Deathloop

Die, Die again

What a tragedy. You know I was really, honest to goodness, excited about this title when it was first announced, I truly was. I was one of the few people in my circle of contacts not rolling their eyes at the premise or the fact that is was 'just a cinematic', (I really need to get into a topic about that later on because I have some strong thoughts in that regard) I saw the potential of this game and really couldn't wait to get ahold of it. And when I saw it pop up at the Playstation event I literally whooped, happy in the knowledge that this wasn't a title that was getting swept under the rug but something that Arkane and Bethesda were proud of! Only- it was at the Playstation 5 reveal event and most of those games turned out to be exclus- oh no. You didn't. After everything we've been through, all the promises that you've made; Bethesda have you really gone the exclusivity route? (Why is this studio so deadset in insulting it's fans, this is freaking wild, it has to be intentional. Either it's intentional or they're playing 5D chess right now and we're all plebeians.)

Yep, that's right. Arkane Studios first next gen title is shaping up to be a Playstation exclusive for at least the first year of it's life, which means that the first person shooter which looks like it has the potential to be hard-as-nails and trail-and-error based; is going to be exclusive to PlayStation  controllers. (Is there even a name for how dumb this is? Oh wait there is, it's called: 'clueless greedy moron syndrome'.) I hate to really hone in on this point but as you can tell it really riles me up. I despise exclusivity culture and the manufactured air of fomo it tries to establish. I can just about stomach it when tied to a game that was funded and published by the studio who covets that exclusive access (I'm genuinely surprised that Death Stranding has come to PC; Sony were absolutely within their moral rights to hold onto that one) but for games like these, where the name was purchased after the fact, it's honestly sickeningly gross. Bethesda have shrunk even further down my list of respectable studios after this one.

And I suppose the reason why this honestly, truly, gets to me is because, like I said, I really do like what this game is trying to achieve! Deathloop is, like much the title implies, a game about a man who's destined to die and repeat the moments of his life over and over again until he can find a way out. The only fun twist on this idea comes in the way that the man in question is a hitman, and the task he has to complete, at least as far as he and we are aware, is the assassination of several high profile targets. That means for every single mistake that he makes, every bullet he catches and every roof he falls off, there's a lesson to be learnt by the player in order to make that final ultimate run. There's such a delicious level of game-ness to that concept inherently that it's truly amazing that it's taken this long for such an idea to make it into the gaming world, but now it's here and it looks as though Arkane have executed it absolutely beautifully. (If one can judge a promo.)

What makes it doubly as exciting, is the fact that Arkane have already built an incredibly solid framework for this sort of gameplay and, judging from the gameplay trailer, this seems to be what they've used. Dishonoured's first person stealth action gameplay was notably simple and exciting to get ahold of to the point where it was almost a detriment to the stealth of the game, because going around killing was just so much fun. You were agile, deadly and fast, capable of sliding, climbing and peeking around corners; with just a little bit of adjustment you can easily see how such a control scheme could be adapted for a title that focused heavily on action, and Deathloop does exactly that. In terms of narrative this really helps the player settle into the shoes of a skilled assassin and, if Dishonoured remains an inspiration, will probably pave the way for some seriously ingenious moments and unexpected gameplay feats down the line. (Shoutout to that moment in 'Knife of Dunwall' where I accidentally sniped the target from the building across from his fortified home. )

We really see that Dishonoured DNA come out in the gameplay trailer wherein it appears that our Hitman has a device on his arm that allows him to literally have the power of the Outsider. I mean he can teleport, he has telekinetic abilities, I even think I saw a little time disruption. (have we checked this guys hand for the mark? This might be an unofficial Dishonoured sequel) That being said, it's the pacing of the title, and the updated physics, that make the powers feel a lot more dynamic than they did in Arkane's previous series. (At least from the trailer) Top that up with the variety of weapons that the player seems to have at their disposal, in stark contrast to the single pistol that Emily and her Father were subject to, and you have quite the toolkit for wrecking up this little island. Now of course the trailer plays up the action and chaos a little, but I don't think it's a hundred miles away from the gameplay itself; this looks like the kind of title that encourages violent action over stealth. (Although, being an Arkane title, I'd imagine the ultimate choice of approach lies with the player.)

If there's one thing that I still feel hasn't been adequately explained thus far it's the second assassin that appears to have a distinct hatred for the protagonist and is trying to kill him. Is this meant to be some sort of pursing main antagonist that'll keep the story going, or is this another player? (I'm unsure about how that works out) Well according to the interviews that have been put out this rival assassin is a playable character, but I don't know how that'll work out for the overall game, or rather what it says for the structure of this game. As it appears to be sold, this is a giant game of cat and mouse between two players from start to finish, but then is this even a full length game at all? Are you telling me that this entire game is basically a long form online death match? Are there going to be levels? Matchmaking? Some sort of mulitplayer components? I feel like an inherently simple and effective premise is slightly muddied with this addition that really needs to be properly explained long before launch. As it stands I have no idea what it is I'm getting into, and I'm confused about if this is supposed to be a full-fledged $60 game or a one-multiplayer-mode $30 title. (And I certainly have a preference for the former right now)

But whilst I'm still enjoying the unique aesthetic perspective of this title I can't wrack my little old head too hard. The marketing for the game has adopted this quaint 80's theme to it and even the game itself has this 80-era game-show type vibe in it's bright flashing signs and technicolor world spaces; it's another heaping of 80's nostalgia, no doubt, but I find it endearing none the less. (And that's not because I have any personal nostalgia, mind you, I was born well after the 80's) There's something Tarantino-esque about the marketing for this title, and though I may not be the biggest fan of his later movies, I cannot deny that the man has an eye. So yes, Deathloop has every single ingredient to be a great game, it's just such a shame that the publishers are such arses.

Without the exclusivity angle this game would absolutely be on my must-have radar, but I can't support that kind of crap so I have to scribble this promising-looking title off my list. I'll still be paying attention, but just so that I can see what I'm missing. If you're not perturbed by such things, then by all means have at this cool looking game from a provenly talented developer that is finally getting their chance to make new things and expand. I wish them all the luck in the world and hope that they finally wriggle out of the shadow of Dishonoured like they've apparently wanted to do for a while now. (Shame that Prey didn't sell so well, I liked that game.) So with that out of the way I'll now proceed to search for some other game to take this one's place in my hype chart; like, for instance, the next I'm talking about...