Deathloopis Arkane Studios' upcoming shooter set on an island stuck in a perpetual 24-hour time loop as the protagonist, Colt, attempts to take down his eight targets in a single day to break free. The gameplay resemblesDishonored, with Colt able to use traditional weaponry alongside abilities which resemble Corvo and Emily’s magical abilities, likely with a sci-fi explanation.
Deathloop’s premise, however, creates some opportunities for Arkane to engineer an experience that resemblesDishonoredin its stealth and combat but also encouraging the most enjoyable parts of the game without penalizing them. Not only that, butDeathloopappears to use one of Dishonored’s most interesting mechanics, with a twist.
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Dishonored’s Two Main Playstyles
One of the most exciting things aboutDeathloopis that it overcomesDishonored’s Chaos problem. InDishonored, killing too many people creates a state of High Chaos which gives the player the game’s “bad ending.” The ultimately makes the games less enjoyable because it means that to get the good ending players can’t use their combat abilities, which are among the game’s most fun mechanics.
Deathloopavoids this entirely – Colt always has to kill his eight targets, and every failed run causes the timeloop to restart, bringing everybody back to life. In other words,Deathloopwill encourage players to use all the tools at their disposal, without risk of being punished in the story. This might be offputting for players who enjoy the intrigue and pace of anon-lethalDishonoredrun. However,Deathloophas a way to please those fans as well.
Dishonoredgave players two main ways to deal with targets, with little room for overlap. Players can kill their targets however they like, or they can pursue a non-lethal option which involves more stealth and completing several side objectives. For example, inthe originalDishonored’s mission “House of Pleasure,” the player must eliminate Custis and Morgan Pendleton.
Killing the Pendletons is straight forward enough – Morgan can be eliminated by turning up the heat in his steam room until the pipes burst, while Custis can be assassinated in the smoking room. However, the player also has the option to complete aDishonoredside-missionfor a man named Slackjaw which involves discovering a safe combination for him. In turn, he orchestrates the kidnapping of the Pendletons, who will then be forced to work in their own silver mines.
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Deathloop’s Synthesis
TheDeathloop“Two Birds One Stone” trailer shows howArkane’s new game synthesizes the two main types of playthrough inDishonored. In it, players are forced to choose between a violent playthrough that comes with the ability to fully enjoy the game’s combat system, or the non-lethal route which involves far more story and intrigue.
In theDeathlooptrailer, Colt explains how he can’t eliminate all eight of his targets in a single day by approaching them one by one. Instead, he demonstrates how he can manipulate them into being in the same place at the same time by learning aspects of their lives. In this case, he stops a scientist from blowing off an invitation to a party because of a major breakthrough in his research by sabotaging that research, allowing him to take out both the scientist and the host of the party that evening.
While non-violence is out of the question inDeathloop, the game appears to synthesize the combat and story-driven approaches inDishonoredinto a single playthrough, giving players opportunities to explore the world and manipulate its inhabitants without stopping them from enjoying fast-paced combat or making full use of their abilities. If Arkane is able to pull it off, this could helpDeathlooptake the best parts fromDishonored 1andDishonored 2while avoiding their downsides.
Deathloopis set to release May 21st, 2021 for PC and PS5.
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