Callisto Protocol Dev Announces [REDACTED], a Roguelike Set in the Game's Black Iron Prison

The Callisto Protocol developer Striking Distance Studios has announced [REDACTED], a roguelike dungeon crawler set within The Callisto Protocol's Black Iron Prison. And yes, that's its actual name.

Previously announced as Project Birdseye, [REDACTED] was fully revealed during the Xbox stream at gamescom 2024 alongside an October 31, 2024 release date. It promises unlimited replayability, strategic build metas, progression through death, powerful upgrades, and speed running challenges.

"[REDACTED] takes you deep into Black Iron Prison, a high-tech correctional facility on Jupiter’s icy moon, Callisto," reads the official synopsis. "Inmates are infected and mutating, security systems are indiscriminate, and other survivors are trying to escape by any means necessary.

"And though you're just a modest security guard with one job — make it to the last escape pod alive — you'll have an arsenal of weapons, suits, skills, experiments, and more to help you get out of Black Iron Prison alive."

Striking Distance revealed a handful of the challenges players will face, including the other inmates also fighting for the single escape mod and the player's own corpse from a previous run. This can be hunted down for extra rewards, though comes equipped with everything the player had when they died.

The Callisto Protocol is a survival horror game set within the same prison, led by the creator of beloved sci fi horror series Dead Space, Glen Schofield. He left the studio in September 2023, however, and has said in the time since that there should be a second game in the franchise because of the amount of content Striking Distnace had to cut.

In our 7/10 review, IGN said: "The Callisto Protocol is a satisfyingly gory spiritual successor to the Dead Space series, but it’s ultimately more of a striking modern mimic than a scary new mutation."

For more, check out the biggest announcements from gamescom 2024 so far.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.