Arkane Deathloop - first-person action game from Arkane set on a time loop island

[Infinitron]

https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/deathloop-is-the-first-arkane-game-to-actually-click-with-me/

Deathloop is the first Arkane game to actually click with me
This scratches the itch that Dishonored couldn't quite reach.

As you've heard a dozen times by now, Deathloop very much feels like fellow immersive sim Dishonored. But here's the thing—I didn't like Dishonored. I really wanted to, I loved the idea of it, but for whatever reason the game and I just never clicked. So I was mildly apprehensive when I landed in Blackreef with Colt, Deathloop's trapped-in-a-time-loop hero: because I've thoroughly enjoyed the trailers, the off-hands preview, everything about this game has been begging me to play it. Would I fall into the same trap I did with Arkane's earlier immersive sims?

Deathloop's premise is a simple one: eight targets, one day to kill them all. They call themselves Visionaries, unique bosses with their own personalities and slabs—powerful abilities that you can loot from them once defeated. Things like teleporting short distances, temporarily turning invisible or chaining enemies together to take down in one fell swoop are the prizes for taking down each foe. Killing all eight is the key to blowing apart the time loop. Leaving one alive or getting killed off instead means being flung straight back to the beginning of the day.

All's not lost when you wake back up on Blackreef's sandy shores, however. What I forfeited in weapons or attachments, I gained back in knowledge. The code to a safe that I was too late finding in my last loop could now be cracked open with ease. I had a better idea of where enemies would be, and how to efficiently take them out. After more exploring, I was able to begin retaining certain equipment across different loops, making me a little stronger with each new-old day. Untangling the island's various mysteries using both brawn and brains is honestly far more compelling than I ever imagined.

This is why Deathloop clicked with me where Dishonored didn't. Dishonored made me feel like there was a right or wrong way to play. When I was handed cool powers on a silver platter, I felt like I would be punished for using them, forcing me into what I viewed as more boring non-lethal methods. But Deathloop never tells me off for messing up, and it pushes for experimentation. Having to start over again doesn't feel like a failure.

Stealth does still seem to be the preferred strategy, which is annoying—as somebody who likes to bull-charge into every encounter—but Arkane has done a fantastic job of making the confrontational gunfights so much fun regardless. Chaotic head-first encounters are punctuated by weighty funk drums, the cymbals crashing in your ears as you slash or shoot your way through enemies.

The guns have a fantastic feel to them too. Weapon handling is super-smooth, and every bullet I shot felt purposeful and satisfying. I became particularly enamoured with the Tribunàl, a pistol with tight recoil that packs a punch. When I started collecting trinkets—small abilities that you can add to weapons or yourself—I was able to beef it up even further with more accurate aimed shots and bigger damage. Taking enemies on face-to-face means I have extra reinforcements to deal with, but it's a small price to pay for the satisfaction of dashing across a rooftop before dropping onto your enemy and getting a clean shot on them. It's harder than the subtler approach, but I don't feel like a scolded child when I do play around with more aggressive methods.

All of this is further helped by protagonist Colt's unwavering determination, aided by Jason Kelley's ever-brilliant voice work. He doesn't make being stuck in a time loop feel as frustrating as it is. He doesn't want to be in the loop, but he thrives off every scrap of knowledge and recon you gain. Where other time loop mysteries can have you deteriorating alongside the protagonist, Colt's character made me revel in every restart. I'm usually afraid of cocking up, but every bit of Deathloop does its best to put those fears to bed.

It took me a good few hours tinkering around in the game to even get around to taking out my first Visionary. Deathloop's tutorial is lengthy, necessarily so, but once I was handed free rein I was encouraged to continue to explore and experiment. Blackreef's four districts are brimming with small nooks and crannies to dig through that can reveal new quests, secrets or ways to take down your enemies. Its dishevelled, rubbly exterior is broken up by each Visionary's grand architecture, reflecting their personalities. It looks stunning, with the entire island oozing warm-toned 1960s vibes.

Each district plays out differently depending on the time of day, too. I dropped by one area, Updaam, in the morning to have a poke around. The streets were quiet—practically a ghost town. When I returned in the evening, however, I was greeted with what felt like a completely different place. Enemies were plentiful, roaming the streets in preparation for a fireworks festival taking place. I essentially had to relearn how to navigate each area depending on when I was visiting, making Blackreef feel alive.

Seeing just how far I could push a single loop without dying and losing all my equipment was thrilling. When I finally did get around to taking on my target, Harriet Moore, it wasn't some gigantic victory and that was OK. I'd have to do it all over again tomorrow, but with just a little more knowledge and gadgetry. And I was excited to go back and do it all over, while continuing to slowly fold in other Visionaries and mysteries.

I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be shown the ways and wonders of the immersive sim, but goddammit Arkane has done it. I'm already itching to dive back into Blackreef and go through deja vu just one more time.

 

[ADL]

I told you fuckers it's an immersive sim

 

[Infinitron]

 

[HoboForEternity]

gunna be lit

 

[toro]

gunna be lit

 

[Child of Malkav]

Thought this could be of interest to some of you. Gameplay info.

 

[Cassar]

ULTRA 4K SPECS: 4K / 60 FPS WITH ULTRA SETTINGS

• OS: 64 bit Windows 10 version 1909 or higher
• Processor : Intel Core i9-10900K @ 3.70GHz or AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT
• Memory : 16 GB system RAM
• Graphics : Nvidia RTX 3080 (10GB) or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (16GB)
• DirectX : Version 12
• Storage : 30 GB available space (SSD)

RECOMMENDED SPECS: 1080P / 60 FPS WITH HIGH SETTINGS

• OS : 64 bit Windows 10 version 1909 or higher
• Processor : Intel Core i7-9700K @ 3.60GHz or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
• Memory : 16 GB
• Graphics : Nvidia RTX 2060 (6GB) or AMD Radeon RX 5700 (8GB)
• DirectX : Version 12
• Storage : 30 GB available space (SSD)

MINIMUM SPECS: 1080P / 30 FPS WITH LOW SETTINGS

• OS : 64 bit Windows 10 version 1909 or higher
• Processor : Intel Core i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz or AMD Ryzen 5 1600
• Memory : 12 GB
• Graphics : Nvidia GTX 1060 (6GB) or AMD Radeon RX 580 (8GB)
• DirectX : Version 12
• Storage : 30 GB available space (HDD)

VISUALS – STANDARD SETTINGS

• Field of View (60 to 110 degrees)
• Ultrawide support
• AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution support

VISUALS – ADVANCED SETTINGS

• Texture Details
• Model Details
• Shadow Details
• Water Details
• Terrain Details
• Decal Details
• Ambient Occlusion
• Sun Shadows
• Post-Process Anti-Aliasing
• TWAA Sharpness
• Sharpness Post Process
• Camera Motion Blur
• Bloom (yes/no)
• Depth of Field (yes/no)
• Lens Flare (yes/no)
• Light Shafts (yes/no)

GAMEPLAY OPTIONS

• Headbob (0 to 100)
  
  
  https://bethesda.net/en/article/4mV...etails?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Community

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

A GTX 1060 for 30Hz/Low Settings while looking scarcer in detail than Dishonored 2... yeah, Devs be liek "fuck optimizations"

 

[Justicar]

A GTX 1060 for 30Hz/Low Settings while looking scarcer in detail than Dishonored 2... yeah, Devs be liek "fuck optimizations"

Lol this game looks much worse than Dishonored 2 even Cyberbug runs at high settings on my gtx 1060

 

[ADL]

• AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution support

This will be the saving grace for anyone running on decade-old hardware. Seriously who doesn't have a 1000/GCN4 series GPU these days? Blame crypto all you want but those GPUs were affordable and available for like five years.
I don't think the minimum spec is unreasonable at all. It's a current gen exclusive and the minimum spec is well under the PS5's hardware. The new consoles are the baseline for development, it's only gonna get worse for holdouts and that means 16GB memory is the new recommended minimum and you're gonna have five minute loading screens and horrible microstutter if you're not using an SSD.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

MINIMUM SPECS: 1080P / 30 FPS WITH LOW SETTINGS

• Memory : 12 GB

Aw fuck. My creaky 8 gigs coming to bite me in the ass.

but those GPUs were affordable and available for like five years.

In my defense the last time I upgraded my machine was about 6-7 years ago, and 2020/2021 was when I was starting to feel the pinch a little. Just hoping I don't have hardware failure and I can hold out until 22/23 when hopefully prices will get back to normal-ish. On the bright side if only my video card bites it I can use onboard video and handle 2D and simple 3D fine, and if the entire machine explodes I've got a shitty beat up laptop that can handle some really basic stuff.

 

[Infinitron]

Blackreef is a mystery, and Colt is looking for answers. Who are the Visionaries? What is Blackreef? How does the timeloop work? Why does everyone on the island have amnesia? Why is Julianna always lurking behind the nearest corner ready to ambush Colt? Most importantly, Colt wants to know: “Who am I?”

The deeper Colt goes down the rabbit hole, the more questions arise. One thing is for sure, Colt is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery and break the timeloop—no matter what answers he finds.

 

[Siel]

Some unedited combat footage (din't find any on mouse/keyboard)

 

[Terenty]

AI looks retarded

 

[Justicar]

Some unedited combat footage (din't find any on mouse/keyboard)

LOL this is trash shitty weapon sounds, 0 feedback from shooting, stupid ai that just bunches up and lets you shoot it, no gore system or death animations and graphics that look worse than Call of duty from 10 years ago

GREAT JOB AHMED FRANCE IS PROUD.

 

[deuxhero]

Calling it now: Twist is the thing they're trapped in is a literal prison they were put in because they're terrible violent people.

 

[gerey]

I told you fuckers it's an immersive sim

 

[Belegarsson]

Preload is up. Didn't know Steam has fancy download page now, I'll take it.

EDIT: surprised at the lack of people coming back and rate sheeeeiiiitt on the first post.

 

[Immortal]

EDIT: surprised at the lack of people coming back and rate sheeeeiiiitt on the first post.

"Heh.. Wow nobody came back to rate Sheeeit.. Guess this game is turning out better than we though DeathLoopBros.. Heheh."

I think just nobody gives a shit. Enjoy your preordered, preloaded, 29 gigs of Nu-Arkane vidya - brb Pathfinder.

 

[toro]

Preload is up. Didn't know Steam has fancy download page now, I'll take it.

EDIT: surprised at the lack of people coming back and rate sheeeeiiiitt on the first post.

Incorporates 3rd-party DRM: Denuvo Anti-tamper
Requires 3rd-Party Account: Bethesda.net (Supports Linking to Steam Account)
Requires agreement to a 3rd-party EULA DEATHLOOP EULA

 

[markec]

Preload is up. Didn't know Steam has fancy download page now, I'll take it.

EDIT: surprised at the lack of people coming back and rate sheeeeiiiitt on the first post.

Incorporates 3rd-party DRM: Denuvo Anti-tamper
Requires 3rd-Party Account: Bethesda.net (Supports Linking to Steam Account)
Requires agreement to a 3rd-party EULA DEATHLOOP EULA

I have less issues with DRM and more with wokeness.

 

[CyberWhale]

I have less issues with DRM and more with wokeness.

Anyway, the game is probably unoptimized shit, but it has FSR plus if the settings are even remotely sane in their configuration you can probably turn off all the glossy shit and get something closer to original Dishonored both in looks and hardware requirements alike.

 

[DeepOcean]

Some unedited combat footage (din't find any on mouse/keyboard)

The combat looks like shit, especially on how he just recovered pretty much the whole damage he got on the middle of the fight and how the Ai missed shots when shooting right on his face, also the enemies seem to be way too hesitant into shooting him, maybe it is a normal difficulty thing but it isnt impressive, maybe this is a case of the hard difficulty is the true normal difficulty game like most popamolers, we will see.

 

[ADL]

There is no difficulty option, but we have an adaptive difficulty system. As you can play the same maps several times at different moments of your play-through, we had to think about a system that can make the game challenging the more you play. If the NPCs accuracy is forgiven at the beginning, they will be more accurate, aggressive, and reactive the more you perform. Every once in a while, a target may experience déjà vu, meaning they'll sense something off about doing a certain action that made them end up dead during the last loop. Colt will have to plan new ways to eliminate targets if they eliminate a target the same way enough times.

 

[DeepOcean]

Didnt know about that. I remember when they got adaptative difficulty on RE 4, basically you ended punished by playing well and rewarded by being lazy, people eventually figured out what triggered the changes and started exploiting the hell out of it. They had to reintroduce a static difficulty system with RE 5 because of it, while the game still had the same adaptative difficulty, it worked on bands determined by difficulty choice.

It is a very easy system to fuck up because it is hard to translate player performance into metrics, balance is also a nightmare because it is hard to play test, it is also can cause anomalies like the player killing enemies easy to suddenly being one shotted by the same enemies a few rooms later, in theory, makes sense but there is a reason why most games dont use it. We will see if it will be different this time.