IGN is currently hosting a virtual event, the IGN Fan Fest. Arkane Studios, developer of Dishonored and the upcoming Deathloop, held a panel during the event in which details about Deathloop were revealed that should please Dishonored fans.
One of the first things that Deathloop's director Dinga Bakaba commented on was the powers and abilities that protagonist Colt will have. He mentioned that the team wanted Dishonored fans to find something familiar in Deathloop, so certain powers from the Dishonored series will be returning.
He didn't specify which powers would be returning, but he did note they wouldn't appear in Deathloop exactly the same way that they appeared in Dishonored. IGN notes that one ability in the Deathloop footage shown off has a striking similarity to Blink from Dishonored. Blink was an ability that protagonist Corvo had which allowed him to teleport short distances. In the DLC for the original Dishonored, protagonist Daud also had access to this ability with a slight twist: if Daud was not moving while he was targeting his Blink ability, then time would stop.
One of the protagonists of Dishonored 2, Emily, didn't have the Blink ability. Instead, she had an ability called Far Reach which allowed her to tether herself to a point and pull herself towards it, which was significantly less stealthy than Corvo and Daud's Blink.
IGN also noted that it would be interesting to see Emily's ability Domino return in Deathloop. Domino was a unique ability that allowed her to link two characters together, making it so whatever was done to one would happen to the other. It could be upgraded to link three or four characters together, and was useful in taking down multiple enemies quickly in stealthy or more violent fashion.
Upgrades are something Arkane also spoke about during IGN's Fan Fest. This particular element is reminiscent of Dishonored in that if players found items called bone charms in Dishonored, they could equip them for unique benefits. In Deathloop, there are similar items called trinkets that may modify the player's weapons or the player themselves, imbuing them with buffs such as being able to jump higher. Arkane also spoke about Slabs, which are items that grant unique abilities and that can be held by enemies. One particular antagonist has a Slab called Kinesis, which allows him throw people around, and once defeated players can claim that Slab for themselves.
Deathloop is set to release on May 21 for PC and PS5.
Source: IGN