Deathloop, a new Arkane Studios project about a mysterious island whose inhabitants are stuck in a time loop, was released today. The game received many top marks from critics. They call it one of the best and most inventive titles of the year, which largely develops the successful ideas of Dishonored.
Briefly about the game
Deathloop is a shooter with stealth mechanics and RPG elements. The game takes place on the island of Black Reef, whose inhabitants are stuck in a mysterious time loop.
To solve this riddle and break the loop will be the main character — the killer Colt, who does not remember anything about his past. To do this, he must eliminate eight “ideologues” controlling the island within one day.
Also in Deathloop there is a unique mechanic tied to another heroine Julianne. In single-player mode, she is controlled by AI, trying to kill Colt and prevent him from breaking the loop. However, another player can also take control of Julianna, who in this case will invade someone else’s world and will in every way prevent the user playing for Colt from reaching the goal.
Arkane Lyon, also known for the Dishonored series, was responsible for the development of Deathloop. The project was released simultaneously on PC and PlayStation 5 (the game is a temporary Sony console exclusive).
Opinions of critics
Deathloop was awarded the highest scores from several publications at once. The average score of the PS5 and PC versions on Metacritic at the moment is 88/100.
The Video Games Chronicle portal gave the game 5/5, praising the complex levels, beautifully written characters, weapons and special abilities, as well as the visual design and soundtrack. The publication did not highlight any obvious disadvantages.
If there is any serious question about Deathloop, it is whether the game is diverse enough? For example, enemies could use a wider range of weapons, and the challenge in the later stages consists mainly of a large number of opponents. However, the game has much more to offer than it seems at first glance, and you can find many more interesting things in it before you break the cycle. This is one of the smartest and most exciting games of the year.
— VGC
Deathloop also received the highest score from the VG247 portal. Among the minor disadvantages are the unsuccessful design of accessible and unreadable notes, as well as opponents who sometimes notice Colt too quickly in stealth.
If we consider Deathloop as a single-player game, then it seems completely finished and incredibly diverse. An additional injection in the form of optional multiplayer is just an amazing cherry on the cake. In fact, Deathloop turned out to be what I wanted. It is at the same time the successor of many Dishonored ideas, and feels great as an independent project. This is one of my favorite games of the year, which we will probably talk about for a few more months.
— VG247
Deathloop was awarded a “ten” by IGN. The publication called the game a masterpiece and noted that the fascinating investigations and battles here are built around the unique mechanics of the time loop.
Despite the seeming intricacy and endless complexity, Deathloop is one of the most “confident” games in terms of game design that I have ever played. Her unique, highly conceptual ideas regarding time loops and nonlinear research are implemented elegantly. Thanks to this, it is easy to navigate the mechanics of the game, study them and, ultimately, improve. Deathloop is a game unlike any other. This is a new quality bar for Arkane and all developers of similar projects.
— IGN
PC Gamer put Deathloop 89/100, calling it an exciting stealth shooter and a detailed heir to Dishonored. According to the publication, the project is really revealed when another player invades your world and challenges you.
Colt and Julianna’s cat-and—mouse relationship is the heart of the Deathloop story. They reveal the mystery of the time loop, the island, and Colt’s past. No matter how hostile their conversations may be, it is obvious that Julianna likes this game. At one point, she explains to Colt that she doesn’t like watching him die—she just likes killing him. There is playfulness and hidden frustration in her instigations, adding intrigue to the disclosure of Colt’s past, which he cannot remember.
— PC Gamer
Only a few critics have written mixed reviews on Deathloop. The game received the lowest score from the Gamers Heroes portal, which rated it 6/10. Most of all, the author of the review was dissatisfied with Julianna’s “intrusions”, calling the whole mechanics “annoying”.
Maybe we should stop wasting time and effort on developing such things? Why the hell would I even want another player to invade my world like in Dark Souls? Stop it. We don’t want that. Bethesda tried to do this with Doom Eternal, but eventually abandoned the idea. If you want to add multiplayer, make a cooperative mode.
Russian publications generally positively assessed Deathloop. DTF praised the game for its reference level design, holistic world, visual style and gameplay mechanics. However, the disadvantages of the project were a weak central plot and the fact that “Deathloop does not give the impression of a nextgen game.”
To prevent this from happening, you need to constantly and independently experiment with systems and mechanics. Fortunately, there is a lot of content in Deathloop. If you are not ready to experiment and entertain yourself, and you expect a staged experience from games, then Deathloop will quickly bore you. The passage and overall impressions will greatly depend on how much you yourself have invested in the game.
— DTF
StopGame gave Deathloop a “Commendable” rating. Of the minuses, the publication noted too much information hidden in the notes, as well as Julianna, who “gets bored” online.
The Deathloop idea is brilliant — it’s one of the best time loops in the industry. Going through the same locations is not boring, because the character becomes stronger, and since this is Arkane, the design here is excellent. […] At the same time, the game is not perfect. A large piece of history is hidden in notes and audio files — if you don’t like to read and listen, a lot will pass you by. The ending turned out to be crumpled — everything seems to be logical, but it is made as if everything was collected at the last moment.
— StopGame
The Kanobu portal rated Deathloop by 9 points. The publication separately praised the game for encouraging experimentation and inspiring players to look for non-standard solutions.
Because of the multiplayer, Deathloop does not turn into a fully networked game or a service game and does not become less developed. This is primarily an immersive simulator from the developers Dishonored and Prey, where there are all the advantages of the previous Arkane games. In addition, if desired, the possibility of multiplayer can be turned off altogether — then no one will invade your game.
— Kanobu
3DNews also gave Deathloop a “nine”, praising the visual style and fascinating story.
Deathloop is a powerful and fascinating action story that captures from start to finish. And even after the credits, the project has something to offer — a tense hunt in the online mode, where again and again it is necessary to prove to the stubborn Colt: the loop is inseparable!
— 3DNews