The Callisto Protocol Gets A PlayStation 1 Makeover

Video games haven't been around for that long in the grand scheme of things, and it's amazing to see how quickly technology and graphical capabilities have developed in only a few decades. In 2022 games look more realistic and true to life than ever, but sometimes higher fidelity doesn't necessarily mean a better player experience. "The Callisto Protocol" is one of the most realistic-looking horror games of all time. Still, just because the game looks better than games of the past, it doesn't necessarily make it a scarier game — especially after early reviews were mixed thanks to its stuttering and rendering issues that can take players out of the horror.

Even without high-res gore, motion captured movements, and realistic facial expressions, games on the PlayStation 1 achieved the same heights of horror. The art of translating modern games to the PlayStation 1 style has been a popular trend in recent years as gamers turn nostalgia into new remastered — or rather demastered — experiences. 

There have been a lot of games that have received so-called demakes in recent years, like the demakes of FromSoftware's "Elden Ring" and "Bloodborne." Now, "The Callisto Protocol" can be counted among them as 3D artist and developer Stark Crafts has transformed game into an authentic late '90s-style experience.

The demake of "The Callisto Protocol" was developed in the Unreal Engine with Blender-made models, and Stark Crafts showed off much of the work that has been completed on the project in a YouTube video uploaded December 4, 2022. When the game starts, the title screen fades to the player's rear view of Jason Lee in prison garb. If this is indeed where the demake begins, that means it will skip the introduction and crash sequence and put players right into the Black Iron Prison from the get-go.

The footage mostly shows off the demake's PS1-inspired graphics as well as basic gameplay features like movement and melee combat in an enclosed level. The mission in the top left says to "find the gate to the next sector," and at the end of the video the player does just that — but then the level abruptly ends and cuts to a look at the low-poly modeling for some enemies. The game is far from finished, and the creator Stark Crafts has yet to say whether they plan to release a full version for others to download — unlike the perfectly playable "Bloodborne" demake. For now, updates on the project can be found on Stark Crafts' Patreon.