In Deathloop, Arkane’s narrative and gameplay are ultimately consistent for me

I didn’t expect to like it Endless loopDon’t get me wrong, from the moment I saw the first trailer, I liked its atmosphere. A 60s murder thriller with a classic spy atmosphere? What’s not to like?But know Endless loop It’s the Arkane team that makes me skeptical-I have always liked the world of Arkane, but the studio rarely combines gameplay with storytelling. Nevertheless, I heard that this is one of the best games of the year, so I jumped down with my feet first. I found a playground that finally allowed me to participate in my favorite style of play without spoiling the story.

Endless loopThe world is already chaotic. Using Colt’s own language, he does things on Blackreef, and he doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process. It was obvious from the beginning that Colt was not the best person, but the other visionaries on the island—including Colt’s foil Juliana—appeared to be worse. Therefore, Colt’s journey is a violent journey. I am a wrecking ball and it is up to me to decide whether to live up to the name or become the most hidden wrecking ball ever.

There is no good and evil in the world Endless loop. There is no good ending or bad ending, no high chaos or low chaos. The damage it calculates is quiet, loud, or somewhere in between. But how I choose to show my violence does not change the game’s perception of me. No matter what I do, Colt is the least terrible of the monsters.

This is the opposite of the shame series. I like the worlds of Dunwall and Karnaca, but Corvo, Emily, and outsiders have some concerns about the way things are handled.My actions will have consequences shame. If I kill everyone around me, the world will get worse. But if I play quietly and non-lethally, maybe I can make the world better than I discovered.

Arkane has always lived by the idea of ​​”playing your own way”, which is also what I like preyHowever, Prey provides isolation levels that I don’t like in the game, as well as a lot of concealment.Compare the two prey with Endless loop, shame Fight back according to your play style.I believe you were able Play your way, but only if you are willing to accept what happens next.A generation Can Next time I stole some Sun Chips from Target when I was there, but this did not save me from what might happen next-i.e. take my Sun Chips from me and I told me that I was not welcome in the local store.

Moral system has always been an obstacle to love and me shame. I like to play sneakily in games like this shame with Endless loop. but Endless loop Treating invisibility as a pass/fail test will lead to murder when I am caught, and will inevitably transform into sprinting around the map, teleporting and stabbing bad guys. I usually prefer to occupy the moral high ground in games (I am a Paragon purist in Mass Effect), but I also like “fucking.”These two methods are mutually exclusive shame, But not in Endless loop.

The credit for Arkane is that I realized this was my problem. shameThe story and ethics system is interesting because it has consequences, and the way it connects to the game itself almost feels like a comment on the game Uncharted Sea, Nathan Drake got his murder cake and became a morally good hero.exist shame, You exercise power in a responsible or irresponsible way, and the world will reflect your actions.

Photo: Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks

But although I appreciate shameWilling to “punish” the player for being a bastard, which is Endless loopLack of consequences for me to play. Endless loopMy freedom lies in how I execute the bad guys around me, no matter how many corpses are left behind me. I can complete the story and break the nominal loop, or I can run around in Arkane’s toy box to complete the side puzzle-these are my only two choices as Colt. No matter how I complete the task, any story consequences I get from completing the game, whether negative or positive, will happen.

In a way, this actually makes Endless loop A game simpler than a game shame, I think, for some people, it’s not that interesting. Needless to say about the way we participate in video games as players. It will not cause people to think too much about the morality of your actions. Of course, Colt and Juliana may talk about how bad everyone on the island is, but I cannot choose whether they are alive or dead.

Because of gloom shame Yes, this is an optimistic story. A noble assassin can change the world without having to plunge the world into darkness. Endless loop I don’t care about it all. It is full of confidence in the severity of the outside world. But for Colt, he would rather live in the real world than be trapped on an island and relive the same day over and over again.

Endless loop Don’t give up the story for gameplay, but it simplifies it. By removing the moral choice from the equation, I am free to play the game the way I want without fear of retaliation.I enjoy every moment Endless loop Because I never worry about what will happen-I am as indifferent to the people around me as Colt.For some people, this may make Endless loop Arkane’s title speaks the least of the morality of his own world.But for me, selfless chaos Endless loopThe world finally allowed me to play my way freely.