Deathloop is one of the biggest PlayStation 5 console exclusives on the near horizon, and it seems developer Arkane Studios are going to extra mile to take full of advantage of the console’s innovative DualSense controller. Obviously, different weapons will provide their own unique haptic feedback, but that’s just the beginning – for instance, if your gun jams in the game, the DualSense’s adaptive trigger button will actually lock up. You’ll also feel different haptic feedback depending on what surface you’re on and how you’re moving. You can get more details on Deathloop’s nifty DualSense features, below.
- Dynamic weapons – With Deathloop’s dynamic weapons, every weapon will feel unique in your hands. From the way it fires or swings, to the way it reloads or connects with its target, you’ll feel the difference through the DualSense controller. Take the PT-6 Spiker, for example. This silenced nailgun is a brutal piece of art, and with the dynamic weapon system, you will feel each nail fall into the magazine with granularity every time you reload your weapon. Feel the resistance of the adaptive trigger as you hold to align your shot, and the immediate recoil and discharge when you fire.
- Realistic weapons systems – Every time you die on Blackreef or the loop restarts, it’s a chance to get better. You learn. You grow. You get more badass weapons and abilities. But when you first start out, you might be working with a lower-tier weapon. Something maybe a little rusty and prone to jamming. When a low-tier weapon is jammed, your trigger button will be blocked halfway, giving you instantaneous feedback even before the animation notifies you. It’s a momentary setback that could force you to retreat for a beat while you fix it. As you’re watching your character on-screen punch the gun to get it in working order, you’ll feel a correlating strike in your controller, activating the mechanism to unjam it.
- Haptic mobility – It’s not just your weapon’s actions that will have a unique feel through the controller (unless you consider Colt to be a weapon himself, which might be a safe consideration). Every type of movement your character makes will provide a different sensation, whether you’re running, sliding, climbing, sneaking, or teleporting your way through Blackreef. You’ll even notice the stark contrast of distinct types of surfaces as you battle through various environments – from the harsh, bumpy feedback you’ll feel as you’re sliding down a rough rooftop, to the muted thumping input as you land in the snow.
- DualSense controller speaker – Deathloop doesn’t just let you feel the action through your controller. Thanks to the DualSense controller speaker, you’ll hear the action coming from your hands. Each bullet that whizzes past your head (or hits it). Julianna’s taunts echoing from your own personal radio as she tracks your every move across the island of Blackreef. The dry click of your weapon trigger as you’ve just fired your last bullet and run out of ammo. Each sound perfectly complements the events on-screen and the sensations coming from your controller.
Interesting stuff, although you wonder if this much DualSense trickery might get a little tiresome after a while. It’s fine in a light platformer like Astro’s Playground, but in a more serious action game like Deathloop? I guess we’ll have to wait and see how it turns out.
Deathloop takes aim at PC and PS5 on May 21, 2021. You can get more details about the game’s pre-order bonuses, right here.