Potential buyers are wondering if Deathloop is open world or if it’s a linear type of game. Because of the way its world is set up, Deathloop occupies a unique category that we don’t see many games occupy. We’ll discuss Deathloop’s level design and whether it’s an open-world game or not below.
Is Deathloop an open-world game, or is it linear?
Deathloop isn’t open world or linear. Instead, it’s a combination of the two formulas. When the game begins, the player is forced along a specific path (especially at the beginning) and must visit each of the four districts on Blackreef Island in a prescribed order. This might give the initial impression that it’s a linear game. However, a few hours into Deathloop, the player is given leave to visit the districts at will and pass the time automatically.
However, even once players are given freedom of agency, the game isn’t quite open-world. While Cole can go to any of the districts at any time, they’re not interconnected. So, once players choose which district they want to visit, they’re locked into the decision and can’t visit another district until a later time slot, even if they immediately leave.
Inside the districts themselves, players can do whatever they desire. As the game goes on and Cole learns more about the island, more and more locked doors will open up, and players really get the run of the level. Despite this, players must complete very specific objectives to beat the game, and the perfect run that stops the loop will be largely the same for everyone.
So, while Deathloop might be fairly open-world, it’s not open-ended. Each player will find themselves taking a similar journey. There are optional side quests, but there’s nothing like Red Dead Redemption 2’s fishing or Death Stranding’s side orders here.
So, in short, Deathloop is an open-world game in certain respects, but most wouldn’t classify it as such.
