Arkane Studios is responsible for some of the most memorable stealth/action games of the last few console generations. Now that Deathloop is finally available, the studio seems to be proving that it's still able to impress fans with the PlayStation 5 console exclusive title. The studio has made plenty of immersive sims, a genre that is held in high regard amongst gaming enthusiasts. While immersive sims certainly are popular with titles like Deus Ex, Dishonored, System Shock 2, and Prey all adding to the genre in their own ways, it seems like a lot of people have a hard time actually sitting down and playing through them.
This isn't to suggest that any of the games in the genre are bad, quite the opposite, but a lot of fans sometimes struggle with sitting down with an immersive sim at the end of a long day to relax. It's curious why that might be, as the genre hosts some of gaming's best. What's even more curious is why Deathloop seems to be a lot easier to pick up for those who have struggled with the genre in the past.
The Stresses of Playing Immersive Sims
Different people want different things out of gaming which makes it impossible to make generalizations about all players. Some fans of immersive sims might find them to be relaxing and as easy to pick up as any other genre, however, that doesn't seem to be the case for most gaming enthusiasts. Simply put: Immersive sims are often tense and stressful experiences. They're not usually stressful in the same way that games like Dark Souls or Cuphead are, but the stress of immersive sims often comes with the seemingly limitless instances of player choice.
Immersive sims like Prey or Hitman often put the onus of how to complete their objectives firmly in the hands of the player. While that freedom is certainly exciting for those tired of corridor shooters and linear experiences, the sheer number of options given to the player is oftentimes overwhelming. As routes through levels have multiple different branching paths, many often hidden, those who are looking to see everything that the game has to offer tend to get stressed out and have a hard time picking up an immersive sim as a form of relaxation.
Choice paralysis is a very real problem that a lot of people face and when a video game tells players that they can do anything, sometimes the player can't figure out how to engage. Objectives are usually pretty vague in immersive sims as a result of their laissez-faire approach to problem solutions meaning that some players feel like they're playing the game incorrectly despite technically enjoying a lot of the mechanics that it's offering. Players can also feel like they're missing a lot of the game's content based on the routes they've chosen when problem-solving as a result of the often vague objectives.
Deathloop as an Immersive Sim
Deathloop is pretty much par for the course in terms of Arkane Studios' take on the immersive sim genre. It definitely feels like the studio has learned a lot from its past work on Prey and the entire Dishonored series in terms of how the games should feel mechanically. Plus, the studio has created its most open-ended missions and levels yet, giving players true autonomy over how they want to tackle each situation that they find themselves in.
The amount of detail in each area in Deathloop is truly astounding making for what many are considering Arkane's best work yet. What's more, Deathloop's premise lends itself well to exploration as the player is able to take their time and explore each area at each time of day for as long as they like, completing objectives only when they see fit. It checks pretty much every box in terms of what fans typically expect from an immersive sim, but from the looks of it, it's a lot more approachable than a lot of other games in the genre, especially Arkane's previous work. It's curious, then, why Arkane's most in-depth immersive sim is able to be their most approachable at the same time.
Deathloop Breaks the Genre's Mold
While there's a lot that Deathloop gets right in terms of being an immersive sim, some diehard fans of the genre might find it to be guiding players a little bit too much. The game keeps track of every conversation overheard, every document read, and every lead that Colt follows, so it might be too straightforward for those looking to figure everything out for themselves. That said, it's for this reason that Deathloop is so approachable in the first place.
Instead of relying on the player to plan their own paths based on the information that they've gathered, the game keeps track of everything and puts it together for the player on its own. From there, they can simply choose which routes to take and what to explore further at their own pace instead of stressing over remembering where hidden entrances to buildings might be. The game's time loop premise also allows players to really take their time as they can come back to every area as often as they like to really get a lay of the land before deciding to complete the main objectives of the game.
It's for all of these reasons that Deathloop has proven to be an extremely approachable immersive sim. The mechanics of the game paired with its lengthy tutorial that establishes how everything works gives players the chance to sit with the concepts before exploring them for themselves. Although some fans of the genre might be a little disappointed with how straightforward the game is, it's certainly a great starting point for those looking to play more games like it and dive even deeper into one of the most acclaimed genres in all of video games.
Deathloop is available now for PC and PS5.