Deadlock, the MOBA shooter that Valve would still like us to pretend hasn’t launched even as it receives major additions whose patch notes span pages of tastefully produced graphical treatments, has been drawing attention with its Old Gods, New Blood update. As of last week, Deadlock’s boasting an updated map, a new mode, all sorts of quality-of-life tinkering, and six characters gradually being doled out according to the whims of player base democracy.
The update’s best new feature, however, isn’t mentioned anywhere in all that lovely web design. To find it, you’ll have to crawl through some vents.
Shortly after the Old Gods update launched, players discovered the Deadlock’s updated map had peppered the streets of its necromantic New York with small vents, crawlspaces, and apertures that—while too narrow for most of the roster to traverse—clearly led somewhere.
Once Deadlock players selected Rem, a spritely little dream-imp, as their first choice for the update’s new character rollout, those nooks and crannies suddenly became much more navigable. “An accidental stowaway from the world of dreams,” is an adorable, nightcapped, candle-carrying crow-cat with a suite of sleep-related abilities, and—crucially—he’s small enough that he can enter the map’s newly-added network of narrow passageways.
While those vents allow all sorts of tactical opportunities in an actual match, they’re also present in Deadlock’s new hub hideout. One vent entrance is tucked next to the news desk; another is behind a breakable crate in the training gym. And if you follow either of those, you’ll find yourself at the most delightful Old Gods addition: Rem’s very own bedroom.
It’s a charming little pocket of an environmental easter egg, where Rem has stashed a collection of snacks, books, and cushions. A trio of his helpers are hanging out there, too: one attentively reading a picture book while another naps. There’s also, you know, a spectral hand cranking the phonograph, because Deadlock is spooky.
As an early fan of Deadlock’s environmental design, I’ve been impressed by how much flavor and character Valve has been filling Deadlock’s spaces with, even in their unfinished state. A hero’s hidden bedroom doesn’t affect the core gameplay, but it provides something just as critical: a strong sense of the world’s atmosphere, and of the kinds of people—human or otherwise—that inhabit it. I’m not much of a MOBA guy at heart, but if the occult Big Apple keeps getting new details and diversions like Rem’s hideaway, I’ll keep coming back.
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