I have put lots of time on the game over the years ever since it was just 'RuneScape', and have many, many fond memories of the game and its world. I remember when EoC hit and my abyssal whip became worthless. I remember the release of the mobile beta for members-only and hurriedly dropping down the money for a new membership to be there. Completing Dragon Slayer and Monkey Madness for the first time, getting my first set of adamant armor 'trimmed' for free and never seeing it again... there is truly nothing else like this game the first time you experience it. Yes, the game is grindy, but its well-known for it and it can actually be quite enjoyable. You're not locked into any one play-style; everything the game offers is open to you to attempt and do what you like the most.

At least, in theory. For a game titled 'Old School Runescape', perhaps the only thing truly old-school about it these days is the aesthetic and the existence of the long grind. The game has actually modernized quite a bit, and brought with it a ton of quality of life changes that certainly make the game easier to play and more digestible for a modern audience, or for those who are learning the game for the first time. However, I feel that the modernization has crept past QoL and into content, for better and for worse. I don't play often enough these days to understand the state of '2025' OSRS, but that's also the issue I have with the game. And I must emphasize it is *my* issue with the game. New art doesn't exactly match the stuff from 2007, the emphasis on deep understanding of tick manipulation, prayer flicks, and the like to be able to attempt content past 'mid-game', the complete re-working of skills to include much more active focus on the game: for me it has turned what was once a somewhat mindless 'do stuff in a fantasy world' game into a 'I must optimize the path forward as much as possible' game. It can be argued that this is more so due to the culture that has surrounded the game and the desire for as much efficiency as possible, but most of the original content has been abandoned by players in favor of simply better content for grinding out skills. It can really make some areas of the game feel empty and desolate despite the active community the game still maintains.

All of this whining is to simply say, the game is no longer for me from a content and thematic perspective. I didn't realize what it was that I missed until I revisited what the game was like in Classic and 2004, and its the charm and simplicity of the game from those times that I just don't get here anymore. And sure the game is very rough in some parts in those versions of the game, but at the same time I felt more connected to the world itself in the short time I spent in those versions. This is also nothing to say of the rising price of the game, and for someone like me who has become disenfranchised with the game's current state, there is little value I get in return for the membership now. I did find Leagues IV and V to be quite enjoyable though, perhaps because it embraced the modern transformation of the game and gave it a new twist, but I fear even that can't bring me back now.

The only way to really know if the game is for you is to try a month of membership and see if its worth your time. Free-to-play is so far behind what 'modern' OSRS is about that its not really a genuine sample of the full game. The gulf in content is in part due to how the membership model works, and a lack of additions to free-to-play to truly get the freebies to understand what they're missing. For $15ish at the time of writing, you get 30-33 days to mess around in the world. Some $60 games don't have this much content, so if you're willing to give it an honest effort you'll find the money to not go to waste. But, the game is very addicting for a lot of people, so that will add up very quick if you decide to renew and keep it going.

The saying goes that a RuneScape player never quits, they only take breaks. I think this time though, I'm no longer a RuneScape player. Thanks for the fun times.

-- The Short Review --
This is going to be long-winded, and probably expanded upon much like my MW5:M review as I play more. The TL;DR is that yes, I think this game is a fun time if you like sci-fi horror and melee-focused action games. However, going in to this game expecting a 'true' survival-horror experience will set you up for disappointment. Graphically impressive and with some tense moments, an open-minded person will still have a good time as long as they feel the price for admission was worth it. For ~$20, I'd say go for it.

-- The Long Review --
To get the technical stuff out of the way: the game is visually stunning. The fidelity of the environments, character models, gore, monsters, etc. is truly impressive and maybe it is partially due to not being 'current' on modern blockbuster-esque games but the graphics alone have left much more of an impression on me than I ever thought they would. The animations have lots of nuance and fluidity and look amazing. I love looking at this game and taking in the carnage of the environments as I walk and run and fight around them. The sound is great as well; I've not noticed any bad or out-of-place effects and sounds are appropriately powerful or guttural for the weapons and monsters respectively. The music has been good, not 'put this in my playlist' good but also the game would lack something without its presence. After close to two years since its release, I have not had any performance issues apart from the weirdness that can happen from running a game on native LInux with Proton. Honestly its ran far better for me than RE4R despite possibly being the more demanding game.

Now, we can get into the real issues.

The monster design is cool! They are gross and mean-looking and are definitely not out-of-place in sci-fi horror. But... they're not scary. I know that I'm also not all of the way through this game and probably haven't seen everything, but I had to start this review because it just doesn't scare me. Sure it has tense moments and some environments are genuinely creepy, but the horror element is severely let down by the mechanics of the game. The game sets you (Jacob) up as a surprisingly durable killing machine, that can swiftly dodge and dismantle the creatures that set upon you. Against a player that can handle the combat system, these creatures don't stand a chance. You will beat the ever-living ♥♥♥♥ out of them until they are convulsing in a pile of broken bones and mangled flesh and then you stomp on them some more to let them know how pathetic they are (and to get your loot drops of course).

In a real survival-horror game, combat is a gamble. Is the cost of resources worth the investment of dealing with this threat? (ex. Zombies in RE2R) Can I even deal with this threat? (ex. Mr. X or the Ubermorph) Or, for the more apt comparison of Dead Space (2008) or Dead Space 2 (2011), will I be able to deal with the enemies before they ever get close to me? In my opinion, survival-horror is at its best when you can technically deal with the threats before you, but at the same time you are sacrificing something to do so, while also not wanting these creatures to ever even think about touching you because the consequences are severe.

Conversely in Callisto, when I see an enemy I buckle up and charge in to start beating the ever-living ♥♥♥♥ out of them with a big smile on my face. The combat system isn't even that technically deep like a Souls-like game or a fighting game, but I find it to be quite satisfying. This is the complete opposite feeling I should have about combat in a game that wants to be a horror game, where the game clearly wants you to fear the creatures that you are fighting. While I enjoy Dead Space combat, I don't necessarily *want* to be in combat in Dead Space. I do everything I can to deal with the necromorphs as quickly as possible so that I can stop being in danger. Callisto has for better or worse, turned you into the danger. I am actively looking for fights because ironically that is the safest place to be in as well as the point when I'm having the most fun. Dodging is simple and easy enough to pull off, and is almost completely safe when doing so. Ranged enemies still pose a threat as your dodge animation only saves you from the enemy you are currently engaged with, but management of ranged enemies or the environment will reduce that risk. Getting grappled does not instantly deal damage to you with all enemy types as far as I can tell, or does not deal enough damage to be a big factor because of the ease of dodging. There is at least a balance issue if I'd rather be grabbed than block an attack because blocking feels like I take more damage from bleed-through. At risk of repeating myself, we'll leave it at that until my inevitable comment-extensions.

My only other major complaint is that the first three chapters of the game and somewhat into the fourth, I was drowning in items with not enough places to offload them. We don't have storage this time around so you have to sell or use what you don't need, but you can't pick up everything because the game starts you off with a measly SIX INVENTORY SLOTS. With how much stuff there was to pick up, this was incredibly frustrating. Instead of being relieved that I found another health injector or ammo for the pistol, I had to play the "Do I have enough space for this item?" game every couple of minutes. What added insult to injury was instead of being able to back-track reasonable amounts to pick up items I had to leave behind, the game pushes you forward several times with permanently locked doors or sequences that cannot be undone due to the game's linearity. Dead Space managed this finite balance well, and offset some of the pressure by allowing you to store items for later when in an excess, so that if you ever found yourself in a drought you could address it. What I will say is that I have so far found the ammunition for the pistol to be a pretty good balance of 'just enough'. Once I'm further into the game that may change.

What about the story? Oh yeah, it's there. I'm enjoying the characters enough and I'm engaged because it does feel like a horror-movie story but its not the 'best story ever told'. When thinking about Callisto's story I'm reminded of The Belko Experiment, which while I had fun with that movie it wasn't a movie I'd rush home to tell everybody about.

Despite my issues with the game, I am still having a good time and have been trying to fit it into my busy schedule. Will it hold up on repeat playthroughs? Higher difficulties? I'll know soon enough. More thoughts TBA as I get further along. Although...