Gameplay
If you have played the Dishonored series, then you’ll appreciate the lineage of those games when playing Deathloop. So much of the first-person combat, stealth, and use of supernatural abilities are extremely familiar — many of the latter almost identical to those seen in Dishonored. Not to mention, the sandbox nature of each game’s level design is also similar.
The way in which players are given agency to actually use these abilities within the sandbox, though, is very different. Dishonored is a tricky, often punishing, stealth action game that is largely unforgiving of mistakes. It’s ‘hardcore’ in the sense that players are encouraged to consider their every move, and the consequences of a misstep are frequently catastrophic.
Of course, this is by design — Dishonored is a stealth game first and foremost, and so getting into fullscale combat rarely goes particularly well. It also doesn’t honestly feel that great when things get chaotic. It’s better experienced as a sneaky stealth em’ up. Many players will adore the challenging nature of Dishonored and its commitment to pure stealth. But it isn’t for everyone.
Deathloop, however, has been designed to cater to those who both love action and love stealth. Beyond the fact that it has much more tactile traversal mechanics and far gunplay, the AI of enemies is less sharp, and the consequences of being seen aren’t anywhere near as severe — you can cause a huge disturbance before an area becomes alerted to your presence.
Some might feel Deathloop is a little too diluted and perhaps not quite challenging enough, but for us, it takes the best of Dishonored and removes all the shackles. It’s all about fun and the freedom to play as you like, and it’s better for it.
Winner: Deathloop
