2021 has been a pretty damn great year for games. Sure, loads of the titles we were all excited for have been delayed into 2022, but I’d rather that than get a rushed job of the game. However, some titles have still come out this year regardless of their delays, and they’ve been really good. I can’t pick just one game as my game of the year, but I do know of one that’s pulled me back in over and over again to find every secret it has to hide. That game is Deathloop, and it’s bloody brilliant.
Deathloop is the most Arkane Studios game that the developer has ever made. It’s got four large sandbox areas to explore that change through four times of day, making for what equates to a giant open world you can explore. You’ve got a time loop that you need to figure out so that you can successfully kill every Visionary within 24 hours. This seems impossible when you first start the game, but after working through the main missions, you’ll quickly realise that it’s not just possible, you can make time bend to your will.
What I love most about the game is how it makes time another mechanic that’s open for the player to mess around with. Arkane Studios games are great for letting you use the weapons and powers however you want in the open worlds to create dynamic moments. This game takes that to the next level by giving you so much more to mess around with and including time into the mix. You can use time to ensure that four targets are in one place at once, or you can use time to free up an area so that you can uncover a secret, it’s really up to you.
The game has so much going on outside of the main story that it’s ridiculous. I know for a fact that so many players will be put off by how open it is and how much of the work is on the player to uncover the fun. But if you’re willing to put in the effort and get stuck in, then this is a game that’s going to be more rewarding for you than anything else you’ll have played in 2021.
