PLEASE NOTE: This article contains MASSIVE Spoilers for The Callisto Protocol. Proceed at your own risk.
One of the best things aboutThe Callisto Protocolis that its gameplay loop is refreshing and always intriguing due to the many options in terms of crafting and upgrades for weapons, as well as the game constantly introducing new enemy types that players have to defeat. This helps keep the stakes high throughoutThe Callisto Protocol’s rather short campaign, and while some enemies are not always pleasant to run into, such as the bloodworms, others always provide a sense of challenge and increase the tension. This is crucial because it’s one of the main aspects of Striking Distance Studios' new IP, and it also shows just how much the virus can change and evolve differently based on the host and other conditions.
In the penultimate chapter of the game, which is called Colony, players encounter the first ofThe Callisto Protocol’s bosses, which is a two-headed biophage brute with its flesh torn in the middle of its body, almost as if two different creatures were fused together. This enemy is a great addition to the game at first, as it is the toughest biophage enemy players encounter aside from the final boss, and it brings a new mechanic to the fight were players need to first hit it multiple times and then force it to tear away one of its heads. This might very well be one of the most polarizing enemies inThe Callisto Protocol, and this shows when players encounter the two-headed brute again later on.
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As a one-time boss, the so-called “Two Head” works perfectly because it’s a unique encounter with new mechanics, and it’s by far the most difficultbiophage-infected creatureto defeat, and also the one that hits the hardest. WhileThe Callisto Protocolmakes it seem like this is a boss that will never reappear afterward, players will soon learn that this is not the case, showing how annoying Two Head can be and how easily it can break immersion.
BecauseThe Callisto Protocolis a survival horror game at its core, a key component is scavenging for resources and micromanaging them throughout the game, be it deciding which items to sell and which to keep or if purchasing ammo is worth it.Forging new weapons inThe Callisto Protocolcan be rough on the players' reserves of Callisto Credits, as using schematics to craft guns is expensive, and so is upgrading those tools of destruction.
This ties into Two Head being annoying because, after the first encounter with it, players have to spend many of those hard-earned resources to take down this massive beast or risk going into melee range to hit it a few times withThe Callisto Protocol’s stun baton. As such, Two Head rapidly becomes a bullet sponge more than anything else. This happens because whenever this creature appears, it has to become a priority target for players to deal with, as it can be extremely disruptive if left unchecked.
While this is not necessarily a bad thing per se, the fact that Two Head requires so many hits to first trigger its “single head phase” and then to finally kill it means that it becomes more of a mechanical task than a fun, unique encounter. Other biophage enemies can be better to see because they still bring something peculiar to the fight without becoming such a chore. Ultimately,The Callisto Protocolwould have been better off using this enemy as an exclusive boss, which would have made the encounter more memorable, and it wouldn’t have cluttered every other fight with it after that.
The Callisto Protocolis out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.
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