Deathloop is an upcoming game from Arkane Studios, most famous for their critically acclaimed cult hits Prey (2017) and the Dishonored series. Fans of those games are likely in for a treat, as Deathloop is another entry in the “emergent gameplay” genre Arkane executes so well. Don’t expect a DOOM-style straightforward FPS: do expect a game where finding creative ways to combine your esoteric powers and abilities with a dynamic environment rewards out-of-the-box thinking and problem-solving.
You play as Colt, an assassin who finds himself trapped on a mysterious island full of wealthy and sadistic partygoers. The island is stuck in an infinitely recurring 24-hour cycle, like Groundhog Day if Bill Murray freaked out and decided to murder everyone in town. Using a variety of weaponry and magical abilities, players will upgrade themselves, learn the secrets of the island and the time-loop, and strive to break free of it by assassinating several high-priority targets.
The overarching goal of the game is to find, through trial and error, the optimal and most efficient means of eliminating every target in an attempt to make a perfect run over the course of a single in-game day. Adding to the intrigue is rival assassin Julianna, who, like main character Colt, seems to retain memories between cycles and is dead-set on stopping him. Julianna can be controlled by other online players in a sort of instanced 1v1 multiplayer, somewhat similar to the Invasion mechanic of the Dark Sous games.
The game looks gorgeous, clearly inspired by the groovy mod aesthetic of films of the 60s and early 70s — think of films like Barbarella, Soylent Green, and A Clockwork Orange. The game also seems to take liberal inspiration from the blaxploitation films of the 70s, culminating in a visual aesthetic that feels fresh and new for videogames. A thinking fan’s shooting game (or perhaps a shooting fan’s thinking game?), Deathloop promises slick, violent first-person action with a unique flair that encourages players to kill the enemy creatively, elevating assassination to an art form.
