The Callisto Protocol’s sci-fi horror gameplay revealed

blog.playstation.com:

On behalf of everyone at Striking Distance Studios, I wanted to let you know how excited we are to give PlayStation fans an exclusive first look at The Callisto Protocol. 

Some of you may know me as the creator of Dead Space, and I’m excited to be returning to my roots with an all-new take on the sci-fi survival horror genre. I hope you like what we’ve got to show you today!

Set on Jupiter’s “dead moon” Callisto in 2320, The Callisto Protocol is the story of Jacob Lee, an inmate at Black Iron Prison who must fight for his life when a mysterious outbreak throws the moon into chaos. Prison guards and inmates are mutating into monstrous creatures called Biophage, and Jacob must battle to survive the horrors of Black Iron and uncover the dark secrets of the United Jupiter Company.

Creating terrifying moments in games is hard. To bring the world of The Callisto Protocol to life, the team uses a process we call Horror Engineering to hand craft unforgettable scares.  It’s about blending atmosphere, tension, brutality, helplessness, and humanity to thrill players … and hopefully scare the crap out of them.

Let’s take a look at how it works.

Horror starts with atmosphere.  Callisto is an oppressive world that feels desolate, isolated, and puts players on edge. We spend a ton of time designing the lighting to create a sense of dread and keep players guessing about what’s in the shadows.

We also take full advantage of PS5’s 3D Audio capabilities and leverage acoustic ray tracing, diffraction, and portaling to fully immerse players in the world.  From the monstrous sounds of Biophage echoing down long dark hallways, to the ambient whirring of broken prison machinery, audio is a huge feature in making players feel trapped, isolated,