A final secret in Deathloop was recently teased by the game's level designer, and was then immediately found by an observant player. Arkane Studios' time-bending shooter tasks players with assassinating eight key targets in order to escape an endless time loop. Deathloop contains many Easter eggs and secrets, with several of them referencing previous Arkane Studios releases or unrelated games.
Most of Arkane Studios' previous games, such as Dishonored and Prey, include references to other titles in the developer's lineage. Deathloop continues this tradition, with a number of in-game arcade cabinets referencing past Arkane releases and other popular titles. "Honorless" references Dishonored, "Hellcrasher" is a nod to id Software's Doom, YERP '17 is Prey and Skydaggers V pays homage to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. One recognizable musical cue in Deathloop, which sounds when players discover a hidden location, is also quite reminiscent of a sound from Tomb Raider. Stronger connections between Deathloop and Dishonored also exist, which may suggest that Arkane's time loop shooter actually takes place in the same world as its iconic steampunk stealth series.
Deathloop level designer Julien Eveillé recently took to Twitter to tease a detail hidden in the game that no one had discovered, but the secret was almost immediately found by Reddit user BorkowskiBoy. The hidden encounter tasks players with causing a massive explosion in the Fristad Rock level, and escaping with their life. Subsequently traveling to the Updaam region in the afternoon will cause a unique group of cultists to appear and deliver a sermon about the event. When asked, Julien Eveillé confirmed that this unlikely encounter was indeed the hidden secret that he had tweeted about.
Deathloop's unique aesthetic, time-bending narrative, and intense combat all draw from various film inspirations, including cult sci-fi film They Live. Director Quentin Tarantino heavily inspired the game's cast of colorful and intense characters, while James Bond films like Skyfall were used while designing the game's unique gadgets and moody atmosphere. Meanwhile, the time loop was drawn from iconic movies such as Groundhog Day and Edge of Tomorrow, which also feature protagonists who return to the same morning upon death or the end of the day.
Arkane Studios' title are often filled with details, allowing the player's actions to have realistic consequences on the world around them. The destruction of Fristad Rock often results in the death of the player, but escaping would logically allow players to see non-player characters react to the massive explosion. By locating the hidden secret in Deathloop so soon after Julien Eveillé revealed its existence, BorkowskiBoy demonstrates the fine attention to detail that Arkane Studios fans look for in the developer's titles.
Deathloop is available on PS5 and PC.
Source: Julien Eveillé/Twitter, BorkowskiBoy/Reddit, Elliott/Twitter