The Callisto Protocol: Final Transmission (2023) - Sci-fi Horror Video Game DLC Review (Playstation 5)

It was by good coincidence that I happened to be nearing the end of my time with The Callisto Protocol  when the DLC Final Transmission was released. This two to three hours additional content adds on a final chapter to the game, including new weapons, new enemies and new areas of Black Iron Prison to explore. Being set after the end of the base game, there will obviously be spoilers to follow.

With the facility self destructing, Jacob's (voiced by Josh Duhamel) fate doesn't look good, that is until he is contacted by Dr, Caitlyn Mahler (Louise Barnes) who reveals that there may still be a way to escape from the place, due to her knowing the location of a hidden escape vessel. The man isn't in good shape however, suffering short term amnesia, as well as visual and auditory hallucinations, a result of the stress and horror he has gone through. Mahler is partly responsible for all that has happened on Callisto, and so she hopes to reveal to the rest of the galaxy what has transpired there. She tasks Jacob with locating the various recordings she has made about her experiments enroute to the escape ship. Not everything is as it seems however.

I was a bit concerned about how good this DLC may be, but also hoped the time the studio have had to make this might improve it from the often dull story of the main game. In terms of the gameplay this is a ramp-up from the difficulty of the end of the base game, with far more enemies to battle, as well as a new enemy type in the form of infected robots, that really are quite powerful. At some point in the DLC you get access to a new melee weapon in the form of a kinetic hammer. This weapon was able to destroy most normal enemies in one or two hits, which meant you are attacked in much greater numbers.

While initially you are revisiting various locations from the main game, they still look different due to the amount of destruction the self destruct system has caused. The graphics are as great as always, making the dark environments really look spectacular at times. I wouldn't have minded a retread around the same places, but this spices things up with both a secret lab, as well as a robot factory to explore. There are new dangers, such as traps in the ventilation shafts, and new simple puzzles in the form of locks you must solve to open locked doors. There are a few minor boss fights, as well as a final battle that was a lot better than the boss fight in the game proper.
My biggest relief was that the story was more enjoyable. Jacob constantly hallucinating reminded me of the marker's effect from Dead Space, with literal ghosts of his past tormenting him, and his guilt of his past actions causing damning messages to appear on the walls in blood. At times the level changes shape around Jacob, making this DLC chapter a lot more weird than the more grounded sci-fi realism that came before. It all wraps up in a neat and unexpected way. Perhaps not the most original thing, but for a game that was so utterly dull in its story before, this direction was welcome.

I have read people giving Final Transmission a hard time, saying it was more of the broken same. I thought as an extra chapter it worked well. It didn't give the closure I might have expected for Jacob, but this also meant that it is not completely essential to play. The new enemies, new locations, and new melee weapon all delighted me, someone who was sure this was going to be pointless. It may never excel from the main game, but it fits that perfectly, making for a fun few extra hours. With the studio not in great shape, I wouldn't be surprised if this is the last we hear of The Callisto Protocol.

SCORE: