Deathloop is testament to what Arkane as a studio has developed into in the past decade or so - an intelligent game maker that understands the immersive sim like no other and refines it with their own formula in the most creative ways, borrowing multiple game ideas that have been successful in recent years and streamline it into a triple a quality experience, that makes you think one thing on so many occasions: it just works so well.
I have played and rated all but one Arkane Game with at least 4 stars, multiple times with 4,5 stars. You could say I’m a fan of their work, and so it was mind-boggling to me how bad their marketing for this game was, because up until I read the reviews I had no interest at all in this game. They did such a good job of underselling this, it’s borderline criminal. I did not expect Deathloop to be my favorite loop-centric game this year, but 12 minutes was an utter disappointment so I’ll take what I can get.
Deathloop has got to have one of the best first few hours in a game, it’s a well made tutorial for a multitude of complex systems interwoven into the very core of the narrative, it makes a lot of sense and doesn’t feel like something you want to skip - the pacing is just one of those things: it works so well. They are able to set up a great mystery, which will keep you engaged with every single tidbit of information you find. Audio logs and text chats convey the general mood as well as the cutscenes and conversations the main characters have: It has a jazzy spy thriller atmosphere and the game doesn’t take itself too seriously.
One of the big strengths of Arkane‘s formula has always been how smooth the actual gameplay feels. Using your powers and traversing the map is another one of these things: it just works so well. But what makes this so much better (for me personally) as in their previous games, is the fact that you don’t just replay levels for the heck of indulging in the mechanics, but that it’s necessary to progress with the story. Which is fine, because every area has different things going on depending on which time you arrive there. The rougelike repetition gives you the chance to try out different possibilities and perfect your playstyle. It is however far too easy, because as soon as you‘ve found your groove with shift and some of the weapons and especially hacking the turrets, you basically become a god and there is no real danger there any more. Sometimes I just ran and jumped through an entire level not even caring for the enemies, because they are just not fast enough. This definitely takes away the necessity of experimenting with the different play styles, but also makes it a lot more accessible for people who want to enjoy the story.
Another thing, that kind of looses its magic along the hours you play the game, is the unraveling of the mystery. I don’t know if it’s just me, but by the end I did not really care that much anymore and the ending kind of confirmed this hunch, it fell flat for me. It’s a bummer, because the setup was so good, but it’s also fine, because the gameplay itself is more than enough to make this game worth your while.
Immersive sims are predestined for trophy hunters like me, because some of the most fun I had while playing Deathloop, was trying to get some of the more difficult trophies like killing all visionaries without being seen in the entire loop, or not killing a single eternalist, using specific weapons or traps to kill someone and many more things that forces you to experience every single thing this game has to offer. You find secrets, Easter eggs, use guns that don’t fit you regular playstyle etc. So close to when I got the platinum I was breezing through the game like it was a playground specifically designed to be taken apart like that. It was a perfect trophy hunt.
I wouldn’t say Deathloop is the best Arkane Game to date, I preferred the atmosphere of Prey and the cinematically scripted missions of Dishonored 2. But Deathloop is definitely the most meticulously crafted one, especially considering to have a multitude of different ideas merged to one great product. It shows just how good they are as developers and I’m sure the next game will continue to prove this.
I have played and rated all but one Arkane Game with at least 4 stars, multiple times with 4,5 stars. You could say I’m a fan of their work, and so it was mind-boggling to me how bad their marketing for this game was, because up until I read the reviews I had no interest at all in this game. They did such a good job of underselling this, it’s borderline criminal. I did not expect Deathloop to be my favorite loop-centric game this year, but 12 minutes was an utter disappointment so I’ll take what I can get.
Deathloop has got to have one of the best first few hours in a game, it’s a well made tutorial for a multitude of complex systems interwoven into the very core of the narrative, it makes a lot of sense and doesn’t feel like something you want to skip - the pacing is just one of those things: it works so well. They are able to set up a great mystery, which will keep you engaged with every single tidbit of information you find. Audio logs and text chats convey the general mood as well as the cutscenes and conversations the main characters have: It has a jazzy spy thriller atmosphere and the game doesn’t take itself too seriously.
One of the big strengths of Arkane‘s formula has always been how smooth the actual gameplay feels. Using your powers and traversing the map is another one of these things: it just works so well. But what makes this so much better (for me personally) as in their previous games, is the fact that you don’t just replay levels for the heck of indulging in the mechanics, but that it’s necessary to progress with the story. Which is fine, because every area has different things going on depending on which time you arrive there. The rougelike repetition gives you the chance to try out different possibilities and perfect your playstyle. It is however far too easy, because as soon as you‘ve found your groove with shift and some of the weapons and especially hacking the turrets, you basically become a god and there is no real danger there any more. Sometimes I just ran and jumped through an entire level not even caring for the enemies, because they are just not fast enough. This definitely takes away the necessity of experimenting with the different play styles, but also makes it a lot more accessible for people who want to enjoy the story.
Another thing, that kind of looses its magic along the hours you play the game, is the unraveling of the mystery. I don’t know if it’s just me, but by the end I did not really care that much anymore and the ending kind of confirmed this hunch, it fell flat for me. It’s a bummer, because the setup was so good, but it’s also fine, because the gameplay itself is more than enough to make this game worth your while.
Immersive sims are predestined for trophy hunters like me, because some of the most fun I had while playing Deathloop, was trying to get some of the more difficult trophies like killing all visionaries without being seen in the entire loop, or not killing a single eternalist, using specific weapons or traps to kill someone and many more things that forces you to experience every single thing this game has to offer. You find secrets, Easter eggs, use guns that don’t fit you regular playstyle etc. So close to when I got the platinum I was breezing through the game like it was a playground specifically designed to be taken apart like that. It was a perfect trophy hunt.
I wouldn’t say Deathloop is the best Arkane Game to date, I preferred the atmosphere of Prey and the cinematically scripted missions of Dishonored 2. But Deathloop is definitely the most meticulously crafted one, especially considering to have a multitude of different ideas merged to one great product. It shows just how good they are as developers and I’m sure the next game will continue to prove this.