The Callisto Protocol Releases Contagion Bundle

The Contagion Bundle DLC for The Callisto Protocol released today (3/14), adding some fresh content to the game. The flagship part of the DLC is Contagion Mode, which is a more difficult mode that includes limited ammo, a reset to the beginning of the chapter upon death, and stronger enemies. This comes about a month after the 2/7 patch to the game added Hardcore mode, which included limited ammo and stronger enemies (deja vu?). The release came alongside a tweet featuring a trailer for the DLC, alongside the caption “Death is only the beginning.💀 With the Contagion Bundle, you can take on the challenge of Contagion Mode, which gives you limited resources and raises the stakes if you die.”

The DLC, which Digital Deluxe owners of the game will receive for free, also includes “14 all-new ways for Jacob to die…” and a “Watchtower Skin Collection, a UJC themed pack of player and weapon skins for all your gear.”

Both of these add-ons have drawn some immediate criticism from those who might point out that new death animations being put into a linear game alongside no new narrative content seems to imply that owners of the Contagion-less version of the game are getting a flatly worse experience. As for our take on it: we just think it’s odd that the game added more death animations alongside it’s permadeath mode, where you’d want to see as few of them as possible.

Similarly, many players are already questioning the need and use of skin collections in a single-player game, especially one which sees the main character — a prisoner — in the garb of the company that owns the prison.

Still, the DLC does add a fresh, more-challenging experience for those who want it, and some new content to engage with it. It is available on all of the game’s platforms now, including on Steam here, for $9.99. It is also available to anyone who purchased the Digital Deluxe version or Season Pass for free, as a part of the latter’s content.