Arkane Studios has made a name for itself in the gaming industry with titles that offer unique adventures with each new playthrough. The upcoming time-bending adventure, Deathloop, seeks to evolve on all the things that made past Arkane games stand out so much. The upcoming Deathloop is a typical FPS shooter where every time the player dies, they are transported back to the beginning of the loop, where they have to try and accomplish their objectives again. The game will be a constant struggle between Colt, who wants to stop the loop, and Julianna, whose only mission is to keep the loop going.
Many have compared some of the powers and visuals in Arkane Studios's Deathloop shown so far to the powers held by the protagonist in the Dishonored series. The multiplayer add-on introduced to Prey could have also given Arkane the technical practice needed for creating the constant multiplayer environment in Deathloop. It isn't a new phenomenon for a developer to improve on past mechanics, but it is something that fans of these games can look forward to. While some of the styles may look the same, what has been shown of Deathloop so far looks to be a trendy dance between two assassins unlike anything seen before.
The Dishonored Series
Arguably what put Arkane Studios in the spotlight, the Dishonored series was a unique take on the stealth genre that gave players multiple avenues for completing a level, with varying consequences based on playstyle. The various abilities at the player's disposal also make each new adventure feel like a unique experience, and almost makes constantly reloading a save not so bad. The dark plague theme also did wonders for setting the iconic world and giving the reason for the player to avoid leaving too many corpses. Dishonored will make great practice in using the special abilities to quickly dispatch or distract enemies.
Arkane likely recognized the audience's attraction towards the playstyle freedom, and it has been a huge part of subsequent projects ever since. This will be expanded upon even further in Deathloop than past entries, forcing the player to adapt to new scenarios every time they have to begin their loop again. This kind of quick-thinking required when hunting Colt or defending against Julianna is more of a forced mechanic, but it requires the player to create new strategies in recurring situations similar to the mechanics first found in the Dishonored series. Hopping back into that world would make great practice in anticipation of Deathloop.
Deathloop's Prey Influences
Arkane Studios getting the Prey IP allowed it to delve into the more psychological aspects of a game, seeing as the company had a pretty good handle on the first-person mechanics already. Just like in Dishonored, stealth is an important factor in the game, as ammo can be scarce. That being said, Prey is overall less dependent on that playstyle, giving the player full ability to run rampant through the space station, as long as they have enough ammo. Prey allowed Arkane Studios to stretch its legs a little bit and try new things, and it became a great psych-horror experience. The multiplayer component introduced after the initial game's release could have even potentially influenced the framework for multiplayer in Deathloop.
The upcoming Deathloop will seek to be an evolution on the past games that made Arkane Studios famous. Whether it be the first-person mechanics in Dishonored or the psychological elements in Prey, Deathloop has a lot of potential to stand out from the crowd. That being said, Arkane Studios should ensure that Deathloop is a unique experience to give the IP the proper justice it deserves. If the concept can be pulled off, it'll be thanks to the practice that Arkane Studios has gotten from over two decades of working in the industry.
Deathloop launches on September 14 for PC and PlayStation 5.