The Callisto Protocol has received a new update on all platforms, its highlight feature being the introduction of an all-new difficulty: Hardcore Mode. Following its launch in early December 2022, the game received mostly middling reviews and a somewhat mixed reception from the community, though it has since received a number of notable upgrades that improved some of its aspects.
The last big update, specifically, was The Callisto Protocol's New Game+, which many fans had been eagerly anticipating. While its core campaign certainly had its merits, one of The Callisto Protocol's biggest weaknesses was that it didn't have enough replayability to keep the player entertained in a future playthrough. New Game+ alleviated this problem to some extent, but developer Striking Distance Studios isn't done just yet.
The Callisto Protocol's update 3.02 came as a surprise to players on all platforms, introducing a variety of new challenges and fixes to the mix, Hardcore Mode being its biggest draw. Featuring less loot and increased enemy damage output, along with a boost to the Biophages' mutation speeds and a few other changes to the game's difficulty curve, Hardcore Mode is bound to test even the hardiest Callisto fans. On PC, in particular, players can expect improved raytracing performance, with Steam Deck users getting a batch of dedicated changes, such as an updated control scheme and improved UI legibility. Season Pass owners, too, can now equip a number of new skins, featuring the aesthetic of the Outer Way guerilla fighters.
It's good to see Striking Distance Studios keeping the game relevant following its launch, even though The Callisto Protocol underperformed according to information from its publisher, Krafton. Being an AAA single-player horror title, Callisto does have the potential to stay relevant and, perhaps, even achieve cult status in due time, especially if the developer continues improving the game across the board, and if its DLC ends up being a must-have.
One might claim that Striking Distance Studios' biggest problem in this respect was that everyone compared Callisto to the Dead Space remake. Considering the notion that The Callisto Protocol is a spiritual sequel to the 2008 Dead Space title in more ways than one, it was always going to be difficult for gamers to keep the two projects apart, and the comparisons generally haven't worked in the new IP's favor.
In fact, many believe that Dead Space is superior to The Callisto Protocol in most ways aside from the games' respective visuals. While there's certainly an argument to be made about whether Callisto holds its own gameplay-wise, its graphical fidelity is downright incredible in some instances, making the raytracing improvements present in the new update particularly noteworthy.
The Callisto Protocol is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.