Deathloop in the test: ambitious, but mutsful genre mix

Deathloop in the test: An assassin has it truly difficult: he is constantly on the hat to not be discovered. He has to observe his victims with a lot of patience and strike exactly at the right moment. And after that, he remains only the quick escape, in which he may leave as far as possible no traces. In other words, the danger of being caught, is great - and already a small mistake can make everything destroy. The predator Colt, on the other hand, has different problems: he watches almost without a reminder on the beach of an island called Blackreef. Without knowing how he got there, he broke up the next best bunker after any indications. Just on the wireless, the voice of Julianna, the Colt seems to know. She warns him to break through the so-called loop and threatens him to kill him if he tries. Or rather, she is aalt aalt in her anticipation of killing Colt - and has apparently done this several times ...

One day without end

Every morning the same bleak view: this is the supposed destiny of Deathloop protagonist Colt, which is caught in a time loop. Source: Arcane studios / media agency Plassma The ominous loop, which extends over the entire island, is nothing but a time loop. Say: At the end of each day, the clock revolves around 24 hours, and everything starts from scratch again. Why this is, you will learn only in the course of the history of Deathloop (Buy Now 56.99 € / 50.99 €) and is of course not spoiled by us here. You should not expect Oscarreife Story. All explanations and plot-twists are too mysterious and too much trimmed, rather really logical.

Nevertheless, we can tell you your actual task that is imminent: on the island, in addition to numerous mercenaries, eight so-called visionaries consider to be eliminated and to which Julianna belongs. You have to liquidate you to break the loop within a day, which is why you first diligent hints with the machete in the hand you should approach your opponent better from behind instead of from scratch. Source: Arcane Studios / Media Agency Plassma collects about your respective whereabouts. Also, with the help of scripted events, two or even more visionaries at the same time stay in the same place - and hitting them accordingly several flies with a flap.

Although the day begins at the end of a loop, you never have to start completely from scratch. On the one hand, certain information that you have already collected to accelerate your next passes. A simple example of this is the code number for opening a safe that you logically only have to find once. On the other hand, in the framework of your inquiries, you can get a very special ability to use the so-called residuum. It is an energy that can pull out from luminous objects and transfer to others - especially in your weapons. So you can possess you permanently and equip it on request at the beginning of a new loop.

An assassin with unusual talents

Away from the weapons, your equipment is made of panels that you lean after a victory over a visionary. For example, you can visit you in an exotic bar: some places look really chic and alive. Source: Arcane Studios / Media Agency Plassma make invisible in the short term or let the opponent sweep through the air. On the other hand, new weapons rather rummage on, especially when exploring a building or after a fight against ordinary enemies. There are also the seals with which you either improve your weapons - for example, with a better puncture force or a faster reputation time - or colt puppy, so that it puts more goals or jump twice. Another important game element is the Hackamajig, which you already receive in the start-up bunker. The tool serves, among other things, to open electronically sealed doors or to the polish of a gun, so that it attacks your opponents instead of you.

Well meant does not automatically mean well

All this sounds like a stylish mix of three very different games: The loop idea is reminiscent of the Indie-Adventure Outer Wild, your role of the assassin, including collecting clues, as you can get your goals best, is visible A reference to Hitman and the concept of weapons and tablets have borrowed the Arcane studios of Roguelite titles like Hades.

Unfortunately, however, the makers have failed to create something really independent of this unique mixture. The good news: In Deathloop, it is only teeming in front of intelligent puzzles and secrets that make a lot of fun. The bad news: Otherwise, the French apparently fear of solving traditional genre conventions. Deathloop feels rarely like one of the newly mentioned games and reminds over wide routes to an ordinary ego shooter with a proper portion of adventure elements.

One of the main reasons for this is the course of a loop, which does not run in real time as in Hitman or Outer Wilds. Instead, the game is divided into four times of the day, in which you can always visit one of the four areas in each case. There, the watch remains practically as frozen while triggers special events through old-bound trigger. The areas are admittedly well designed as soon as you have progressed far enough in the game, you can permanently keep weapons, boards and seals with your collected residuum. Source: Arcane studios / media agency Plassma and visually appealing. There are some differences between different times of day, which is why a multiple crushing is worthwhile - but only in the first day hours. After a while, it becomes increasingly exhausting to constantly travel between the same places.

Next, Arcane Studios has come up with the reprise game mechanics, thanks to the Colt die twice within an area and without triggering a completely new loop. Again, this feels stranding in view of the ambitious concept and attracts ahead of the thrill of Roguelite bonds completely the ground under the feet. In the further problem, the ultimately is much too linear structure, which can not keep up with Outer Wilds nor with Hitman . Arcane studios has come up with a much too rigid plan, from which the player should not deviate as much as possible. Although you can complete various tasks in a different order. But from the countless solution options that competitor Hitman has been offering for years, Deathloop is miles away. And if you come to an alternative then, it feels after a mistake or even after cheals.

A nice example of this is the Claspass, which you needed to enter the Villa of Visionärr Frank and simultaneously prohibits the benefits of the panels as well as the Reprise option: Arcane Studios has come up with a really well-prepared mission, at the end of which the villa Also explore without a passport. However, we had little pleasure to deny this path. We have previously invaded a pretty cheaper trick, with which we could cause the Claspass without negative consequences.

opponent without brain

The greatest weakness of the game is clearly the Ki, which Deathloop appears anything but finished . It does not matter if you have a horde of simple mercenaries in mind or destroying a visionary: constantly your adversaries hang on corners or Arcane studios - from the fan project to the Triple-A developer The developers of Arcane Studios had great goals from the start as they founded their studio in French Lyon in 1999. One wanted to continue the great ultima underworld, but unfortunately did not get the permission of right holders Electronic Arts. Instead of just give up, Arcane Studios named the project and published its first, noteworthy insider tip in 2002 with Arx Fatalis.

Since then, the French usually took a lot of time and crossed diligently classic ego shooter action with a decent portion role-playing game (see Dark Messiah of Might and Magic) or Adventure (the Dishonored Series). In between, they worked with large titles of other studios, including Bioshock 2, Call of Duty: World At War and Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus.Supporten to run away from you, without moving from the spot. Once you have the ether chalkboard with which you can make you invisible, it gets more embarrassing: even if you activate the blackboard only a few meters from your opponent and afterwards completely rest, look completely runs and do not have the slightest idea where you are. You can also expand the chalkboard to extend so powerful skills that we have given up the cautious approach to the cautious approach from a certain point. Instead, we simply put ourselves in the middle of the street, made us invisible and completely claws an opponent after another, without getting serious in danger. And even in the few cases where these impetuous tactics then seched, saved us the generously designed reprise feature. The trick does not work in the places, where steadily new opponents appear through the triggering an alarm. However, these passages are very rare and exposes on top of that another way of playing the game design: The replenishment literally appears from nothing and in places where just before far and wide has not been a single soul in sight.

Strengthening opponent

Fair was right after that, the ki did not dilute the fun of the riddles and at least no unfair wedges in front of the legs at the latest with the preservation of the ether chalkboard you can make quite cheeky in front of your adversaries and shoot one after the other. Source: Arcane Studios / Media Agency Plassma of the player throws. All the more your opponent will annoy Julianna as soon as you can penetrate into your territory and hunt you. Such a robbery happens so often that it usually even takes place several times within a loop. Incidentally, it is not enough to promote Julianna in the hereafter: You must chop a radio antenna to open the doors to the other areas again. Again, this task is very boring very quickly because the antenna always appears in the same place.

Finally, it should be noted that there is a small online mode in Deathloop: is he active, then similar to Dark Souls foreign players can take over the role of Julianna and attack you. To what extent this concept actually works, however, is difficult to assess before the official publication date. However, we fear that the raids could become even more exhausting and annoying. In the case of the stupid computer-ki, she finally knows that the troublemaker can be eliminated quickly and easily.

Ordinary presentation

Otherwise, in the PlayStation-5 version we tested, we do not use much of Deathloop, even if the graphics can not keep up with current PS5 titles such as Return or Resident Evil: Village. But the setting is cleanly worked out and the game world architecture next to the puzzles of the largest motivational anchor. The same applies to the soundscape that holds out of music and shines mainly with crisp effects. Although the German language edition has a light radio play charm, but it is up to a professional enough and supports the audiovisual atmosphere. In addition, the game exploits the speaker of the PlayStation-5-Pad - for example, you will always hear Julianna s voice right in front of you instead of far from far .

My opinion

Vonandreas Altenheimer author

Ambitious, discouraged, disappointing.

I m sorry, but Deathloop is a truly given chance. The game could have been a brilliant mix of Hades, Hitman and Outer Wilds, thanks to its prepared settings, the matching Open World approach and a pinch of roguelite. But in the end, Arcane Studios has dared much too little and designed the design away from the good puzzles much too conventionally. I have no big game meadow available, in which I can let off steam, but an ordinary ego shooter who is constantly taking my hand. Although this is fun in the best moments, when I explore new places and use solutions to the great puzzles. But it s all the more frustrating as soon as I m overwhelming between two places, the opponent Ki is hopelessly overwhelmed or Julianna is already on the mat half an hour after her last death. Because the game was more fun than trouble, there is almost seven points. But the potential of Deathloop had actually had the stuff to a game-of-the-year-candidate.

From Andreas Altenheimer author & Benedict Plass Fleece Female author & Maik Koch editor 13.09.2021 at 14:01