Arkane Studios is jumping into next-gen gaming with Deathloop the same way that the developer did for the PS4 and Xbox One area with the Dishonored series. As the studio moves on to a new IP with lots of brand new ideas, some of the more familiar mechanics and features of the upcoming title and its pseudo-fantasy/sci-fi setting could be a stepping stone for the highly anticipated Dishonored 3 that fans are hoping to see soon.
As Arkane Studios continues to develop Deathloop, players might be getting an early look at what the developer has in store from making the jump from current gen gaming to next-gen with the previous series. It hasn't been made clear yet if Dishonored will share the same world with the upcoming title, even if the similar mechanics and art styles seem to suggest that an Arkane Connected Universe is on its way.
Deathloop's Abilities
From what's been shown in Deathloop's early trailers, the available abilities within the game are very similar to the powers given to players in Dishonored by the Outsider. The exact visuals are distinct enough to imply that there might be a different source of these abilities, likely taking a more science fiction lean than the supernatural elements of Dishonored. However, from a gameplay standpoint, this could be priming for how Arkane's style can be better utilized on next-gen consoles, taking advantage of not only the increased processing power, but also the new controller technology.
Arkane has already announced that Deathloop will better utilize DualSense controllers, using the adaptive triggers to give each individual gun a unique feel and even simulating them jamming. So, next-gen controllers are clearly something that the developer has in mind when it comes to future titles, and a lot of these advancements can be passed around from IP to IP. It hasn't exactly been shown if the same attention to detail will be going towards the Dishonored-like teleporting and levitating abilities, but these first few experiments with the tech could be further expanded in more games in the future.
Open-World Dishonored
Exactly what form the world in Deathloop will take may not be entirely confirmed, but given that the premise is that the player is trapped on an island with a number of targets to track down, study, and kill, an open-world on the island is likely. This will be a bit of a departure from previous Dishonored titles that had several separate maps to travel for each mission, with every new location acting as its own contained puzzle for players to solve. However, early looks at Deathloop have shown that Arkane may be dipping into taking this intricate level design and spreading it across a broad world instead of within smaller, self-contained levels.
Of course, open-world games aren't new or limited to next-gen gaming, although travel across those worlds might be changing as the cutdown loadtimes might be speeding fast-travel in future games. In the case of a new Dishonored, this could mean completely revamping the blink ability in order to allow people to instantly travel from one end of the world to the other, possibly with preplaced warp-points. This could even mean that the Deathloop gameplay might be leading into the eventual evolution of both series into taking on a slightly more deific role than ever before.
Becoming the Outsider
Possibly as a prequel to the Dishonored series so far, or as a continuation after Death of the Outsider's good ending, transferring the series into next-gen can put the player in the shoes of the Outsider. Considering the way that the overall series has moved so far, uncovering the truth of the Outsider and delving deeper into the mythology of the world, this might be the best way for a Dishonored 3 to cap off the series. Giving players the ability to instantly travel across an open-world and spread chaos with powers could be both a great use of next-gen tech, and the best way for Arkane Studios to put the franchise behind itself and move forward with new IPs.
Deathloop is set to release on May 21, 2021, for PC and PS5.