The Callisto Protocol, that next level survival horror game is back at it… not like a crack addict. The new game mode is here! It’s called Riot Mode. We heard about this mode but off course had to wait. Not anymore. X35 Earthwalker, the best and greatest gamer of all time, gave it a try. There’s lots to say but we will try to shorten this, maybe explain more on the podcast, regardless; read this or you a bum. Let’s take a look. 

Riot Mode is all about survival… surviving for as long as you can actually. There’s no set goal like get to wave 50. You just keep going until you die. We aren’t a fan of horde modes like that. We prefer a set goal. Something to conquer. You spawn in a room and make your way through to the main map. More on the room later by the way. Once in, you Riot Mode begins. Each wave spawns in enemies from the main campaign. So be prepared to deal with them all. As you slay and survive waves, you earn Callisto credits. 

In Riot Mode you use the Callisto Credits to buy weapons or upgrades or even ammo. Whatever. For example you can upgrade the stun baton for more damage or buy the Assault rifle. What we don’t like is the restrictions on the load outs. You can only have one pistol weapon and one rifle type-ish weapon. So you can’t have Hand Cannon and Skunk Gun as both are small and classes like a pistol. You can’t have both Assault rifle and Riot Gun. Both are long two handed weapons. Not fun.  Be careful how you spend as some things are more needed than others at certain times.

Around the map are other stuff too. You can find health packs and GRP battery dispensers. They are quite cheap but increase in cost as you really progress in waves. So decide, do you want to heal, or get more damage on a weapon? You can stack up on health packs too. You can even buy ‘gate fuses’ which can be used to activate traps in rooms. For example there’s a connector corridor that has a rotating razor trap which travels in a straight line. You can use that to mow down foes. There’s also a closing spike compactor trap which you can use to tap and smash enemies. One shot them.

Now Riot Mode is apparently very difficult. We have seen youtubers first attempt and one got to wave 27 and died. Another called dan got to wave 42. It might just be a skill thing though as X35 Earthwalker on his first attempt got to wave 61. If you are a master at The Callisto Protocol and dealing with enemies then you will have minimal issues. The problems start when swarms of different enemies mix together. If you have fat guys throwing their weight at you, while a security robot has you in his line of sight, while an exploder its rapidly approaching… then you will experience pain. Unfair pain. Some enemies you can’t ignore and have to dodge; however some attacks keep you in place or stagger you, setting you up for strikes.

Arguable the biggest threat is the two head. He doesn’t wait his turn in combat. He comes for you no matter what. He does big damage and you have to respect it. Prioritise him. Yet if the biophage in security uniform are on you, then tough luck as he is major aggressive and will keep you dodging or getting slapped around, while two head approaches. The best weapon is rampage mode. When activated you have unlimited ammo and literally one shot EVERY enemy for 30 seconds. Use this mode wisely. It will save your life. Rampage Mode is the best thing in this game.

Remember that starting room? Well there’s more to it. It’s actually the room to pick your starting perks. What?! Perks?! Yeah, the game doesn’t tell you. X35 Earthwalker discovered this by himself. You unlock them as you play and progress. X35 Earthwalker unlocked all in his first try (He is the best after all). There’s like 15 perks. You can select a maximum of 3. Then jump in. 

Now for the rewards. When you play, you unlock the Hazmat suit. It’s a cool design. We definitely like this. Other from that… nothing. So let’s talk about this. Riot Mode is definitely fun and can get real intense. It’s a great addition to The Callisto Protocol. It is lacking some things though. The fact that there’s no goals and i9t’s a go on forever thing means it suffers from the same problem as other modes. It gets boring fast. When X35 Earthwalker got to wave 55, he did get bored and tired. He pushed on only because he set goals for himself like get to wave 60 or pass 100000 score. He did both by the way. 

The other issue is that there’s nothing to earn. You get the hazmat suit and that’s it. It’s not even like you need to reach wave 60 to get it. You basically just have to play. So Riot Mode will die quite fast. Developers need to understand what players want. Riot Mode needs goals, Riot Mode needs prizes and rewards. Riot Mode needs something to keep players going. The combat is as solid as ever. The Callisto Protocol is currently the best survival game right now. Riot Mode has good potential but it must be capitalised on. 

Quick update: X35 Earthwalker literally just did his third attempt at Riot Mode and He got to wave 102! That’s right. Possibly the first to do it too. It took too long. Developers, you need to make those later waves shorter. X35 got seriously bored, especially in the last 20 waves. So much sacrifice for no reward. That right… got nothing for doing it besides just a platinum medal in game. Oh well. Part of the X35 Earthwalker gaming achievements.

X35 Earthwalker has set himself another goal in Riot Mode and once that’s complete, then there’s no other reason to play again. So developers, look into this and make some adjustments. Now Riot Mode may be crazy but it’s too small for… the ‘Earth Walk!’