Deathloop and Dishonored: how many similarities?

Deathloop and Dishonored

Deathloop is arguably Arkane Studios' boldest and most original project. If at first glance, however, you had a strange feeling of déjà vu, it is not because of the time loop in which the protagonist Colt is trapped, but because of a visible and declared similarity with Dishonored. It is therefore natural to ask: how much Dishonored is inside Deathloop? What are the main similarities amid so many differences? Try to find out together with us in this special, in which we identify three strong points in common between the two Arkane Studios productions.

Game philosophy

The first strong influence that is perceived within Deathloop is linked to the setting of the game, to its philosophy. The goal of the protagonist is in fact to break the time loop in which he is trapped, and to do so he will have to eliminate several targets on the island of Blackreef. However, it is necessary that the shot be struck within a single day and, to do so, it will be necessary to explore, study and investigate each area of ​​the island at different times of the day. An approach to the game world already seen in a smaller scale within Dishonored and repeated in several missions of the two chapters of the series: in our opinion, however, the one that best embodies this dynamic, is the mission The Last Party of Lady Boyle, in the first Dishonored. Here the protagonist, Corvo Attano, must eliminate the aforementioned Lady Boyle and the only way to approach the target is to participate in a masquerade party. Once we get to the mansion we discover that there are actually three of Lady Boyle's: Waverly, Esma and Lydia. Just to complicate things even more, during the party the trio decides to use the same costume, but in three different colors: to understand which of the three sisters is our goal, which changes randomly with each game, we will have to wander around in different areas of the Villa, some public areas where refreshments are being held (which can be explored freely since Corvo is also hidden by his mask) and others not accessible to guests.

Which of the Boyle sisters will be the one dressed in red? The whole mission is built on the search for clues to reveal the identity of the target and fans of the series remember it as perhaps one of the most compelling of all Dishonored. Obviously paying attention to details, reading notes, eavesdropping on conversations and so on, it always pays off in any situation in the Dishonored campaign. The next step that Deathloop takes compared to his older brother is to apply this philosophy to the entire campaign. If in Dishonored the concept of "investigate-reason-act" was constantly repeated in every single quest, in Deathloop this is what holds together all the missions throughout the game. Not to mention that the great freedom of approach to the game is combined with a linear plot that passes through various time loops. And if this isn't daring.

Gifts of the Outsider

The strength of Dishonored's gameplay is the Gifts of the Outsider, the powers that allow Corvo, Emily, Daud and Billie Lurk to use the forces of Oblivion to their advantage; in Deathloop it is artifacts called Slabs that grant Colt his powers. To date we know six powers plus one present in the game, some identical to those present in Dishonored and others totally unreleased.

Colt uses Nexus on a group of enemies What we recognized immediately in Deathloop is the Shift, the common Translation, which allows us to move from one point to another using teleportation. The other reported one by one is Nexus, which corresponds to Emily's Domain and allows you to connect several enemies with each other, so that the departure of one marks that of all other locked targets. Then there is the Aether, the power of invisibility, which actually never existed in Dishonored (perhaps the most similar could be Emily's Shadow Pass) but which surely has deceived many since the animation of the power is extremely similar to that of Dark Vision, with two telekinesis powers added to Colt's capabilities: Havoc and Karnesis. The former absorbs a certain amount of damage and then hurls it at enemies - we've seen something similar in Dishonored with the Oblivion Strike but Havoc works much more like Jesse's shield in Control. Karnesis, on the other hand, allows you to violently hurl your enemies wherever you like.

Colt and Julianna face off in a duel We arrive at the last two, perhaps the most important ones. Reprise is the power that will surely make a difference in Deathloop among all as it allows Colt to rewind time and escape death twice; in Dishonored we have seen powers linked to slowdown and temporal states, which allowed with a little creativity to get out of unfortunate situations. Reprise, on the other hand, is essential in the success of Colt's plan since at each death of the protagonist the loop restarts while his objectives must all be shot down during the same cycle. it belongs to Colt but to Julianna, the antagonist of Deathloop, the killer who will hunt us down in all possible ways. As we showed you in our preview, Julianna can be driven by artificial intelligence or by a real player within Deathloop multiplayer. The beautiful killer also appears to be in possession of a Slab, which allows her to temporarily change her appearance and disguise herself in the guise of a common enemy: this is the Likeness of Billie Lurk, an extremely interesting power provided to Daud's ex-disciple in the stand alone expansion Death of the Outsider.

Level design

What really makes the difference between an Arkane game and the rest of contemporary production, however, is the mastery of the game sector design, capable of creating deep, interconnected and extremely realistic levels of play in volumes. Deathloop offers different types of environments: buildings, city streets and courtyards, bunkers and stretches of cliffs. Each of these locations is characterized by various strategic points and we are sure that Dishonored players have already spotted several by watching trailers and gameplay footage.

The Karnaka Dust District The classic street lamps and cornices in urban contexts and chandeliers in closed spaces are an almost obligatory must in Dishonored, safe blind spots on which to land silently to study the area. From this point of view, the closest resemblance is with the second chapter of Dishonored where closed spaces, even large ones (such as the Royal Conservatory) are inserted within wide-ranging urban frames characterized by a strong verticality of the level. design. Alleys, roofs, apartment balconies that can often be visited and underground passages create a dense network of paths, offering the player a freedom of movement rarely achieved in a contemporary video game. Deathloop seems perfectly aligned with Arkane's past works, while demonstrating a clearly different environmental structure, because Blackreef is not geographically comparable to Karnaka.

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