2013 was the last time EA made a game in this series which wasDead Space 3.With no sequels greenlit past that, other developers had to take it into their own hands to make the sequel they always wanted. One recent example isThe Callisto Protocol, which was co-directed by Glen Schofield who worked on the firstDead Space.
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It was a spiritual successor to that series in almost every way with a few tweaks here and there to make it more original. Not to be outdone, EA finally decided to revisitDead Spacenot with a new game but with a remake. So, of the two survival horror games, which is better? Is it the updated original or the fresh homage? There will spoilers for both games.
Dead Spacewins overThe Callisto Protocolin the guns department. One, players acquire a lot more ammo to play around with inDead Space, making gunplay more viable. Two, the weapons are a lot cooler and more inventive than anything seen inThe Callisto Protocol.
The Plasma Cutteris the perfect tool for cutting through Necromorphs, with two optional directions to choose from. There’s also the Force Gun which is like a super jacked-up shotgun that can also cause gravity wells.
7Melee Attacks: The Callisto Protocol
WhatThe Callisto Protocollacks in guns, it more than makes up for in brutal melee kills.The Stun Batonis the main character’s, Jacob, weapon of choice throughout the campaign. Cracking through monsters with that thing can immerse players more as they can feel the struggle.
Being able to dodge and counter is also a huge plus thatThe Callisto Protocolhas overDead Space. All players can do in the latter game is punch and stomp with the latter of the two being effective albeit clunky.
Survival horror gamesseemingly love to limit players on their inventory space. BothDead SpaceandThe Callisto Protocolsuffer from inventory struggles, but the former is not nearly as frustrating as the latter.
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Players can get more item slots as they buy new suits for Isaac. They can get one new suit inThe Callisto Protocolto expand their inventory, but it comes way too late in the game. Players can also store their items inDead Space, which they could not do at launch withThe Callisto Protocol.
5Visuals: The Callisto Protocol
Both games look great on the new consoles. They each have excellent lighting and sound design to help players immerse themselves in horrific atmospheres. The scares inThe Callisto Protocolare more frequent though due to its setting. Players are also not as well equipped to dispose of monsters as easily as they can inDead Space.
This creates a true sense of tension that borders on frustration at times, butThe Callisto Protocolfinds a nice balance in the end. Overall, it’s also slightly more refined graphically thanDead Space.
The monsters inThe Callisto Protocolare like weird mutant zombies. They’re grotesque, but they’re not as frighteningas the NecromorphsfromDead Space. They’re not as iconic, or visually interesting either.Dead Spacealso has the upper hand on boss fights.
The Callisto Protocolhas two enemies that appear as bosses and both are reused many times throughout the game.Dead Spacereuses boss monsters as well, but it has a bit more variety overall.
3End Credits: The Callisto Protocol
Dead Spaceended on a weird note with Isaac escaping fromthe USG Ishimuraonly to get attacked by his dead girlfriend Nicole. Was this a vision or the real thing? It made fans question this until a sequel was eventually released.
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The Callisto Protocolends with several questions in the air as well, but it’s not as confusing asDead Space’sconclusion. There’s actually hope set up for a sequel, which could go in several directions. Also, the end credits ofThe Callisto Protocolhas a banger song, “Lost Again” by Kings Elliot which was made for the game.
New Game Plusis not a guarded feature in games, but traditionally the survival horror genre loves to include it. The original release ofDead Spacehad it and the remake does as well. The remake also includes a new quest along with new items to see in the replay.
The Callisto Protocolpromised to include New Game Plus in an update two months after launch, which is right now in February. It’s great the game is eventually getting this feature, but not including it at launch was a grave mistake.
The Callisto Protocolshould be applauded for taking that big first step forward and making a spiritual successor toDead Space. Without them, EA may have never had the idea to remake their classic game in the first place. It was almost like a race to see who would launch first.
WhileThe Callisto Protocolwon the race, it faltered at the finish line for not including a bevy of options most horror fans would have loved to see like the New Game Plus mode. Hopefully, the sequel, if it gets made, will fix a lot of issues.Dead Space, on the other hand, had a great launch despite some rocky issues on PC. Fifteen years later it is stillspace horror perfection.
TheDead Spaceremake was released on August 05, 2025 and is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
