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When Deathloop was featured at the massive PlayStation 2021 showcase, many players were tired of seeing it. There's no doubt that most players were impressed by its gameplay and art style early on, and now, many reviewers are highlighting the boon its two Black leads will bring to the gaming industry. Still, folks became weary that the game wouldn't live up to the extensive amount of hype and attention it was getting, and following its release, many feel that the marketing simply didn't do it justice.
In contrast, Cyberpunk 2077 released last year and was wildly controversial for a number of reasons. Even today, the official subreddit for the game is flooded with bugs, glitches, and players asking for workarounds as they run into issue after issue. But even for those who were able to play the game early on, one of the most frustrating factors was the way it was marketed. It's easy to compare the two games, both of which look to be unique releases of their respective genres. But for one simple reason, Deathloop was able to avoid the pitfalls that Cyberpunk 2077 became trapped in, even if the marketing now has a bad reputation.
The Difference Between Cyberpunk 2077 and Deathloop
It's no mystery why Cyberpunk 2077 failed, even thousands of bugs aside. It simply wasn't the game players were hoping it to be. The game was announced way back in 2012 and the first trailers released just the year after, but Cyberpunk 2077 wouldn't finally release until 2020. It's been rumored that the bulk of its development didn't truly begin until 2016, and its final years were plagued with hefty crunch policies.
It's easy to see how fan speculation fills often attempts to fill in the blanks when titles are so highly anticipated, but the bigger problem here was the promises CD Projekt Red made about the game leading up to its disastrous launch. What likely did Cyberpunk 2077 in was its 2018 E3 demo, which got players all the more excited for the futuristic game. Upon its launch, however, players picked apart the demo, outlining every single detail that CD Projekt Red failed to deliver on.
Deathloop, on the other hand, has been yet another game with rave reviews this month. In fact, September might be the best month of gaming 2021 has seen so far, alongside Life is Strange: True Colors and Kena: Bridge of Spirits on the way. This is great news considering how many players were put off by the sheer amount of marketing Deathloop had leading up to its launch. Some polls revealed that the marketing had put off a hefty chunk of its interested audience, resulting in some resentment towards Deathloop that players are still expressing.
The difference here is that, while both companies may have overhyped their games, Deathloop lived up to the promises that preceded its release, whereas players were doomed to be disappointed based on the expectations set by CD Projekt Red's deceitful marketing. While it's argued that Deathloop's advertisements and trailers may have not marketed the game well, for example, unimpressive graphics, critics are raving about its unique combat and fluid time loop mechanic that will likely become a contender for Game of the Year. It seems that the delays Deathloop experienced were ultimately what it needed, and delays may have saved Cyberpunk 2077 from disaster.
Deathloop is out now for PC and PS5.
