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