Arkane Studios' highest point to date is a dynamic av-shooter full of style: Deathloop
What defines the quality of a video game? Is it a single polished mechanic or a balance between various mechanics that are distributed throughout the game? It's a question that I feel has had a lot of relevance since the release of perhaps one of my favorite games: Dishonored that with a mix of action, stealth, management and a freedom that for the time was already full disputed in that year the title of game of the year in addition to paving the way for Arkane Studios that is today one of the developers in which I have more confidence when it comes to getting a playable experience, they are daring, they are not afraid to experiment in their works and do not have intellectual properties more remarkable than Dishonored but that has not stopped them from releasing true gems that combine player freedom with a set of tools and a very present exploration at all times, Deathloop is the most current example of how you can balance several mechanics and still make a masterful game full of charisma and personality from the first moments of the gameplay.
First we must describe Deathloop as a daring game that has combined different genres ranging from action and stealth to integrate some sectors where platforms dominate, the management of our inventory and even exploration, all in a cocktail that also plays great thanks to the extensive experience in Arkane Studios to mix several game controls and simplify if we like some of the more complicated commands to have an optimal experience, there is a story that while not approaching the stature of some giants of the industry does leave some brushstrokes so that we are always pushing us forward wanting to know more of it, plus the freedom and options that we are given from the first minute to meet all these challenges that we are given, because despite being technically a single mission throughout the game the truth is that the way in which they present it is much more interesting than I thought at first instance.
Deathloop is a game driven by the narrative, which is powerful from the first steps of the adventure leaving us with several unknowns to solve, we are trapped in a city where everyone wants to see us dead, first we have to survive each of the areas where we enter and second we have to kill the bosses in each of these areas but making use of a rare resource in the style of the movie Groundhog Day, a loop that restarts the day every time we die but that leaves us with the memories and clues that we can get intact in our memory, In this way we can go tracing a route to finish each of these objectives, one more effective than another in a wide range of options while we learn more of the story, why we are trapped and the typical, who we are and why there is a sect of lunatics wanting to kill us, using an exploration system similar to Dishonored is that they are working this part where there are thousands of texts, books and tapes that we can read to understand more deeply the motivations of each of the characters.
It's hard to see everything this game does well when you're playing it, its gameplay in the first instance covers everything I love about Arkane's developments, you can be lethal and direct and find alternative routes and play through the shadows, an approach that makes it very clear two predominant lines to play this title, but even with the tool system we can enhance our own style of play we are of the style we are, If we go the violent route where we end up with everything we see the hacking device will serve to put the enemy turrets or bots on our side but if instead we decide to take a walk to not get into trouble we can also get a function to the device to open doors or launch alarms with which we can mislead the guard, now imagine this with an extensive set of tools where each has its own function whatever our style, a true playable delight in every way. Along with this we will have an upgrade system where we can assign the upgrades that best suit us according to our goals, making the experience more varied while allowing us to perform more stylish and impactful maneuvers.
The game's hint system is also very interesting, it works as a collection of data that can help us to execute the murders assigned to us and it works quite well when we want to perform a stylized death or want to neutralize an enemy without getting in the way, although at the time of my game I wish there were more executions like this I think what it leaves us is really defining having its own animations or special
Although undoubtedly the highlight of the game is the hunter Julianna that works both as the central axis of the plot as a usual antagonist controlled by an artificial intelligence or by another user in each of the areas to which we go, when it is controlled by the computer is not too annoying but when a person is behind it can become a nightmare, having almost the same set of skills and tools that our protagonist she will be our hunter, drastically modifying our objectives when we least expect it and adding a touch of freshness to a game that in essence is one of the best AAA I've played this year, Arkane has balanced an experiment in an excellent way and launched to conquer players with a dynamic experience, malleable for the player and above all solid, whether you want to go for a few shots as if you want to sneak through a very well built city, Deathloop is one of those games that do many things surprisingly well.
