"DEATHLOOP" is a unique experience built on a wonderfully weird sandbox crafted by Arkane Lyon. The game is linear in nature, but encourages player exploration and exploitation of the many sandbox goodies provided to accomplish an established set of goals. The progression of one's personal familiarity as well as their loot or abilities is satisfying throughout. The "loop" does struggle with some repetitiveness, especially compounded by at-times confusing puzzles or the lack of enemy variety. The repetitive levels are a double-edged sword, in that my familiarity with them actually did lead to genuine enjoyment as I began to master and optimize my routes.
The game is aesthetically top-notch. Quintessential Arkane art direction was on full-display on the island of Blackreef, forgoing AAA hyper-realism in favor of depicting a flamboyant and variegated dystopia. Music and sound both worked to further sell Blackreef's 1960s setting. The OST for the game was solid, with the few songs featuring lyrics also being enjoyable when they appeared in game. Audio queues were often incredibly helpful when engaging with the game's stealth mechanics, but the footstep audio was all over the place in its consistency. One item that was improved in comparison to previous Arkane games was technical performance - the game felt smooth in performance mode and I did not appreciate any notable hiccups. My bugs were minimal, and mostly were associated with the already obtuse UI between missions. I did have one crash in my 33.5 hours with DEATHLOOP (played entirely on my Xbox Series X).
Ultimately, I really enjoyed my time with DEATHLOOP. I continue to believe the folks at both the main Arkane Studios are wicked talented. I loved seeing them adapt some of their unique gameplay mechanics from the Dishonored series into a completely different setting. The abilities in this game are fun and satisfying to wreak havoc (pun-intended) with on the undying Eternalists of Blackreef. The world is weird, wacky, and inundated with many secrets that serve both player intrigue as well as provide practical tools to "end the loop." The game is fairly forgiving, with abundant access to permanent loot preservation early on, so I always felt encouraged go thoroughly explore the many corners of Blackreef. Juliana and Colt's bickering dialogue can be at times exhausting, but I overall enjoyed the zaniness of the game's cast. The game could do with a little more consolidation in its mission structure, as I imagine certain threads in the narrative might be perceived as repetitive or unnecessarily fragmented. Both the menus’ busy UI and the title's aggressive explanation of gameplay mechanics (essentially a prolonged tutorial) will also be to the distaste of some players. Lastly, the scope of this game might feel limited to folks who were big fans of some of Arkane's previous works. DEATHLOOP felt less concerned with providing consistent choice/consequence or branching narratives that evolved based off player behavior (as compared to 2017's "Prey" or the Dishonored series). DEATHLOOP is probably not the game for people looking for an experience that provides player agency to influence the bulk of its narrative.
I will also add that this is a great game for achievement and trophy hunters, with an interesting list that encourages player engagement with the game's many sandbox and narrative offerings. Nothing is missable, and I experienced only one glitched achievement in my play-through that resolved with a replay of the short 5-10min level.
The game is aesthetically top-notch. Quintessential Arkane art direction was on full-display on the island of Blackreef, forgoing AAA hyper-realism in favor of depicting a flamboyant and variegated dystopia. Music and sound both worked to further sell Blackreef's 1960s setting. The OST for the game was solid, with the few songs featuring lyrics also being enjoyable when they appeared in game. Audio queues were often incredibly helpful when engaging with the game's stealth mechanics, but the footstep audio was all over the place in its consistency. One item that was improved in comparison to previous Arkane games was technical performance - the game felt smooth in performance mode and I did not appreciate any notable hiccups. My bugs were minimal, and mostly were associated with the already obtuse UI between missions. I did have one crash in my 33.5 hours with DEATHLOOP (played entirely on my Xbox Series X).
Ultimately, I really enjoyed my time with DEATHLOOP. I continue to believe the folks at both the main Arkane Studios are wicked talented. I loved seeing them adapt some of their unique gameplay mechanics from the Dishonored series into a completely different setting. The abilities in this game are fun and satisfying to wreak havoc (pun-intended) with on the undying Eternalists of Blackreef. The world is weird, wacky, and inundated with many secrets that serve both player intrigue as well as provide practical tools to "end the loop." The game is fairly forgiving, with abundant access to permanent loot preservation early on, so I always felt encouraged go thoroughly explore the many corners of Blackreef. Juliana and Colt's bickering dialogue can be at times exhausting, but I overall enjoyed the zaniness of the game's cast. The game could do with a little more consolidation in its mission structure, as I imagine certain threads in the narrative might be perceived as repetitive or unnecessarily fragmented. Both the menus’ busy UI and the title's aggressive explanation of gameplay mechanics (essentially a prolonged tutorial) will also be to the distaste of some players. Lastly, the scope of this game might feel limited to folks who were big fans of some of Arkane's previous works. DEATHLOOP felt less concerned with providing consistent choice/consequence or branching narratives that evolved based off player behavior (as compared to 2017's "Prey" or the Dishonored series). DEATHLOOP is probably not the game for people looking for an experience that provides player agency to influence the bulk of its narrative.
I will also add that this is a great game for achievement and trophy hunters, with an interesting list that encourages player engagement with the game's many sandbox and narrative offerings. Nothing is missable, and I experienced only one glitched achievement in my play-through that resolved with a replay of the short 5-10min level.