Deathloop is a killer new-generation showcase that will keep you guessing until the very end
Deathloop doesn’t have functioning toilets. The light switches on the Isle of Blackreef don’t work either. Do either of these observations really matter in the grand scheme of things? No, not particularly. Do I feel inclined to raise them all the same? Yes, absolutely. Pedantry is a reaction Arkane Studios must be all too familiar with by now; the developer has thoroughly earned its reputation for building some of the most wondrously detailed and immersive worlds in the modern era. You have no choice but to pick at the occasional loose thread because there is so little to criticise about the larger tapestry.
Given that I’ve opened up this review by talking about Blackreef’s bathrooms, you can probably see where I’m going with this already: While Deathloop may share some common design ethos with Dishonored and Prey, it’s a fundamentally different experience. Arkane establishes this early, with the first locked door you encounter. I do it almost on instinct, punching 0451 into the keypad and expecting it to swing open. Instead, I’m met with a blinking red light as Captain Colt Vahn growls something about ‘old habits dying hard’ – a PlayStation Trophy pops, a consolation prize for the infamous immersive sim cheat code not working on Blackreef either. I’ll promise you this, you’ve never played an Arkane game quite like Deathloop before.
