Game news The Callisto Protocol scarier than Dead Space? An AI that will push the limits of horror!
Will The Callisto Protocol even leave us time to blink? If we are to believe the words of the game designers, we will have to show extreme composure not to be impressed by the game’s AI. Dead Space really has something to worry regarding!
Horror according to The Callisto Protocol
The latest trailers dedicated to the formidable The Callisto Protocol did not lie: the survival looks extremely gloomy and Dead Space better watch out ! In terms of atmosphere, the Striking Distance studio does not hide its desire to push the limits of horror very far to make The Callisto Protocol one of the most spooky experiences in gaming.
The VG247 team also had the chance to speak with Mark James, the technical director of The Callisto Protocol, during a long interview rich in information. The latter explains that since the release of Dead Space, 14 years have passed and the technology has evolved considerably. In other words, the means allowing developers to push the limits of horror no longer have anything to do with those of the time and Mark James says his team has created one of the scariest games ever made with The Callisto Protocol nowadays !
A sadistic and creepy AI
To illustrate his point, the technical director of The Callisto Protocol gives several concrete examples of scenarios. Beyond the routines usually used to frighten the player, notably through the sound environment, the Striking Distance studio has mainly worked on develop the behavior of artificial intelligence as much as possible to design an AI that we are frankly promised sadistic !
Concretely, this AI will not only be able to adapt to our behavior (for example by anticipating our actions if we tend to often react in the same way) but also to surprise us by not always going directly to the conflict. . Because the enemies of The Callisto Protocol are designed above all to scare us, our death taking second place to the pleasure of seeing us panic at their behavior totally unpredictable…
Our AI will sometimes make the decision not to attack you. She’ll instead jump into a vent in front of you – making sure you see her – so now you know an enemy is there, and they’re just waiting for the next time they can come out of another. vent and attack you. You may return to a hallway and see an abandoned air vent on the floor…and then a hole in the ceiling. You have the unpleasant feeling that something was there, but you don’t know what. Or where she is now. That’s an open door to horror tropes, isn’t it? I didn’t open this door… who opened this door? It makes you wonder if you’re not alone. It’s a very simple change in the environment that makes the player wonder what’s going on – and it’s very powerful. – Mark James (Technical Director on The Callisto Protocol) at VG247
In sum, the creators of The Callisto Protocol clearly capitalize on the intuitive reactions of players who are naturally confused when an enemy does not behave as expected, for example fleeing instead of engaging in combat. And if the AI is likely to prove to be so tough in the game, it is also because the scenario allows it by opposing us to enemies capable of mutating to become even more formidable… The software will not really let us the right to make mistakes since some monsters will prove even more resilient by regrowing their limbs even following being dismembered if we have the misfortune to miss our shots. We have not finished shaking in front of our screen!
The Callisto Protocol game will be released on December 2 on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series and Xbox One.
