Latest Deadlock overhaul turns Valve’s not-so-mysterious game into one of the most stylish titles of all time

Deadlock continues its development cycle behind closed doors (if you've got no friends to open them for you, that is), with every few months bringing major changes to its core gameplay and art style. The latest overhaul was truly one for the history books, as it singlehandedly propelled the game almost to the very top of what I consider the most "stylish" games ever made.

Deadlock's new Old Gods, New Blood update brought along a total visual (and story) overhaul of the game's map, including both of the Patrons, the creeps, and everything in between. It is a complete stylistic shift, following previous updates that were increasingly stylized, embracing a genre blend that sits somewhere between late-19th-century New Orleans and early-20th-century New York (and all the cultural implications that might entail).

Six new heroes are also coming into the fold, each a work of art, though players will have to wait a while before all of them are playable, since Valve is doing another voting thing as they did for the previous batch.

The patrons' overhaul is what makes this update stand out. They are, genuinely, now as stylish and artistically refined as the rest of the game, drawing significant inspiration from period-appropriate literature and fiction to further advance Deadlock's worldbuilding as a fundamentally American pastiche and genre crossroads.

And what better place to look at than Robert W. Chambers, the mind behind The King in Yellow, a late-19th-century anthology of stories loosely connected by an ominous and eponymous play (and character), which Valve turned into the Hidden King patron?

The Hidden King (in Yellow) in his full glory. Image via Valve

The rustic, infernal nature of the King and his deer antlers are very much in line with depictions of the King in Yellow, even those you might have seen in shows like True Detective. Just look at it: it screams style, substance, and artistry, with each bit of the map carefully redesigned to reflect his character, unlike the generic floating head that was roaming about before.

On the other side is the Arch Mother, a pale and ethereal queen of her own realm, with a frozen monarch situated at her core (oddly reminiscent of the Hidden King himself). There is dialogue here, and though the voice lines of the announcers on both sides did suggest a shared lore, Deadlock now genuinely has an active conversation going on in the background of its MOBA gameplay, which isn't something we've ever seen in the genre before.

As for the characters, the rest of the map, and the myriad of different artistic touchups to the UI, HUD, and every facet of the game: all of them reflect a wide range of genres and movements, from comics to movies to Valve's own imagination. The coolest part is that it all blends together so well, forming a cohesive amalgamation of art that I am genuinely stricken by.

I cannot express how much I appreciate that a game is putting art and style front and center, and though gameplay is as important as those two, we had too many well-playing games that just don't look that good.

And the best thing is that Deadlock is still a long way from launch, meaning more of the same is yet to come, which, as you could tell, I'm more than excited for.

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