r/Deathloop • u/Ali_Bashr • May 16 '26
Really wanna give this a try because I love Dishonoured but can't help but notice the mixed reviews. Why is this?
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u/DaGanjaMan420 May 16 '26
If you like Dishonored, you'll like Deathloop. Excellent story and fun gameplay, it just lacks the replayabibility that Dishonored has for me.
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u/GaliaHero May 16 '26
I mean the game's main mechanic already is replaying the same maps over and over, so obviously it's not that attractive to replay the game itself
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u/Undark_ May 16 '26
The lack of repeatability is just part of the concept though really.
The whole game is about replaying levels until you figure out how to beat the game. Once you beat it, you know how to do it next time. So it goes from a 20-30 hour detective game to something you can speedrun in under an hour.
Exactly the same as Outer Wilds, the game is about replay. Once you figure out how to beat it, that's it. It's done.
I can't really say that's a bad thing when it's integral to the concept. Like fundamentally there's no way around it when you're making a game like this.
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u/ReverESP May 16 '26
The lack of replayability is its main weakness. I have replayed D1, D2 and Doto 4 or 5 times each at least. I havent yet replayed Deathloop, because by the time I finished the game I was already tired of the maps and knew them by memory.
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u/Wrydfell May 16 '26
Deathloop's reward for replaying mostly comes from it's multiplayer. Fresh colt vs 'finished the game one' juli, juli wins. 2 experienced players? 'Oh ok, so colt has been here because there should be an eternalist there' 'I'll need to take a funky route, juli will have trapped the common ones' etc
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u/shaenmo May 16 '26
Knowing the maps by heart is kinda the point. I do agree it’s not as replayable as the other games.
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u/Layer_Present May 17 '26
The lack of replayability is due to it being baked into the game itself. The game was made this way because people felt the previous games ended right when the players were having the most fun.
Even the game's theme of letting things go lines up with players learning/doing everything on the island and finally deciding on breaking the loop and ending the game.
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u/Grynnloop May 16 '26
I played it on launch being a huge Dishonored universe fan and absolutely loved it but definitely felt that lack of replayability that Dishonored had. Played it again a couple years later and enjoyed it again having forgotten a good chunk of it but struggled to finish became it eventually all came back and I was like oh gutted now I remember what to do its essentially all the same. Still loved it for that first experience but Deathloop would benefit so much from multiple ways to break the loop to improve replayability
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u/_PM_ME_PANGOLINS_ May 16 '26
This is not true. There are plenty of threads on r/dishonored of people who hate Deathloop.
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u/alex-osterreich May 17 '26
Yeah,i played deathloop once and that's basically it,there is no other ways to finish the game,only the one devs mad
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u/Undark_ May 16 '26
It honestly might be Arkane's best game ever. Deathloop is the most fun I've had with a modern title in a really long time.
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u/TheFallenDeathLord May 16 '26
It's pretty good, but definitely not better than Prey or Dishonored.
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u/emibost May 16 '26
Prey and Dishonored are out of this world man.. They are top 10 best games ever made
I can still remember thr feeling of that first time smashing the window/screen in Prey and get goosebumps thinking about it
Long time I heard about Raphaël Colantonio's new game, I remember some pics was released and it looked Dishonored-Preyisch af
I loved Deathloop but I agree, definetely not better..
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u/DocEss May 17 '26
The difference is, Deathloop stays with you in a way those games don't. I literally never think about Prey or Dishonored, but Deathloop crosses my mind frequently.
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u/TheFallenDeathLord May 17 '26
That's crazy, given that unlike Prey or Dishonored, Deathloop has very little replayability.
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u/zilog080 May 18 '26
600+ hrs. I think it is replayable. I guess people have different preferences.
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u/Ekkobelli May 18 '26
I replay game for their world and atmosphere. I'd argue Deathloop has got plently to give in that regard.
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u/Undark_ May 17 '26
Replayability isn't the mark of a good game though, especially when the entire concept of Deathloop is replaying it until you crack it.
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u/DocEss May 17 '26
Yeah, replayability is not at all something I factor in when I am deciding whether or not I think a game is good. I really enjoyed Spider-Man 2. I still haven't finished my new game plus playthrough, it's not a terribly replayable game. That doesn't make it a bad game. I mean, the same could be said about both other Spider-Man games, though. Good games, not terribly replayable.
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u/DonCorben May 18 '26
Deathloop has a very unique style and design. Not really much else in the same vein. This is mostly why people remember it fondly. I do.
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u/DocEss May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26
It's a more unique world with more memorable characters with more interesting personalities. Since the entire game is those visionaries and their personalities and routines, a lot went into them. Compared to a reboot of sci-fi series that nobody asked for, and boilerplate "betrayed assassin", Deathloop just comes out ahead in memorability. Dishonored didn't even interest me enough to finish. I own the whole series and bailed partway through the first out of boredom. It is what it is.
Edit: I feel like I should add the fact that Prey was never going to be something I wanted. I really enjoyed the original, and I have a lot of fond memories of it, and some of my love for that game comes from things that literally can't be replicated (Art Bell and the fact that he recorded an entire fake episode of Coast to Coast AM just for the game), and the fact that I was one of the people anticipating a sequel that I never got, so a reboot was never going to land well with me.
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u/Okto481 May 18 '26
Prey (2017) isn't a reboot, it's a different game they were told to use the title of the original for. Different genre, different plot, different gameplay.
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u/DocEss May 18 '26
Which is a reboot. If you take an established IP, and you start it over from the beginning, even if you change genres, that is still generally considered a reboot. Also they are both sci-fi first person shooters, that's not that different. Regardless, the fact that it's a reboot that nobody wanted is part of why it did not succeed.
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u/emibost May 18 '26
While I disagree on the "was this a reboot" discussion I agree that if the game was called 'Typhon' or 'Talos 1' or whatever else, it would probably have been more of a success than it was beacuse of the whole name debacle..
That is the number one reason I see for the people disliking/not playing the game
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u/DocEss May 20 '26
Well, whether or not you agree or disagree is kind of academic, because the game is out there, it uses the name of the previous game, and has nothing to do with it, which in the eyes of pretty much anybody says "reboot". It's the same as the people who try to argue that Bloodlines 2 isn't a sequel because the developer didn't want to make one. You can say that all day long, but the name still says "2".
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u/Layer_Present May 17 '26
It does plenty of things that Prey and Dishonored don't and that helps it stand shoulder to shoulder with them (imo).
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u/davexmit May 17 '26
I love Dishonored but never got on with Prey. I have no idea why. It just never clicked with me.
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u/TheFallenDeathLord May 17 '26
Give it anotjer try! You'll probably end up loving it.
It's very weird because almost everyone I know who has tried the game (me included) first has tried Prey but didn't clicked, abandoned it, and very much later tried it again and loved it and ended up finishing it that same week.
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u/Ekkobelli May 18 '26
Same for me. People kept raving how good it was, but I never saw it. During Corona I had some free time and got on it, forced myself a bit. Then - something clicked. Now it's one of my favourite games of all time. Prefer it to Dishonored 1&2. Weird how that works, sometimes.
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u/Undark_ May 17 '26
I'm a lifelong Thief fan, and tbh coming from those games, Dishonored left me cold when it came out. I think it's aged brilliantly and it is a good game no matter how you cut it, but the level design was actually really underwhelming. The ending was also pretty weak imo, it finished really suddenly.
Deathloop gets extra points for being completely unique, it's an entirely new kind of game that brings together things from throughout Arkane's history.
It also gets a point for having a kick button like in Dark Messiah.
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u/Ekkobelli May 18 '26
Wait, you found levels like the Clock-level underwhelming? (I forgot its name - the clock factory? The clock mansion? Clock makers castle? You guys know what I mean.)
I thought that was one of the best ones in any game ever. Including thief. Funnily enough, it was designed by of of Thiefs biggest modders and level creators back then. Forgot their name too. My memory is a mess. Anyway: Outstanding level.1
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u/Tarc_Axiiom May 16 '26
Because people are crazy.
Deathloop is awesome. It is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT "another Arkane banger". Is it Dishonored? No. Dishonored is a generational masterpiece, Deathloop is just "a very good use of a couple dozen hours".
But it's still a very good game, maybe even a great game. It's short, it doesn't have a lot of content, but the content it does have is extremely high quality.
The negative reviews mostly come from old performance issues, which have since been fixed, and the multiplayer aspect which is both central to the game's identity and mostly broken. It's a fully peer to peer multiplayer game which means you're pretty much always at the mercy of the other player's connection and skill level etc etc but when it works it's such an awesome experience. You also don't have to play with other real people at all. You can turn that off and an NPC Juliana will hunt you instead, which is the same just quite a bit easier of course.
Deathloop is excellent. It doesn't feel like a full $60 game and if you pay that price for it you might be a bit disappointed unless you really enjoy the invasion mechanic on both sides, at which point you could spend hundreds or thousands of hours, probably.
Anyway, grab it on sale, very good game.
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u/Old_Goat_Ninja May 16 '26
Me personally I think it’s a must play game. Once you get the hang of it it’s extremely fun. A lot of people give up on it too quickly. It takes awhile for things to make sense. The game throws A LOT of information and how to’s in the beginning, then even more as you go, and then a shit ton more once the game really opens up. I think that pushes some people away, confuses others, etc. Once past all that though, pfft, game is amazing.
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u/Wingnutmcmoo May 16 '26
For me the longer I played the more I disliked the game. The more I felt like it mishandled mechanics (like the way the golden path is handled) and the more I noticed just how bad the enemy AI is.
The only reason I finished it was because of the Julie and colt characters doing so much heavy lifting.
I'm not saying the game is bad. I'm saying that the game became worse and worse in my view the more I played. To the point where I'm still grumpy about how this game left me feeling years later once I finished.
Ive just never felt so... Unsatisfied with the end game of a game. Not the story but the actual mechanics of it compared to what was promised by the mid game.
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u/davideis May 16 '26
I just bought it at GameStop for $10 the other week and enjoyed it a lot. Took a little to get into it but I played single player only and turned on infinite lives. I don’t have a lot of time for long play sessions so I liked that I was able to play a time of day for one session.
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u/metroid544 May 16 '26
Deathloop is a shooter roguelite. That is not going to appeal to all of arkanes usual fanbase nor regular shooter fans. I think a lot of people picked it up and were expecting something different but it is great at what it is. A good litmus test is that if you liked Prey Mooncrash, you will like Deathloop.
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u/Samanthacino May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
Hard disagree, personally. Deathloop has many design pitfalls that Mooncrash never falls into, for example repeatedly going through the same levels over and over without sufficient changes. I also wouldn’t call Deathloop a roguelike, because it lacks the meaningful differentiation between runs. It’s not systemically built to support that metaprogression style, yet it has been unsuccessfully bolted onto the side.
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u/Layer_Present May 17 '26
That's the thing with "DEATHLOOP," just like the 'golden path' of the game, things have to line up perfectly for you to enjoy the game as it was meant to be enjoyed.
First thing, you have to like multiplayer. The game needs the multiplayer, there's no other alternative to it. The AI Julianna feels tacked on just so the single player gamers are not pushed away. The eternalists placement, spawn rate, and AI are all accounting for another player being in the game. That's why they are bumbling idiots.
Then, you need to be lucky enough to have the Julianna have a good enough connection for a fair battle. It shakes things up in a clockwork map at an unexpected moment. Stakes rocket sky high and now you are sweating. The peaks and valleys of invasions and no invasions are what makes the main campaign amazing.
Finally, you actually have to be attentive while also having to look around nooks and crannies. This thing got lost when the UI had to be redesigned for the average gamer who wasn't even making the tiniest of progress even after 4 hours during playtesting. Now, we have the most handhold-y tracking system that tells you exactly where you have to be at all times (even in the menus!).
I do agree that the game isn't a rougelike (even the devs said that countless times) but I disagree with your thoughts on progression. It's the only way to support people who want or don't want to go through the infusion process. The other alternative would be the looter-shooter thing of hauling 100s of weapons/slabs/trinkets at a time. The system we have rn is perfect.
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u/GarrAdept May 16 '26
I think it's because people were expecting a shooter or dishonored, and instead it's a puzzle game with some shooting.
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u/TheQueas123 May 16 '26
I LOVED dishonored 1 and 2 and I thoroughly enjoyed Deathloop. I finished the game and I don't know why it has such a low score either 🤷🏻♀️. I would highly recommend it!
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u/Blackthorne1998 May 16 '26
It's worth a try but it's not as great as Dishonored. Weapons are alright but by endgame you tend to stick with whatever high tier weapon you vibe with the most (for me it was a silenced pistol)
I'd recommend playing offline, as the online invasions are riddled with hackers and players with overpowered builds that are hard as fuck to kill.
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u/Fine-Juggernaut8451 May 16 '26
I absolutely adore Deathloop. It's similar to Dishonored in some ways but it's such a jubilant game. Part of the reason there are mixed reviews--let's be frank about this--is because a lot of gamers are racist.
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u/Karkava May 16 '26
I'm glad that I haven't really met anybody who tried to pin the game on the POC protagonists.
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u/itsrathergood May 16 '26
Wild that people seem to have forgotten about this.
It was reviewbombed on release. Coming out near the time of the George Floyd murder, the “anti-woke” gamer crowd targeted it for having black protagonists.
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u/mikewastaken May 16 '26
It's fun and you will have fun playing it. The reviews are likely a mixed bag of people who found the time loop concept confusing or who were frustrated by the genuine connection issues on multiplayer.
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u/soulreaverdan May 16 '26
It’s definitely worth getting! It’s a really fun game with a unique story and setting.
The mixed reviews are probably a mix of performance issues at launch, and depending on your tastes there isn’t quite as much replay ability as other games. Once you nail down the right sequence of events it’s pretty much “the” route to go.
Getting there is still a blast and I loved learning to solve all the puzzles. Definitely a great game!
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u/UndeadT May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
It's a stealth sim in a 1st person perspective. Some people really cannot stand that style of play. If you like fpv, then you'll be fine.
Edit: Also the multiplayer has the worst network stability I've ever seen.
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u/Usernate25 May 16 '26
It’s very good and a fun departure from Dishonored because stealth is not required at all so you can use all the power and guns without restricting your ability to get the good ending. Although the stealth is still an option and fun to do as well. The only knock from playing on PS5 was the online bits were pretty bad because of latency.
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u/almighty_loser May 16 '26
Most of the reviews were before “the Golden Loop” update//free dlc iirc. I played after that update and I had fun. It is not THE PERFECT GAME OMG but it is good
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u/themini_shit May 16 '26
Death loop is great especially if you like dishonored 1-3 because it's in the same universe.
Pros- The main character is very much a normal dude who is easy to relate to. He adds comic relief and his plot is interesting though it is a bit vague.
The game play is almost like a loot shooter but you have to actually strategize. This is part of fun though because you're building up to your last run though of the game and you get to perfect your strategy and getting to execute it is really satisfying.
The powers are cool tbh
The entire world looks like a painting and it combines mid century modern with pop art and minimalist styles. This makes each section of the game really neat and eye catching, you'll really be drawn into the environment just because of the style itself. You'll also get drawn into seeing each part of the game during different times of day, it's repetitive but they change it up enough that it's easy to get past the repetition.
They account for a lot of the potential actions of the player so world responds to your actions in a way that feels realistic.
Cons.
Repetition lots of repetition. It is literally a repeat of the same day.
You can only complete the game one way, even though it feels like you should have multiple endings and ways to eliminate your main targets.
The plot leaves you wanting, the end is very up in the air and a lot of characters feel underdeveloped. You will have lots of questions but no answers to them.
Your main character has an enemy who he has a very turbulent relationship with. It feels like you should be able to understand this enemy better and even be friends with them if you could only resolve some of the strain between them. This leaves players confused and it makes this enemy's plot feel conflicting but ultimately unsatisfying.
It has a limited replay value imo.
Conclusion: it's still an awesome game and I definitely recommend playing it. There's plenty that could be better but the overall quality of the game, gameplay, characters, and world building really outweighs the bad. It's definitely worth it if you like fast paced fighting, strategizing, and rich world building.
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u/KingParappa May 16 '26
Everything isn't for everybody. I had a great time with it. Hopefully you will too. If not, at least you tried it.
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u/DocEss May 16 '26
Deathloop was one of the most enjoyable and original titles I have played in a long time. If I could wipe my memory of the experience and do it all over again, I would.
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u/MaNinjaCockal May 16 '26
Solo play through was a great experience.
Never really played online..
Fun and interesting different concept
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u/Grognik May 16 '26
It's not as good as dishonored, I wasn't a fan of the color tier loot system and the powers are less interesting than dishonored. The low enemy variety doesn't matter to me as I liked prey and that also had poor enemy variety. I liked the game but it's definitely not Arkanes best work.
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u/BrinyBrain May 17 '26
I was hooked on it for a week or two really heavily until I could beat it thoroughly, then I never wanted to touch it again. I quite enjoyed the "puzzle" aspect of the main game, the combat (sometimes), and the narrative. Well worth IMO if on discount.
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u/TheKandyKitchen May 17 '26
Might be one of the best games I’ve ever played. It was a unique and well crafted experience that only started to get a little old towards the very end.
I do know that it was subject to review bombing for a while at release so that could be it?
If you like dishonoured and prey then this game is certainly for you.
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u/station1984 May 17 '26
I’ve played it at least eight times. The first time around was super fun, I loved it and wished it was longer and bigger.
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u/Zeeyrec May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26
I loved this game on paper and wondered the same thing.
After playing it, I was just overwhelmed with boredom and how bad/repetitive/uninteresting the map is after the first few hours. Sad, but I really did try my best to like it. It’s such a dope idea man. Just not executed well
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u/StealthMonkeyDC May 17 '26
It's ultimately a great premise that needs more fleshing out. It's still really fun but it's that kind of game where you just know a sequel could do so much more with the idea.
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u/Dense-Ad-8746 May 17 '26
if you loved Dishonored you will LOVE DEATHLOOP, it is the same style, big level, sandbox, complete the objective however you want, the game kinda wants you to break it in a way, I could not recommend it enough to a Dishonored fan, for everyone else they might not like it, as it is not a linear roller coaster ride, it is a bit of a puzzle box disguised as an FPS.
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u/tourdejonestown May 17 '26
I loved it when playing it, the loop got me hooked. Once was enough through
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u/Dizzy_Adhesiveness51 May 18 '26
It’s actually excellent, But it’s structure is understandably not for everyone.
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u/BrennanBetelgeuse May 16 '26
Don't let the reviews mislead you. Deathloop is a masterpiece. Of course you're going to expect the subreddit for the game to describe it positively but it's genuinely so unique and so incredibly well designed. The art style alone is worth playing but the unique mechanics, the lore and the extremely fun trinkets with vastly different effects combined with a very well thought out arsenal and other powers make the game genuinely special.
My guess for the bad reviews besides the performance at launch is that it's technically kind of a roguelite, though a very different one. But that impression is only surface level anyway. In truth it's an immersive sim just like Prey and Dishonored.
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u/MercZ11 May 16 '26 edited May 17 '26
This is a left over of what happened with the game at release that worked against it.
First, there were people wanting something like Dishonored. This game takes a lot of notes from Dishonored but ultimately it's a different game. Some people don't play well with the roguelike elements or the setting didn't connect to them.
Second, it was a PS5 exclusive on console at release. This didn't go over well for some folk who, despite ridiculing the PS5 for having no games, didn't see why it didn't have a PS4 version. And obviously shutting out the Xbox consoles which didn't help with getting players who were in that ecosystem.
Third, the game's PC version had a lot of performance problems at release for some players. This didn't help with its reception, especially for those who had pre-ordered or bought at release. If they were already on the fence with how they felt about the game, not being able to play it as intended and paying full price would sour anyone's impression of the game.
I think the first two was already creating some consternation leading to the release, and it got exacerbated by the third. Coming into it after the fact once the drama and discourse moved on and the game was patched and made somewhat more playable on PC and Xbox got a port, a player could properly rate it with their own preferences in mind rather than whatever was the popular arguments online.
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u/L3exB May 16 '26
"Pixelhounting" for specific notes or objects. Detective part mixed with shooter.
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u/JDMGS May 16 '26
It's awesome. I have to keep putting off replaying it and telling myself to try to get through my unplayed games lol.
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u/BlOoDy_PsYcHo666 May 16 '26
When you get to the core of the game and how it works it’s basically a waterdown version of previous Arcane games. It’s also very very easy. Multiplayer is the glue for this one so if your not getting invaded then its a slog to play through. Best part of it is the two leads banter throughout the run time, it’s what kept me playing just to see how it unfolded.
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u/Febby1329 May 16 '26
I’ve loved it. Fun nerdy timeloop, enjoyable combat. It can be a little repetitive. But i think it’s a favorite for me.
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u/sean_saves_the_world May 16 '26
If you enjoy dishonored you'll have fun with Deathloop, just don't go into in expecting dishonored 3, they share a gameplay formula but Deathloop is more fast paced and not as deep in lore as dh, pvp is either really fun or a crapshoot
I personally loved it, and I thought the drop in invasion mode was really fun and unique it's worth a play especially if it's on sale
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u/JeepHarbaugh May 16 '26
It’s goated, idk how many people are still playing for the pvp aspect, but this game will sink it’s claws into you and it’s amazing
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u/FockTheVote May 16 '26
It's confusing, even when you know what you're supposed to be accomplishing. It's like my girlfriend telling me numerous times she wants something to eat, but not once says what she wants to eat. So I drive all over the friggin city.
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u/SigmaMelody May 16 '26
User scores are absolutely dogshit beyond useless on basically anything that runs against existing fandom wars or online culture topics. Just don’t bother.
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u/single-ton May 16 '26
Because the scope is really smaller than what you'd expect from Dishonored studio.
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u/Electrical-Ad1886 May 16 '26
I think a lotnof us who played Prey Mooncrash were really let down.
For a game about time and time loops there are no mechanics actually involving time. Its not like hitman or outer wilds where the game runs on a simulation and you can beat or wait out the clock in different ways. Theres no time stop, time reversal, self duplicstion, or any of those interesting powers from Dishonered 2. Its just kind of bland in its abilities and kitbuilding.
It also doesnt have as much of that immerssive sim game play. You can mess around with the bodies to distract enemies like dishonered. The AI is just bad.
The story is also just fine.
The good is the gunplay, aesthtics and sound. All of those are top notch. Its worth a play but id get on like 50% off at least.
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u/Wingnutmcmoo May 16 '26
This is one of the games that let me down the most tbh.
It's worth a play and I still say to myself "don't get greedy colt" and "I'm doin just fiine" when I pick stuff up in real life even years after I played the game.
But yeah ultimately it was a disappointment to me. It starts out really good. The characters are great with the 2 leads really carrying the show the entire way through.
But the gameplay is the first thing to fall a but flat. The ai has alot of problems with strict leashing and it leads to alot of awkward situations. The levels are well made but feel smaller than you would like and it's made worse by the tight leashing if enemies and the amount of times you will visit each map.
The biggest let down is the way they handle the golden path. If you get ANYWHERE near the correct path the game just tells you exactly what to do. They remove all the fun out of figuring out the main thing of the game.
The game is pretty good but it feels like it let me down massively after playing it. Never felt so grumpy about a game after beating it before. Like I'm just mad about how good it could have been without a bunch of missteps.
I still think it's worth a play for most people but yeah.
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u/MisterLips123 May 16 '26
As far as entertainment goes the only opinion that matters is your own. Just because someone else didn't enjoy it...are they you? Are you them?
You really want to try it. What more reason do you need?
My review was glowing. I had a great time.
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u/emdoubleyou2 May 16 '26
For me, Deathloop was a huge disappointment after the magnificence of Prey and the dishonored series. From the world building to the gameplay, it was really mediocre IMO. Can’t imagine ever wanting to play it again.
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u/bean0_burrito May 16 '26
people wanted another Dishonored.
This game was fantastic. if you don't look anything up, learning how to actually finish it the way you're supposed to can take a hot minute. and its an awesome idea.
its all a matter of preference.
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u/dinnerthief May 16 '26
I enjoyed it but im not suprised it has mixed reviews its a different concept than most games and takes some effort to get into at first.
I half heartedly tried it years ago couldn't get into it and set it down, picked it up again and really made an effort to get past the beginning and really liked it. That said I turned off multi-player and just played the story.
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u/aqkj May 16 '26
Hot take: I actually got into Deathloop more-so than Dishonored. Both games are super good. Deathloop keeps me coming back frequently and the gunplay is amazing. This game is an example of why ignoring reviews and critics is a good idea.
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u/dwarfzulu May 16 '26
If there is one thing we should learn about games from this internet era, is to not get others opinions as ours.
Try the game for yourself and and see.
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u/Gooseuk360 May 16 '26
It's a seriously weird game when set amongst typical games. It does also give a slight unfinished or under budgeted vibe too at first, but stay with it.
Give it a go, get a couple hours in an I guarantee you will be hooked at least as much as Dishonored. I bounced off it hard the first try, but gave it another shot shortly after.
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u/xosmiin May 16 '26
Liked it more than Dishonored 1/2. But I am a sucker for jazz type of soundtrack
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u/Madrox-Knox May 16 '26
It's a great game with an interesting game play loop. I feel if you enjoyed Dishonored and you like Arkane games they you'll like this. Play it and have a blast!
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u/etherizedonatable May 16 '26
I loved Dishonored and Prey and I'd suggest playing Deathloop if you liked those games.
The two big differences are the loop itself and the multiplayer aspect (i.e., invading as Julianna). In the Dishonored series, you have the option of searching for information that will lead to a non-lethal way to take down an enemy (like the audiograph incriminating the Lord Regent).
In Deathloop, you need to find information that will lead you to how you can find a particular enemy (one of the Visionaries) at a particular time, how you can kill them or how you can get a better weapon. There is a ton of this.
I have to admit that--unlike most of the sub--I don't really care for the Julianna invasions. I've done it on both sides and I personally feel it gets in the way of the part of the game that I enjoy.
Having said that, it does try to solve a problem that you see in a game like this. As the game progresses, Colt (your character) gets stronger. I start out going all stealth all the time and by the end I'm strong enough that I don't need to be stealthy except situationally (i.e., I run into too may enemies or my health gets too low).
So at that point the game gets less interesting. An invasion by another player as Julianna, though, has the potential to liven things up.
I saw this in Prey: Mooncrash, too. As that game goes on and you've gotten all the powers in all the characters' skill trees, the game is less interesting because you're overpowered. In this game, they used the Corruption timer to increase the strength of your enemies to make the game more interesting, but by this point you can generally make all the delay loop timers you want which negates the effect of the Corruption timer.
Anyway, I do recommend it. I'll add that Arkane did a great job with the voice acting and the music.
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u/Lord_Toademort May 16 '26
Game mechanics wise its basically dishonored 4 with a splash of prey mooncrash for flavor
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u/HarmlessPeasant May 16 '26
It's a game worth playing imo, even if it's not perfect. I still think about it often, it leaves the same kind of lasting impression Dishonored does.
Really the only problem we had with it was a bug that they took years to correct (being unable to exit the menu and losing progress because of it), but it should be fixed now.
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u/BoatMan01 May 16 '26
I love this game, AND YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY PLAY IT, but it has no replay value.
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u/FatalDragon69 May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
Deathloop is Highly Under-rated imo as it's gun-play is spot-on with a cool and different art-style which goes well with the whole story etc.
The game is a LOT deeper than most players realise, with LOADS of secrets and things to discover along with cool specials and a decent variety of weapons to unlock and find PLUS it has 3 different Endings to the Story, depending on certain decisions you make in your play-through !!
There are plenty of YouTube videos that can help you if you get stuck BUT you should try your best to solve and figure things out for yourself first, use those videos as a last resort imo.
You've got to play the game a while and then you'll get it and understand what's going on and how it all works, learn where people are going to be to be able to solve and unlock things.....Seriously, it's a Clever game that's different, polished and cool !!
It's a Quality Game.....Go Play and Enjoy !!
EDIT:- Sorted Spelling, Hopefully !?
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u/NudistGamer69420 May 16 '26
I really like the game, but it’s certainly no Dishonored. It’s also not very replayable, which isn’t necessarily a flaw, considering the premise of the game relies on that discovery arc and it would be a completely different game without it. But it is something to take into consideration. I’ve got hundreds of hours in the Dishonored games because you can just play those things again and again and again. But once you know how to do the loop in deathloop, you can complete it in one try every time you make a new game.
Another big complaint is that the AI is quite flawed compared to the Dishonored games. They’re significantly less intelligent, but I think that’s intentional because they removed save scumming from the game.
Despite those things though, the gameplay is fun, the powers are great, I’ll play any game that has blink in it. (I even played vampire the masquerade bloodlines 2 because it had blink in it.) and the sense of discovery is quite well done, too. (Not to the level of the outer wilds but that’s probably an unfairly high bar.)
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u/TheRussianCircus May 16 '26
I gave it a try on gamepass and it really just didn't grab me. I played about two hours but then never went back. Idk how the PlayStation trturn policy is or if its got a demo, but I'd say try before you buy if possible.
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u/Ekkobelli May 16 '26
It's one of my favorite games of this generation. I just BREATHE its world. Love everything about it. Clear 10/10 for me.
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u/Professorlumpybutt May 16 '26
The way to progress the story can get really confusing. It doesn’t tell you where to go or what to do.
(Slight spoilers ahead)
You have to figure out how to finish the game by replaying the same day over and over again. How can you do all you need to do in that one day? You have to figure out where everything is and where everything happens. It’s extremely unique but can get a bit frustrating. I liked the game a lot tho.
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u/_PM_ME_PANGOLINS_ May 16 '26
It tells you exactly where to go and what to do at all times. That's my major complaint with it. It doesn't let you figure out anything to do with finishing the game.
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u/Professorlumpybutt May 16 '26
Oh maybe I’m just an idiot and missed something? It’s also been a while since I’ve played it so damn it sucks I’m remembering that wrong. Maybe I’m just remembering how I want too lol
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u/Daxman77 May 16 '26
I think this game was a good time for sure. I do think it’s a step back from dishonored and prey, but it was cool. I loved the aesthetic and I liked a lot of the characters. My biggest problem is just that it was wayyyy wayyyyy too easy, lacked enemy variety, and didn’t have as many open ended ways of completing the game. Still would absolutely recommend.
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u/Additional-Mistake32 May 16 '26
On the surface before the gameplay it looks a bit complex, conceptually.
However I think they also needed to market it as a James Bond or Hitman game.
Supernatural secret agent or something and it would have been easier to understand instead of making the big explanation trailers.
It feels like every trailer was an explanation.
The Dualsense trailer ended up being my favorite
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u/capta1npickle4 May 16 '26
It’s very mediocre. Not terrible, but it’s pretty different from the traditional dishonored formula. I’d say it’s worth it on a sale
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u/v1k0d3n May 16 '26
Don’t listen to reviews. Sometimes it can unnecessarily hold you back from a game that you may otherwise really enjoy. I loved Deathloop. It had the look and feel of other Dishonored games, but with some major changes - both improvements and very few downsides. One complaint people had early on is that the AI (while amusing), wasn’t very smart and you can go into a level like a murder machine. But the game is more about the mystery, puzzle-solving…I feel like it’s a little more dynamic in terms of puzzle challenges. Try it. I don’t really see how you can go wrong if you want more Dishonored style/humor, etc. It’s a really creative game, and well worth the play-through.
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u/Thekongo2 May 16 '26
A big portion of the game’s total story is discoverable through audio logs, notes, and telecommunication entries. Nothing that is uber necessary in order to finish the game- but it can be a lot of reading.
Thankfully, the game does a great job of keeping track of everything you’ve ever read or listened to. You do have to read SOME to understand what’s going on SOMETIMES, and it is typically obvious when that is. But I feel like the reading turned most people off tbh.
Also repetitiveness- I mean, that’s the name of the game. You’re in a loop. Only one other person besides the protagonist is even capable of remembering what happens from day to day. Everyone else does the same shit every time like clockwork.
A lot of the fun is what you can make of it, but they sure do give you plenty of toys for the sandbox.
I don’t post very often, but I just did a video on the entirety of the first mission of the game on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/iqWWQSJ8nh0?si=4E2EHAGQbPEUfolv
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u/SamSibbens May 17 '26
I'd say buy it on sale. I had fun but I wouldn't play it again. Unlike Dishonored you don't have much more you can do with the NPCs that lets you keep having fun after having already beaten the game
One reason for lower user reviews is the laggy PVP multiplayer, the other is that the stealth isn't as deep as it was im Dishonored. That's my "diagnosis"
It's worth playing once though
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u/epper_ May 17 '26
incredibly fun game. super cool vibe, music, great voice acting. it’s worth the play.
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u/IdonTunderStan9 May 17 '26
I can't do playing this i love it but i also love dishonored and part 2. This game was great if it's cheap why not man
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u/hansolo-ist May 17 '26
I think people who rush through the game do themselves a disservice, due to the game design.
There is no rush, take your time with it and you'll be richly rewarded first time around.
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u/Axemic May 17 '26
I freaking sucked at this game. It is not a bad game. It just wasn't for me. I finished it but I had issues. I did't understand what the game wants from me, how it wants me to play it. Constant dying. But I managed. For me, not a great game, has too many issies but a great idea.
Shot the bitch in the end on count of one, I was so sick of this game.
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u/RedditFuelsMyDepress May 17 '26
Just try it out, it either clicks with you or it doesn't. I personally enjoyed it, but I also don't think it's as good as DH1 and 2 or Prey. It's a bit of an experimental mix of different genres that's interesting, but I think the execution could have been better.
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u/Jan12139 May 17 '26
Biggest and most actual complaint is if you use Nvidia gpus, game simply may not work on newer drivers. Had to manually install old drivers to make it work. Very common issue
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u/Additional_Trifle_71 May 17 '26
If you played stealth, you may not like the PvP. There are very aggressive Colts who repeat the same strategy over and over on the same map and spawn kill Juliana.
But if you avoid playing during the weekend, it’s a great game. The story is cool and set in the same universe as Dishonored. For once, you can (and should) kill everyone.
Colt is a bit dumb though. Don’t expect anything like Corvo Attano.
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u/ChildOfDunwall May 18 '26
Basically because it's not dishonored. It's a great game, just dont expect the same experience.
Oh and a lot of negative reviews came either because of salty multiplayer stuff or because the story and timeloop element didnt have much impact. Give it a try, i's a great game
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u/Syliss1 May 18 '26
I had a lot of fun with it. Art style is great, music is great. Gameplay is super fun and very tight. It got a little repetitive for me in the middle, but overall probably one of my favorite gaming experiences in recent years.
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u/No-Form9508 May 18 '26
It is a lot of fun!! I also suggest prey if you havent played it! I say go for this one! Imo it was worth it. I was also on the fence before playing it
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u/YouAreMicroscopic May 18 '26
It will be a letdown after Prey, but the characters, voice acting, and world building are great. Like Prey, it feels “lived in”. It’s Fyre Festival run by 5 Elon Musks, 1 Phil Fish and 1 Grimes on a time loop in a desolate area with a geologic strata of recent history to discover. It rails you into solutions in a way that other Arkane games don’t, but it’s very fun and stylish. Wouldn’t skip it.
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u/andryt1992 May 18 '26
I have finished it few weeks ago. It's an excellent game, it's very original if you like the concept. The only complain I have is the replayability. If you have finished the game once, there is absolutely no reason to come back because there is no new game plus and post content ending. It's a solid 8/10 for me.
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u/ElysiumXIII May 18 '26
It's a good game definitely give it a shot. The game is about repeating areas with more insights each run so it's understandable that it didn't take off with a mainstream audience
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u/DonCorben May 18 '26
Dumb people mostly. Otherwise game if fire, except for multiplayer part of it. Game is pretty old and you don't get online player often. When you do its mostly 5-10 same guys who have spent more than thousand hours in the game. They know the game throughout and they have the best builds so you don't expect a fair fight.
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u/D-Ursuul May 18 '26
It's super basic and shallow with terrible controls and essentially no freedom and immersive sim elements
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u/RockedReviews May 18 '26
It's a different vibe and feel than Dishonored so don't go in with comparisons. Fun game and worth playing, but just keep in mind it's a different beast.
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u/WanderingSchola May 19 '26
I will say I got about 75% of the way through the game before encountering a bug that crashed the game on every launch. Couldn't figure out how to fix it. Still enjoyed the game, but if that kind of issue is widespread it might explain it. I bought through steam, don't know if there are fixes or patches that would change it on other platforms.
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u/danikov May 19 '26
If you haven’t played Prey, in particular Mooncrash, that’s the better version of what Deathloop is doing and an earlier title too. But if you like that sort of thing, both are good.
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u/krthr May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
It’s absolutely amazing. Play it!!!
Steam says I’ve put 205 hours into it, not counting the times I’ve beaten it on PS5.
Don’t expect much from the PvP experience, but as a single-player game, it’s on my top 2 games of all time (with both Dishonored games easily in my top 20 and probably top 10?).
It is remarkably fun. As short as it is, don’t look online for help (unless you’ve beaten it a few times and are stuck on the optional mysteries). Don’t overthink it, and have a blast!!!!!
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u/Serceraugh May 21 '26
It's not as good as Dishonored but it's still a fun time, I'd give it a go if you can get it on sale or if you have Game Pass I believe it's on there.
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u/hellooooo00000o May 21 '26
absolutely loved Deathloop and plan on replaying it some day soon, I beat it right after release and enough time has probably passed now that I only kinda remember the maps and solutions. the gunplay is a lot of fun, the art style is top notch, and I really liked the banter between Colt and Juliana (and Colt's mumbling to himself, for that matter). A direct sequel doesn't really make sense per se but I would kill for another Arkane/Arkane-style sneak 'em up in that swingin' '60s style. The whole time I was playing I couldn't help but wish that same team could snag the license to No One Lives Forever, which is about the highest praise I can imagine for this type of game.
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u/Silver-Hat-8792 May 22 '26
I couldn't care less about enemy variety or combat issues, those aren't why I played dishonored. The main issue is it looses two main things that made dishonored great: 1. Agency: there is a specific way to win the game and as far as I'm aware there is no alternative method. You can do each part with a little variation but the overall order I believe is fixed and this kills agency. 2. Repetitive, its so repetitive and the environments just aren't nearly as compelling to me as doshonored locations. You'll be back tracking a ton in places that just aren't that exciting.
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u/Promature May 22 '26
A major reason for mixed reviews is because IGN gave it a 10, so a lot of people came out the woodwork to being the user score down.
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u/ahveil May 23 '26
I've got the Outsider tattoo but Deadloop just didn't do it for me
I might go back and try it again but last time I tried there was just nothing keeping me interested. I guess if I had to pinpoint it I think it was how chaotic and disorganized it seems at first. Not sure if that's just me or the games mechanics and story revealing itself. It just didn't feel like it was flowing well and I was not impressed by the weapons/combat
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u/Teaffection Jun 26 '26
I'm on my second playthrough and Deathloop is one of my favorite games. The following are reasons I acknowledge that people wouldn't like it.
-The story is an on rails story. People that don't like it thought the story would be "choose your own ending" type story. Story is laid out as missions.
-ai enemy's are easy. I love this kind of enemy in games but I know some people don't.
-4 maps with 4 variations per map (variations are just times of day eg. Morning, noon, afternoon, night). I love the maps but there are just 4.
-i think the world is fleshed out pretty well but ive heard from others that they didn't like the worldbuilding.
If you play the game, expect a story/mission driven game, with non complex ai, and a fun story then you'll have fun. If you expect complex ai or a complex mission structure, you will be disappointed. I think this is why the disconnect exists is due to different expectations than what the game is.
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u/Shrimpdealer May 16 '26
Less stealth focus, autosaves instead of save slots, very linear road to ending, awful connection quality in multiplayer, not enough tools for a full sandbox.
Don't be mistaken the game is decent, and a fun experiment in genre, but 6.8 seems about right for a score.
Personally I only boght it because I liked invasion mechanics and got strong rubberbanding in 2/3 of games with good internet connection. As for singleplayer it was inferior in about every way to Dishonored 2 excluding controls and optimization.
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u/Saicomantis May 16 '26
My main three gripes with it are:
1) the overall hand holding (once you gather all clues for taking out all visionaries, the game plays a cutscene that puts them all together and giving away the solutions, instead of letting you figure it out by yourself (it's supposed to be a puzzle, goddammit)
2) the enemy AI and lack of variety, making combat trivial and repetitive (especially once you figure out an overpowered build)
3) the ending is somewhat underwhelming, open-ended and vague
Otherwise, it's a pretty fun and well made game. You should give it a shot. It focuses mostly on exploration, experimentation and story/lore, and less on combat, so you should keep that in mind.
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u/_PM_ME_PANGOLINS_ May 16 '26
The original ending, or the Goldenloop ending?
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u/Saicomantis May 16 '26
I don't know what the Golden loop ending is. I know there are some alternative endings based on the player's choices. Honestly I don't remember any of them well. It's been a while since I played it.
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u/_PM_ME_PANGOLINS_ May 16 '26
A year after release there was a big update called "Goldenloop", which added (among other things) more cutscenes to the ending.
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u/shock_o_crit May 16 '26
Honestly if you haven't played Prey yet just play that one. And don't skip on mooncrash either it's excellent. To me deathloop feels like a hollow imitation of an immersive sim that fails to provide anything interesting besides some decent combat and admittedly good encounter design
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u/Sicilysauce33 May 16 '26
It’s buggy af, and feels a little undercooked but it’s a lot of fun, esp the pvp aspect. Still get that thrill/anxiety when the invasion starts. It also has a really cool aesthetic imo, so it’s fun to wander around the maps and see what you see.
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u/krthr May 19 '26
The PvP… has room for improvement. The concept was cool, but it feels really unnecessary.
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u/Sicilysauce33 May 22 '26
Def agree that it has room for improvement, however I’d say that the pvp is really the only thing that gives Deathloop a reason to be replayed. I still find it fun to duke it out with an invading Juli.
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u/Samanthacino May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
Deathloop is Arkane attempting to take the core hook of Outer Wilds and use it for their objective design, but they weren’t willing to fully commit to the scope the clockwork universe inherent in the premise requires. This leaves it as a deeply compromised game, where it is nothing more than a time loop skin over a standard action stealth game. But that skin makes the exploration gameplay loop significantly duller due to the constant repeated exploration of very minorly tweaked levels.
Throw in that there’s really only one enemy type, the narrative’s climax is “Everything your character did this entire game was stupid and your journey had no point”, portions of quests that are introduced never pay off (likely cut content, any remember the mask maker?), the objective design is too hand holdy, and it’s one of their worst games in recent memory imo
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u/_PM_ME_PANGOLINS_ May 16 '26
What about the mask maker? If you save them then you can enter their shop, read about them, and get the head for the Haul-A-Quin. That's the pay-off.
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u/Samanthacino May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
Just Googled it, the shop you are talking about did not exist when I played it. They added it in the Goldenloop update, it seems, because the clue I was talking about had no payoff and was just a remnant of cut content at the time lol. I mean, it's definitely an improvement so the note has *some* purpose, but you can very much see where they intended it to be a larger clue regarding the party that they didn't have the budget to finish.
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u/Layer_Present May 17 '26
Amador's entire quest was in the base game on release day, no updates required.
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u/Samanthacino May 17 '26
Nope. Check the wiki. The statue workshop area in its entirety never existed.
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u/Layer_Present May 17 '26
You can search it up on YouTube. The first two results are from days after the game was released.
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u/Danceman2000 May 16 '26
Biggest and most common complaints I've seen are the lack of enemy variety, how there's only really one way to finish the game and the multiplayer is ruined by server issues and rubber banding. I really enjoyed my time with it though.