Expert Tips The Callisto Protocol Doesn't Tell You

If there's one aspect the mixed reviews for "The Callisto Protocol" can all agree on, it's that surviving Black Iron Prison isn't easy. The survival horror title is truly challenging with some serious difficulty spikes towards the end. This means players will need every edge they can get to see the game through.

It's fair to say that "The Callisto Protocol" coddles players a bit during the tutorial, laying out the basics for newcomers. It also makes some approaches clear throughout the story. Many may get bored of graffiti telling them to "SHOOT THE TENTACLES" long before the credits roll. On the other hand, there are some tricks and tips that the game just doesn't tell you.

Some strategies can only be learned by playing and suffering some setbacks along the way. For those that don't want to do things the hard way, however, here are some expert tips that will cut down on the number of times they see the "game over" screen.

There are quite a few weapons available in "The Callisto Protocol." Most require players to seek out schematics and craft them at Reforge stations and some players will instinctively want to grab every one they can. This being a survival horror game, the impulse is to acquire as many weapons and resources as possible. Further, curious players will naturally want to try out all the weapons to see how they work. This would be a mistake, however. Indeed, it's probably the one thing you don't want to do.

The problem with crafting every weapon is that it sacrifices resources and storage. Each weapon has its own ammo that takes up inventory space and crafting each weapon costs resources that could be better spent upgrading the select weapons that are worth carrying. So, players should make it a point to find and craft some of the best weapons, like the Riot Gun and the Tactical Pistol, while leaving the rest for later playthroughs when they feel like experimenting with different strategies.

Another survival horror tendency that players will want to curb is running away from threats. While the genre tends to favor running from fights and only standing one's ground when absolutely necessary, "The Callisto Protocol" will often punish players for such behavior (per Prima Games).

Jacob often can't outrun his foes and trying to flee just means he'll be letting his guard down. On the rare occasions when he is able to get away, Prima Games pointed out that biophages will just chase after him. When your foe is pursuing you with the tenacity of a slasher movie killer, escape just isn't an option.  

Further, Dot Esports noted that running is sometimes disabled to discourage this type of behavior. While running to get to the end of an area and into another section of the game can be useful, it should not be seen as a strategy for surviving encounters. Instead, players should avoid fights through stealth when possible and brute force and weapons when it's not.

Players shouldn't neglect the utility of the GRP Glove. The gravity manipulating tool is shown off at the beginning of "The Callisto Protocol" and players will acquire it during the "Aftermath" chapter (per The Nerd Stash), but its full potential is never explained. While it quickly becomes apparent that using the glove to push and pull enemies can be a fun and effective tactic in combat, it can also be used to avoid combat altogether.

As Eurogamer explained, the GRP Glove can be used to pull unaware biophages away from their buddies and hurl them at spikes on the walls, killing them immediately. Taking out an enemy this way will not alert other enemies to your presence. This makes the GRP an excellent tool for thinning out a mob before moving in to finish off the rest. In a game that discourages running away while also making ammo and health scarce, stealth is vital to success.