Recent reviews by Hella Bread

It runs well on my PC so I won't comment on performance.

I'm also going to try to avoid directly comparing the game to the Dishonored games too much, although I will reference them. This is simply because they're different games. For example, even though the world building/world immersion might be worse than in the Dishonored series, I still certainly wouldn't call them "bad".



That being said, I'll start with the bad:

- The adaptive difficulty system. Basically, the game automatically adjusts the difficulty based on your performance in loops. It always starts out on easy. This is, in my opinion, the main reason why the AI seems so bad. You start on easy mode, so the AI starts on easy mode. I've noticed the AI getting noticeably better and more threatening as I've played (it's still not amazing but it's fine enough). IMO forcing players to start out on easy mode, as well as not letting them instantly change difficulty settings, is bad. I have no idea why they implemented this.

- The detective work of the main puzzle is largely done for you. I see why they did this, but then they shouldn't have marketed it as a key part of the game. I wish that there was at least a setting to disable hints regarding the visionary leads.

- The melee gameplay. I feel like it would have been really easy to assign the ADS button (right click) to parry when using a melee weapon. This would have made melee gameplay far more interesting. The assassinations are also way too quiet.

- Invading as Julianna. There are a lot of things wrong with this at this point, such as difficulty finding Colt, camping, and Colt's melee being OP. These would be easy to fix.

- Trinket variety, and a lack of unique trinkets.

Those are the major negatives that come to mind for me, without getting too nitpicky.



Now onto the good:

- The art direction. Arkane's art direction has never been better than seen here. The art style is distinctive and coherent, and overall beautifully done. The soundtrack is also excellent.

- The level design. Each level is large, full of different paths and puzzles to solve. It would have been nice if there was more variation at different time periods, but there are still plenty of secrets to be found. The game is also better if you don't explore each level all at once, since you'll be coming back a fair number of times.

- The overall gameplay. The gunplay is tight, and the powers are very fun and satisfying to use. Combat as a whole is very fluid. Some people won't like the recycling of some powers from Dishonored, but I don't mind it really. Blink is a fairly ubiquitous power in gaming, and nexus feels different enough from domino in practice.

- The selection of powers and weapons. They really do allow for any playstyle, which is nice. The golden weapons are fun to use and feel unique, but having a few more in the game would be nice.

- The writing and dialogue. I was expecting Colt/Julianna to be kind of cringey, but they honestly aren't. They're written well, and voice acted amazingly. I also really liked the visionaries.

- The characters. Similar to the above point, the character's personalities and backstories are all great.

- Being invaded. It can honestly be a bit of a rush when it happens, especially if you're already in a tight situation. It adds a welcome element of chaos. It's even fun on singleplayer mode.



Finally, onto the "meh":

- The story. The story starts strong, but eventually stagnates. A lot is left ambiguous which is fine, but it limits the story from being more than just "decent". There's also a certain reveal that I took issue with that limited it, without getting into spoiler territory. The narrative is largely carried by the dialogue, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. A lot of people may take issue with the ending. It is somewhat anticlimactic, but I see why the writers went in that direction.

- The world design. The island is well designed, but more allusions to the outside world would certainly be welcome, along with some deeper information regarding the organizations. I do wish that there were more lore documents to be found.




Overall, I give Deathloop an 8/10. It's strengths are very strong, and outweigh the negatives by a significant margin. However, there are still a number of ways upon which it could be improved. The game is and will be very divisive. If you get into the world/the vibe, you'll love it. Otherwise it'll probably feel repetitive.

Pros:
- Lots of character customization
- Devotion system is awesome
- Very atmospheric
- Unobtrusive and effective music
- Bosses/enemies are fun and have decent variety

Cons:
- Spell visual effects could be a lot better
- Story/premise is meh

Overall: 9/10

lmao at all of the people giving negative reviews due to half life; people who think that valve didn't realease half life 3 because of dota 2 are delusional. Also, don't believe everyone who has thousands of hours, it's easy to fake, (open game and change windows date). I guess I can't prove that I earned my hours legitimately, so take this or leave it, but the game itself is phenomonal. You'll encounter ragers and feeders from time to time, but the satisfaction that comes from victory and personal improvement far outways the annoyance of encountering annoying teammates/enemies.

This game has large performance issues, but it is still playable on low settings, and the low settings are worth it for the amazing gameplay and level design. However, I appreciate that it isn't playable for everyone, and that it needs to fixed asap.

6/5 stars
This game is lit