The Callisto Protocol’s first spinoff is a strange, fun Hades clone

digitaltrends.com:

If you asked me to imagine what a spinoff of The Callisto Protocol would look like, I’d probably have some quick answers. Maybe it could be more of a horror narrative adventure akin to games like Until Dawn. Maybe there’s some sort of PVE shooter like Back 4 Blood in the franchise’s DNA. What I wouldn’t have pitched, though, is an isometric roguelike modeled after Hades that’s full of sardonic quips and punk rock music.

That’s exactly what Striking Distance Studios has cooked up with Redacted, stylized as[external-link href=«https://store.steampowered.com/app/2229940/REDACTED/» newtab=«true» nofollow=«false» noopener=«true» noreferrer=«false» norewrite=«false»]REDACTED[/external-link], an unlikely spinoff on par with Bayonetta Origins. In this total reimagining, players fight their way out of the alien-infested Black Iron Prison in style. Gone is the gritty realism and serious tone of The Callisto Protocol; in its place is bright pop art and hammy comedy. Yes, it comes off as a desperate left turn that’s way too derivative of its inspiration. Set aside the context as best you can, though, and you’ll find some reliable fun and surprising ideas in one of 2024’s oddest projects.

Race to the pod

On its surface, and even below it,Redacted feels like Hades with some nouns switched around. When I jump into my first roguelike run, I dashed from room to room bashing aliens with my baton and shooting them by holding my right joystick in their direction. Most Hades hooks have an equivalent here. There are boon-like upgrades that modify my skills, NPCs whose stories evolve through subsequent runs, and lots of currencies I can trade between runs for permanent rewards. That formula is successful for a reason, so it didn’t take long for it to hook me here.

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I have a few moves at my disposal during combat. In addition to