The Callisto Protocol Dev on Talking Characters: “You Don’t Want a Chatty Protagonist”

Horror games often have different approaches to how frequently their protagonists talk and what they say depending on what game you’re talking about. If you look at the original Dead Space, Isaac Clarke rarely ever uttered a word and mostly just made noises, whereas Resident Evil games are full of one-liners and frequent responses to different situations. In the case of The Callisto Protocol, we know the game will feature actor Josh Duhamel as protagonist Jacob Lee which suggests we’ll be hearing him talk frequently enough to know hit’s him, but it sounds like the developers are being cognizant of the fact that players don’t always want a “chatty” protagonist.

That’s something The Callisto Protocol’s Steve Papoutsis, the chief development officer at Striking Distance Studios, is especially mindful of. Papoutsis served as the senior producer on Dead Space as well as the executive producer on Dead Space 2 where it was decided that Isaac would take on more of a speaking role. The developer explained back then that it made sense for Isaac to be more talkative in the sequel given the events he went through in the first, but what’s the philosophy for a new character backed by a famous actor?

“Well, for me personally, I really love story,” Papoutsis said in an interview with ComicBook.com. “I think you want a protagonist. You don’t want a chatty protagonist. You don’t want a wise cracking tongue in cheek character. I always… I hope with the games that I get to be a part of, that the main character channels the thoughts of the player in a way.”

Papoutsis continued to say talking moments for protagonists like Jacob could be attempts to mirror what a player might be thinking or could be something that’s necessary to move the story forward. The latter is an appropriate time to talk, he said, but some opportunities for speech simply aren’t as important.

“So as you’re going through the experience, they might say something that you’re thinking,” he said. “And then in terms of moving the narrative along, which is really important to us in all the games that I’ve had a part in, really creating a narrative that lets players escape in that world or enjoy that universe that we’re making. I think it’s important if the story calls for that character to talk. So, in different instances, sometimes it’s not important. Maybe there’s nobody to talk to and it would be weird if they’re just talking to themselves. And other times, as I described, if something’s going to help move the story along or create a connection with another character, then I think it’s appropriate.”

Papoutsis also spoke to us about the game’s atypical focus on melee combat and how that’ll translate to this particular horror experience.

The Callisto Protocol releases on December 2nd.