Deathloop

Deathloop is an upcoming action-adventure game developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks, to be released for Microsoft Windows and initially on the PlayStation 5 as a timed console-exclusive in late 2020.

Deathloop
Developer(s)Arkane Studios
Publisher(s)Bethesda Softworks
Platform(s)
ReleaseQ4 2020
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

Deathloop has the player in the role of Colt, an assassin that is stuck in a time loop, waking up on a beach at the island of Blackreef. The other residents of Blackreef, a former army base where strange experiments had once been held, have invested in the island and have gathered for this night to hold a party that seemingly lasts forever, as at the end of each night, the island resets to the start of the party in that time loop. Because of this reset, the partygoers pay no heed to their actions or deeds since they wake up at the start of the loop with no memories or effects of the previous loop.[1] While Colt is part of this loop, he maintains memories from each loop, learning the behaviors and patterns of the partygoes with each loop.[1]

Colt has been tasked to take out eight targets across the island before midnight, as even leaving one alive will cause the time loop to reset and undo his work. Further, should Colt die before taking out the eight targets, he will wake back up at the start of the loop.[1] The player uses a combination of stealth, parkour and attack skills as in Arkane's previous Dishonored and Prey games to move about the game world, avoid or take out guards, and learn the patterns of Colt's targets to figure out the right order to eliminate these using guns, melee attacks, or other environmental means.[2]

The game features a multiplayer aspect in which the player can alternatively take the role of Julianna, an agent tasked to protect the time loop and take out Colt. When the player takes this role, they will enter a random player's game and may interfere with their play. The multiplayer portion is optional and players can prevent others from taking on the role of Julianna in their game, instead leaving this to a computer-controlled opponent to try to stop Colt.[3]

Development and release

Deathloop is being developed primarily Arkane Studios at their Lyon, France locations. Game director Dinga Bakaba described the game as an "inverted Cluedo", a murder puzzle that the player needs to figure out how to solve in one perfect run after failing through many previous runs.[1] The game is designed around aiding the player in learning the necessary pieces to this puzzle with each run, but they needed an element of unpredictability to make it a challenge. While current artificial intelligence (AI) in video games can lead to believable behavior, AI tends to lack surprising actions. This led to bringing in second online player to control Julianne as to randomly affect the player's game, itself something Arkane had explored in their unreleased title The Crossing.[1]

Deathloop combines elements of both the Dishonored series as well as Prey. They wanted to be able to give the player a wide range of abilities that they could select to try to complete the "perfect loop", many which mirror powers from both Dishonored and Prey. While the game does allow the player to use stealth and related abilities as in Dishonored to move quietly, Deathloop does not allow for non-lethal takedowns of non-player characters, as Arkane recognized the choice of killing or subduing enemies had weighed down players in Dishonored. These stealth abilities can still be chained together with other ability to make Colt fight like John Wick, according to Bakaba.[1] The Julianne character has a similar range of abilities, many of these closer to the Prey abilities such as being able to mimic any character in the game, including Colt, and thus interfere through activities such as drawing the player away from the real target with her mimicry or by posing as a duplicate Colt in front of one of the targets to cause confusion that way.[1]

The game's setting of Blackreef is based on the Faroe Islands, and inspired by the styles of the Swinging Sixties.[1]

Deathloop was revealed at E3 2019.[4] It was further showcased during Sony's PlayStation 5 event in June 2020, confirming that the game will see release as a timed console exclusive on the PlayStation 5 in late 2020 alongside a Windows release.[5]

gollark: I can't actually upload it because it has hardcoded passphrases, hold on.
gollark: Well, my backup script has to do some things which are not exactly text processing.
gollark: (I unironically support some form of this, probably not with JSON)
gollark: Reject text processing, make all tools emit JSON.
gollark: That is impressively horrifying.

References
  1. McKeand, Kirk (June 30, 2020). "Deathloop interview – a strange blend of Dishonored, Persona, Dark Souls and… Cluedo?". VG247. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  2. Hernedez, Patricia (June 11, 2020). "Dishonored devs are making a wild PS5 game". Polygon. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  3. Lewis, Anne (June 11, 2020). "Deathloop makes its console debut on PS5 this holiday". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  4. Robertson, Adi (June 9, 2020). "Deathloop is the next game from the studio behind Dishonored". The Verge. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  5. Van Allen, Eric (June 11, 2020). "Arkane's Deathloop Is a Timed PS5 Console Exclusive [Update]". USgamer. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
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