Arkane’s narrative and gameplay finally lined up for me in Deathloop


I did not expect that I would like it Deathloop. Don’t get me wrong, I loved its vibe from the moment I saw the first trailer. A sixties murder thriller with classic spy vibes? That I do not like it? But knowing Deathloop It was an Arkane joint that had me skeptical – I’ve always enjoyed Arkane’s worlds, but rarely the way the studio combines gameplay and story. Still, hearing that it was one of the best games of the year, I jumped in first. And I found a playground that finally allowed me to participate in my preferred style of play without spoiling the story.

DeathloopThe world is inherently chaotic. Using Colt’s vernacular, he’s on Blackreef to fuck around and doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process. It’s pretty clear up front that Colt isn’t the best guy, but the rest of the Visionaries on the island, including Colt’s Julianna, are apparently worse. And so Colt’s journey is violent. I’m a wrecking ball, if I decide to live up to that name or be the stealthiest wrecking ball ever, it’s up to me.

There is no concern for right and wrong in Deathloop. There is no good ending, no bad ending, no high chaos or low chaos. It is a calculated destruction that is done silently, out loud, or somewhere in between. But the way I choose to represent my violence doesn’t change what the game thinks of me. Colt is the least monstrous of monsters, no matter what he does.

This goes against the Dishonored series. I love the worlds of Dunwall and Karnaca, but Corvo, Emily, and The Outsider are concerned with how things are done. There are consequences for my actions in Dishonor. If I kill all the humans around me, the world changes for the worse. But if I play stealthily, non-lethally, maybe I can leave the world in a better place than I found it.

Dishonored 2

Confrontation is possible in Dishonored, but discouraged
Image: Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks

Arkane has always lived by the idea of ​​”playing your way”, and that’s something I liked about Dam. However, Prey offers a level of isolation that I don’t love in my games, along with a great deal of stealth. Compared to both Dam and Deathloop, Dishonor fight back with consequences based on your play style. Sure may play your way, but only if you’re willing to live with what happens next. I could steal some Sun Chips from Target the next time I’m there, but that doesn’t free me from what might happen next, which is to have my Sun Chips taken away and told I’m not welcome at my local store.

The system of morality has always been an obstacle between love and me. Dishonor. I like to play a little sneaky in games like Dishonor and Deathloop. But Deathloop treats stealth as a pass / fail test that results in murder when caught, inevitably turning to running across the map, teleporting, and stabbing bad guys. I usually prefer to take the moral ground in games (I’m a Paragon purist in Mass Effect), but I also like to “fuck the shit.” These two approaches are mutually exclusive in Dishonor, but not in Deathloop.

To Arkane’s credit, I acknowledge that this is my problem. DishonorThe story and morality system is interesting because it has consequences, and the way it connects to the game itself almost feels like a commentary on games like Unexplored, where Nathan Drake has his murder cake and is also a morally good hero. On Dishonor, you exercise power responsibly or irresponsibly, and the world reflects your actions.

Juliana in Deathloop

Julianna punches back in Deathloop
Image: Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks

But while I appreciate Dishonorwillingness to “punish” the player for being an idiot, is DeathloopIt’s the lack of consequences that make it playable for me. DeathloopFreedom is in how I execute the bad guys around me, regardless of the many bodies I leave behind. I can complete the story and break the title loop, or I can run by completing side puzzles in Arkane’s toy box; those are my only two options as a Colt. And whatever story consequence I get from finishing the game, negative or positive, unfolds regardless of how I complete my mission.

In a way, this really does Deathloop a simpler game than Dishonor, and for some, I imagine, less interesting. It has less to say about the way we, as gamers, interact with video games. It does not provoke much reflection on the morality of their actions. Sure, Colt and Julianna can chat about how bad everyone on the island is, but I can’t choose if they live or die.

Because as bleak as Dishonor It is, it is an optimistic story. A noble assassin can change the world without leaving it in the dark. Deathloop he doesn’t care about all that. Trust how gloomy the outside world is. But for Colt, he would rather live in the real world than be stuck on an island reliving the same day over and over again.

Deathloop It doesn’t abandon the story in favor of gameplay, but it does simplify it. By removing moral choice from the equation, it frees me to play the way I want without fear of retaliation. I enjoyed every moment of Deathloop Because I never worried about the end that was coming, I didn’t worry as much about the people around me as Colt. For some, that can do Deathloop Arkane’s title with the bare minimum to say about the morality of his own world. But for me, the selfless chaos of DeathloopThe world finally let me feel free to play my way.


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