Already when the game was announced during E3 2019 (that is, for what feels like an eternity ago), there was something very special about Deathloop. The unique style, the devilish attitude and the wonderful combination of daring shooting, precise sneaking and Dishonored-like abilities, created a whole that was undeniably eye-catching.
A couple of years, more trailers and some postponements later, we have now finally seen several longer parts of the game in action. What we have seen is about as happy and exciting as we had hoped, and we can hardly wait to play time-traveling assassin until the autumn.
Figures in focus
Deathloop tells the story of two conflicting assassins who are both caught in the same time loop, where the same day repeats itself over and over again. We play like the raw paw Colt, and it is apparently his journey that determines exactly where, when and how the loop starts again. In any case, every time you die like Colt, you wake up on the same beach with the same goal in mind: to break out of the cycle.
It’s all sewn together by a story that mainly seems to be created while walking. After a brief introduction, one is thrown into the semi-open world, where four main areas constitute the scene of the coming atrocities Colt must carry out in order to escape.
It so happens that there are eight selected targets lurking around on Blackreef Island, and it is apparently only by taking all of these off in one day that Colt can break the strange curse that keeps him trapped.
The eight goals are all different forms of visionaries who pose with personal distinctiveness and different tasks spread throughout the day. Resilient animations and solid voice acting bring each character to life with a wonderful retro-inspired glow. Even Colt, to whom we only see the arms and hear the voice, has tons of personality.
Almost, but not quite a roguelite
Only by exploring the island, following clues, listening to conversations and experimenting can one find the fastest and most effective way from A to H. Each goal moves naturally during each cycle, but Colt can also influence what happens by solve puzzles, interact with the surroundings and whack enemies.
From a purely conceptual point of view, Deathloop has many similarities with the recently launched Returnal, but a significant difference is that the day you relive is always the same. The game has very few elements of random generation, and it is basically only you, Colt, who can change the course of action.
You also take with you information you discover further when you die. In this way, for example, a door code found in one loop can be used to unlock a permanent shortcut the next time you wake up alive, while information about a secret at the local library can only be explored the next day, when the doors are open.
All in all, the game appears as one big puzzle game, with diffuse missions and great freedom of choice. The targets can be shot, kicked down cliffs and stabbed to death, but you can also expedite them with traps and various chances you stumble across around the universe. More than anything else, I am reminded of the Hitman series, albeit only in a very exaggerated and fast-paced version.
Playful and easy
Unlike Agent 47, Colt is just as capable when he shoots as when he sneaks, and in terms of gameplay, this looks like an even more violent and action-packed version of the Dishonored games. This means that in one moment Colt can sneak up on enemies from behind and suffocate them without attracting attention, while in the next he can combine machine guns, grenades and supernatural abilities to carnage a whole bunch of opponents.
Among the capabilities we have seen so far, we find typical features such as the ability to teleport wherever you want and absorb bullets, but also a few more resilient variants. A special attack called “nexus” allows you to connect a number of enemies, for example, so that everything that happens to one of them will also happen to the rest. If you shoot one in the head, then everyone falls dead.
It looks elaborate, playful and easy when the developers in Arkane are behind the levers, but I imagine that it can quickly become a slightly slower and more methodical affair when less experienced players take control. Still, the game has an undeniable and devilish flow over it – Colt is quick and deadly – and it’s wonderful to see wild examples of how the different abilities can work together when you first get some practice.
Conclusion
There is still a lot that is uncertain about Deathloop, including where the small Colts arch-rival, who by the way can be controlled by other players via the internet, will be. I’m also unsure how many of the crazy stunts the developers show off the mean player will be able to invent and perform on their own.
Apart from these two points, I can mostly only report the joy and gloom from what we have seen of the game until now. The relationship between sneaking and shooting seems to be exceptionally well balanced, with super flow when Colt alternates between stabbing, pumping and supernatural abilities that tear and struggle in the colorful enemies.
The concept is cruelly interesting, the violence is excessive in a positive sense and Blackreef Island appears to be a perfect scene for a reverse murder mystery. In other words, a lot is in place for Deathloop to become a completely unique and unique game.
Deathloop launches on PlayStation 5 and Windows on September 14.
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