While trailers for The Callisto Protocol have shown off some gunplay that makes it look similar to EA's Dead Space, the combat of Striking Distance's upcoming survival horror game may be different than what players expect. According to a recent interview with the game's design director, The Callisto Protocol's combat will be melee-focused. This is a choice that will help distance The Callisto Protocol from Dead Space, a game that was quite heavily focused on gunplay.

Since its initial reveal in 2020, The Callisto Protocol has been a highly anticipated title for fans of horror games. Made by much of the talent behind the Dead Space games, this new survival horror game has been praised for its excellent atmosphere and world. Many fans are hoping The Callisto Protocol can mark a return to the heights of space horror unseen since EA shut down Visceral Games.

Related: Summer Game Fest 2022 Had Trailers, But Not Variety

Overall, The Callisto Protocol seems to be utilizing its melee combat to lean even more into the horror aspects of the game. Other gameplay elements even seem to be designed around melee to make close combat necessary. If it's done right, The Callisto Protocol could be even better than Dead Space's upcoming remake.

The Callisto Protocol Uses Bullet Scarcity & Its Environment To Encourage Close Combat

Callisto Protocol Combat Gameplay Not Shooter Melee Focused Instead

One way The Callisto Protocol will encourage players to engage in melee with enemies is with its bullet scarcity. Many early survival horror games emphasized this, which increased the horror aspect as enemies drew closer. As survival horror paradigms like Resident Evil and Dead Space shifted closer to action, though, this scarcity never felt like an issue. The Callisto Protocol seems to be more similar to earlier games in these franchises, emphasizing that bullets need to be used wisely, and players will likely need to choose when fighting from a distance is more worth it than hand-to-hand combat.

As seen in trailers, The Callisto Protocol will also utilize the environment heavily to give players reasons to use melee. With the game now being removed from its ties with PUBG, the world-building has been allowed to truly flourish, with an incredibly eerie space station looking to serve as the main setting. The treacherous space station seems to have plenty of elements for both players and enemies to use to their advantage in combat, like turbines, that result in gory deaths for both. These elements being able to be used against both players and enemies drives up horror elements and makes it seem like any wrong move could result in brutal death.

The Callisto Protocol, while embracing some similarities it shares with Dead Space, it seems to be trying some different things as well. The new melee-centric combat is an exciting change to make. By using environmental elements and ammo scarcity, the game will encourage players to be creative and use melee combat. Fans of the survival horror genre will be able to get their hands on The Callisto Protocol on both last-gen and current-gen hardware when it launches on December 2, 2022.

Next: Glen Schofield Interview: The Callisto Protocol