2022 Game of the Year Awards — Achievement Awards

A game’s atmosphere can make break immersion. This is how much dread it makes you feel just being in the world. It can make you a feeling of nostalgic adventure, it can transport you back to a time when you were a kid…or one of the worst times of your life. It’s very hard to have a game’s atmosphere be consistent and pull you in. This usually isn’t tied to the story or anything like that, but graphics do go hand-in-hand.

The Callisto Protocol

Say what you will about how much of a Dead Space clone this game is, or it’s average combat, but the game really gives you a sense of dread, lonliness, and desperation that a lot of games can’t pull off. Even if you throw out the horror themes there’s a lot of fear in the world itself. Clostrophibic hallways, prison cells, and being stranded on a derelict planet doesn’ thelp. The opening scene really gives a sense of fear and sucks all hope from you.