The Callisto Protocol’s Gross Mutations Make It More Than Just Dead Space 4

ign.com:

The message “shoot the tentacles” is smeared in blood across the wall of one of The Callisto Protocol’s many grimy corridors. It’s both a warning and a tool tip for the mutation mechanic, one of many smaller details that’s helping Striking Distance’s survival horror be something more than just Dead Space 4.

This warning marks the start of a 15-minute hands-off demonstration that I saw behind closed doors at Gamescom 2022, which was an extended version of what was shown at Opening Night Live. Mutations, as I soon discovered, transform biophage enemies into more grotesque versions of their original forms. A guy with no arms suddenly had limbs erupting from bloody stumps, and those clawing hands naturally cranked the danger up a notch.

Not every enemy mutates, but those that do can be identified by the writhing tendrils that emerge from beneath their flesh. That “shoot the tentacles” warning should have come with an added note, though: do it quickly. If you spot those wormy appendages growing, you have just a few seconds to act before they trigger the mutation. Get the shot in and you’re safe, but play it too slow and you’ll soon be dealing with an even worse nightmare.

While it’s impossible to tell until we go hands-on, it looks like mutations will introduce a level of strategic crowd control beyond what we saw in the Dead Space games. You’ll want to survey groups of enemies for the ones that are ticking time bombs and make sure you prioritise blasting them to pieces.

Talking of blasting, it appears that you’ll have a lot of control over exactly how you shoot the biophage to pieces thanks to an unexpectedly deep weapon upgrade system. The demonstration showed protagonist Jacob slotting his pistol into a 3D printer which