Arkane Studios has done a lot to build the 60’s aesthetic in the upcoming title Deathloop, with the most recent trailer from Sony’s State of Play really pushing one specific aspect of that era. This latest action packed trailer for Deathloop also has a striking comparison to the stylings of the James Bond films that ran with this aesthetic in that same time period.
Beyond a simple visual interpretation of the series, this could point to some interesting implications for how the story of Deathloop might unfold as well. With the inspirations so clear, players might be in store for a number of villains on the level of the antagonists famous in the Bond series, some of which have already been shown off to fit the bill.
For fans of the Bond franchise, this could make Deathloop a must-have, since it doesn’t appear like players will be seeing the spy thriller coming back to gaming anytime soon. While GoldenEye from the Nintendo 64 era might still have fans continuing to elevate the game on nostalgia at this point, the series hasn’t seen a great release since. So, while fans wait for IO Interactive to show anything from the upcoming Project 007 title that is still only in pre-production, Arkane Studios appears to be scratching that itch in a strong way.
To start any conversation about the connects between James Bond and Deathloop, fans won’t have to go much further than the recent “Deja Vu” trailer shown off at the recent State of Play. The entire video plays out like the opening sequence in any Bond film, with a theme song playing over a stylized art piece that covers the themes that the movie will be covering for the remainder of the runtime. It almost sets up the hunt for “Ramblin'” Frank Spicer as it’s own condensed film in the series, which is likely the intent for a number of these individual villains.
It’s a bold style to go for with modern gaming, especially considering that the more vibrant and flashy styles found in 80’s style throwbacks have been what gained traction more often in the later 2010’s. There’s a level of novelty for calling back to this type of older aesthetic, but it will definitely find more limited appeal for more modern players looking for a colorful world to explore in Deathloop‘s Blackreef Island. However, for those hungry for a Bond-styled game, there has been a lot of open space for a solid entry in the genre, especially with how poorly received many of the more recent attempts have been.
Even after a supposed remaster of GoldenEye leaked online, the reputation of James Bond in games has been somewhat muddied over the years, and now feels all but abandoned. There is currently an untitled game referred to as Project 007 in the works by Hitman developer IO Interactive, but it is still reportedly far from being ready to show anything off, let alone a release window. Beyond these, the most recent was the poorly received 007 Legends from all the way back in 2012.
So, the result of these attempts at matching the success of GoldenEye have not gone quite as well as the Nintendo 64 classic, which is what makes Deathloop such a breath of fresh air for fans. While, it doesn’t look like it’ll be a one-to-one interpretation of Bond films or games, Arkane Studios is at the very least giving fans a taste of the bombastic characters that make the spy-thrillers so entertaining. Top this off with the familiar abilities lifted straight out of the Dishonored series, and this upcoming title is looking to bring a unique setting and story to the classic aesthetic.
Stylization is a strangely difficult concept to really nail, with some developers slipping on some of the concepts and themes as a story continues, either within a single title or through sequels. Fortunately for Deathloop, Arkane Studios’ previous series Dishonored has been able to hold onto a consistent and cohesive style, even in through multiple sequels of varying length. So, it’s likely that this latest title should be able to keep the 60’s aesthetic working fluidly throughout the adventure, even as the game throws whatever twists it has planned for the player.
This ability to retain a style goes beyond the artwork or the era of any series, because making sure that things look the same can be easier than making sure they feel the same. A strong contrast from Arkane Studios’ Dishonored series, would be Visceral Games’ Dead Space trilogy and the way that those games eventually began leaning from horror to action in a way that conflicted with fan expectations. It’s an issue that never really came up with the Dishonored series, as stealth and puzzles still stood as the high points of each game and even the Death of the Outsider spin-off.
The term “Bond Villain” has become somewhat of a staple for a specific type of megalomaniac who often uses some kind of wealth to enact elaborate schemes to match their eccentric personalities. These are often rich, aristocrats who either have sinister intentions to control governments, or gain phenomenal wealth, and the entire story is about uncovering their convoluted plots and stopping them. From the looks of Deathloop‘s villains like Egor Serling, or the newly revealed “Ramblin'” Frank Spicer, this is the type of enemy that players can look forward to hunting down.
It’s hard to say exactly how much time players will spend with each of these villains, likely only getting brief glimpses into their daily lives while spying on them like Agent 47 does in Hitman. However, even those small, organic interactions that can be seen when twisting the environment around these characters and watching them bump into other villains can be huge for making Deathloop that much more immersive. With any luck, there will be enough variables available to not only make each individual run through a loop feel unique, but to give players a reason to keep running loops long after the credits roll.
Deathloop is set to release on May 21st, 2021, for PC and PS5.
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