Fun stealth game with some pretty deep mechanics, but too shallow to be a true classic. I am going through Arkane's games after falling in love with Deathloop. I really enjoyed this game, but it really makes me wonder why Deathloop got the hate that it got. This isn't much harder. I guess I could go for a 100% no kill run as I accidentally killed a few guards, but it wasn't anything crazy. I love the powers but feel like Deathloop used them in more interesting ways without all of the choice mechanics. Say what you will, but I'd rather have a game that doesn't devolve to save scumming. Regardless, some fun mechanics and am interested to see what 2 polishes up.

Deathloop is an immersive sim unlike any other. Where most games do give players freedom to tackle the game however you’d like, most tend to always have one path that is either the “best” way to play or a “good” path that most players gravitate towards. Whether you’re choosing to find success in the best stealth run in Dishonored or choose Paragon over Renegade in Mass Effect, players are usually quite predictable even when given a choice especially when there are consequences.

I love that Fallout New Vegas allows me to side with Caesar’s Legion, but I’d be lying if I told you I’ve ever had a playthrough where I did choose them. Deathloop insteads to remove all of that guilt (like GameSpot’s Tamoor Hussain brilliantly mentions in his review) and allows you to experiment through each loop however you want to because there are no effects to its world the following loop. Though some believe that this core design decision is a flaw, I believe it’s what makes Deathloop a masterpiece.

I loved things about this game when it came out. I always loved the art design, world building, characters, and general gameplay loop, but the AI was horrendously dumb. After a full year of updates, I am happy to say that not only is the AI issue resolved but they have even added more enemies in certain areas. This gives much more weight to how you play. These new additions and fixes don’t make the game too difficult, but it gives the player enough of an obstacle to feel immersed. Though you can say the game should’ve been what it is today when it launched, the game today is truly remarkable.

The slabs (supernatural abilities) that you acquire and upgrade throughout the game are exceptional, the guns (old and new) all have their place, and the instantaneous switch between stealth and action is seamless. Colt and Julianna are incredibly written characters and it is quite an achievement to finally see black representation in a AAA title that doesn’t feel forced or unauthentic. Deathloop is not Dishonored, and that’s what makes it so great. I know this game has and will always be a divided game among gamers, but everything here clicks for me.