Two upcoming titles expected to launch in early 2021, Deathloop and Returnal, seem to be exploring a genre that previously hasn't been given much attention beyond a few standout titles. This would be the time loop genre, made famous by Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, that has only really continued to exist over the last two decades through indie games.
With Arkane Studios and Housemarque being given the funding to push Deathloop and Returnal beyond the realm of that indie genre, this is one of few times that a major studio or publisher has backed time loops. As a result, the success of these two games could influence the direction that the genre goes in the future, possibly moving time loop titles from indie to higher quality, mainstream productions.
In fact, it's surprising that more AAA titles haven't looked at this genre before, as it may be able to reduce development cost, while producing thrilling puzzles that rewards players for learning the game. The same can be said for the roguelike genre that can boast hundreds of hours of playtime without having to develop an explorable world the size of Skyrim or Cyberpunk 2077. This seems to especially be the case with Deathloop's Blackreef Island, which doesn't reach the legendary scope of Bethesda or CD Projekt Red, but promises to bring in nearly as much content because of how the player can interact with the time loop.
Time Loops In the Indie Realm
One of the best places for genres that never really made a splash in the gaming mainstream is with indie developers that aren't forced to answer to the market in the way larger developers and publishers have to. This is how niche genres like the time loop have continued with certain indie darlings along the lines of Minit and the critically acclaimed Outer Wilds. While the number of titles in the genre is remarkably low, even with the indie market's support, the amount that have seen as much success as Mobius Digital's spacefaring adventure is even less.
Interestingly enough, the idea of repeatedly looping through the same world the way Deathloop and Returnal's gameplay are looking to offer has been addressed numerous times in the roguelike genre. However, these titles tend to go out of their way to show the passage of time, such as Rogue Legacy following a single family line until they can finally take back the kingdom. The procedural generation of this type of title also defeats the purpose of a true time loop, where the player is rewarded for learning the unchanging world well enough to eventually be able to breeze through it.
What Time Loops Can Mean for AAA Development
The biggest draw of the time loop genre, or even similar roguelikes, is that getting these developments off their feet is much simpler than that of creating a massive open world filled with quests and collectables. So, in a time when AAA games are looking to balance the multimillion dollar productions with the availability of the market, intentional repetition can be a huge cost-cutting factor that helps games like Returnal fill specific genre gaps. Looking at the time loop genre strictly from a business perspective, it makes a lot of sense to make a smaller area that is incredibly dense with replayability than trying to build an expansive world that might wind up empty.
This is already the practice for some of the most popular titles of the last few years, with Final Fantasy 7 Remake and the Resident Evil 2 remake both boasting dozens of hours of gameplay carried out over multiple playthroughs. So, if designing a game to be replayed is already the type of direction that earns critical acclaim, then Deathloop's new features of replaying the same few missions on repeat in different ways should be an obvious choice. Perhaps this is what has lead Arkane Studios and Housemarque to pursue these titles, and with any luck this will be the start of a new trend with much larger worlds to puzzle together until players finally set the best possible outcome in motion.
Returnal is set to release on March 19, 2021. Deathloop is set to release on May 21, 2021