Glauco Longhi, The Callisto Protocol Character Director Glauco Longhi has revealed that some of the movements and actions in the game were inspired by cartoons, including SpongeBob SquarePants. In an interview with The Sun, Longhi notes that in addition to taking inspiration from sci-fi horror movies like Alien and Event Horizon, The Callisto Protocol features stylized combat based on movements enhancing real life in some way.
“Even some cartoons, like Spongebob [sic]. We look at cartoons on the stylization and movement because, although it’s super real and immersive, we stylized a lot of things to make them more appealing,” Longhi explained. “So some of the movements, and in the case of the gore, the blood, and how we remove the limbs, there’s a push of style to emphasize some of these actions. Cartoons do that very well. Disney, Pixar, or whatever – they give you the message right away.”
Longhi went on to say that the base premise of The Callisto Protocol, as previously seen in the gameplay trailer, is that players will feel a proper reaction from creatures during combat. The Callisto Protocol does not intend to disgust its audience, contrary to what some players might expect from a horror game. Rather, it aims to make the players feel like their choices matter, enhancing real life rather than emphasizing bloody fights. “We want the player to be able to hit the enemy and have the proper reaction to those hits,” he notes.
In other words, players will feel the same type of reaction they will see from creatures. The enemy can rip your limbs off as you can also cut their heads, arms, and legs off in return — if you survive. Longhi also noted bullet shots will have more realistic effects, making the player feel like they are in real life, saying, “If you shoot an enemy, you would expect that blood to hit walls, you expect that blood to hit other enemies.”
Discussing the structure of The Callisto Protocol, developers have been providing information about what players can expect from the upcoming horror game. Most recently, it has been confirmed that The Callisto Protocol will have four-year post-launch support with DLC, and new death animations included in the season pass have not been removed from the main-game content. The Callisto Protocol will launch for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on December 2.
