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Just finished #Deathloop . Recommended. An authentically creative premise with solid gameplay that drips with style. Unfortunately, also proof that an immersive sim without quicksave is basically worthless. #games #gaming #review

I LOVE the idea of an exploration-focused immersive sim puzzle game, and implementing that idea within the frame of a timeloop is brilliant. But Deathloop couldn't commit to the puzzle elements while disincentivizing immsersive-sim-style gameplay creativity through its systems.

There's one major change that would have been WAY better for me, and a few minor ones: First, get rid of the revive system. One death = start over. However, allow quicksaving. Do it diagetically, as a feature of the hackimajig. Give it a screen where users can manually save + button for quicksave

Alter death animations so there is a "last chance" to quickload, where Colt whips out his hackimajig and presses the button. Within the story, these saves fit perfectly: the anomaly allows for taking snapshots in time which can be restored at any moment, within one day's loop.

All of a day's manual saves erase when the loop resets. So now we have diagetic quicksaves, but death still has weight. Users aren't discouraged from taking risks, and always have a chance to fail without losing ANY progress. But some risk (and tension) is still present.

Another change: get rid of invasions. Most people would disagree with me but I thought they were a stupid waste of time that were annoying and held up whatever goal/investigation I was focused on at the time.

Finally: allow infusing your gear within a level itself, like at a machine posted outside the tunnel doors. It's crazy that you can kill a boss, collect their loot, and then not be able to keep it because you didn't walk around holding "F" on enough random objects and now the level is over

Deathloop has amazing level design and moment to moment gameplay (which, it's Arkane, so of course) but all of its wider gameplay systems and decisions pissed me tf off. What a huge, huge shame.

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