The Callisto Protocol’s action-roguelike spin-off is to Hades what the sci-fi horror shooter was to Dead Space
After channelling the atmosphere and gory terror of Dead Space (though alas, not its reception) in 2022’s sci-fi horror shooter, The Callisto Protocol is apparently now looking to the likes of Hades to inspire a new roguelike spin-off set in its universe, currently codenamed Project Birdseye.
Project Birdseye focuses on the shooter’s memorable Black Iron Prison environment, which will be given a striking comic-book makeover from its originally dank and dark look with vivid colours, fast-paced action and comics-influenced menus and fonts.
That “super-fast action” looks to be top-down, twin-stick-style blasting of hordes of monsters, with a bit of melee combat and skills mixed in - at one point in the trailer, the character reflects an enemy projectile back at them.
In roguelike fashion, you’ll be able to earn various upgrades during each run, with the chance to invest in some lasting benefits when you die. Dying also lets you go back and challenge your own corpse to a fight, while you’ll also be able to pick other characters as your rival for a run.
Developers Striking Distance are upfront in saying that Project Birdseye isn’t The Callisto Protocol 2, despite sharing its universe - something that seems apparent from the very different take on sci-fi shooting here. The game’s development also won’t “impact” work on the studio’s next triple-A game, they assured.
Project Birdseye is yet to be given a release date, which will likely follow the reveal of a proper name for the spin-off.
The Callisto Protocol met with mixed reviews at launch, not least due to its very iffy performance on PC leading to frame stutters addressed by later patches. The game also added a New Game+ mode and released a single piece of story DLC.
Despite its notability due to former Dead Space co-creator Glen Schofield heading up the new studio, The Callisto Protocol couldn’t quite turn that into enough sales, leading Striking Distance to announce over 30 layoffs and Schofield’s departure last year.
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