The Callisto Protocol (PlayStation 5)

The game has 8 chapters.

This game has the colored 'high contrast' options, similar to God of War: Ragnarok.

The PERFORMANCE mode doesn't have raytraced reflections, but if you turn it off, you can se Jacob's reflection in mirrors and windows. It really doesn't run well, though, so I keep PERFORMANCE mode on.

I'm surprised at how the combat still feels fun and entertaining, even though the basic loop of dodge, dodge, hit, hit is incredibly simple. I think part of it is how incredibly brutal the combat feels and how dynamic and terrifying the enemies are. The other part is the tactical aspects - when to use the handcannon to stun or cripple an opponent, when to try and run up to an enemy and use the slow but more damaging attack, when to block and go for the legs of the enemy, and how to position yourself so the enemies can't surround you. It has a dynamic and realistic feel, similar to The Last of Us.

The ending was a little disappointing. The sequence on Europa was cool, but I wish there had been more of it. The cutscene where Dr. Mahler transfers Dani's memories implied that there would be more memories along the way, but that never happened. The idea of having the prison serve as a mutation testbed for the evolution of mankind is good, but the villain speech by Cole is a bit silly. The Ferris boss fight was a bit underwhelming as well. The final moment where Jacob sacrifices himself is also a little thin. Great jumpscare at the very end, though.

I like this game overall, the atmosphere and feel of it is particularly good, not in least due to the brutal and effective sound design and ultra-creepy music. The melee combat is something very different from other Resident Evil-inspired games, and it does succeed, but then the guns are a little disappointing. They all feel and look nice, but they are not differentiated that well, and the upgrades don't feel as important as in, say, Resident Evil 4. I think the reason is in part that you always can fall back on the melee. I'm hoping for a sequel where the weapons are more differentiated, and the melee isn't always the best choice to fall back on.