Deathloop is an action-adventure game in which the same day repeats itself infinitely. Only, this game isn’t your vanilla Groundhog Day situation. It’s the party version. The morality-lacking, guns-blazing, adrenaline-infused, chaotic party version. Enthusiastic rock music plays continuously in the background as you dance through the puzzles of this weird island. You just have one job — to break the loop.
Every morning in the game starts with a groaning Colt, washed against the shore of Blackreef island. He is the ex-Head of Security in this strange place. For some undocumented reason, we learn that Colt has turned against his colleagues. We understand that he can stop the weird time-loop only if he can eliminate all eight of them in a single day.
However, chaos presents itself through our nemesis - Juliana, and the daily resets. Weapons disappear, enemies respawn, items are lost. We start afresh with knowledge, and renewed hope. Juliana has the colourful Eternalists perpetually on high alert. As Colt, we must find the optimal combination of infused weapons, slabs for “special abilities” and pathway choices to cut through the regions in Blackreef. But when the process eventually gets frustrating, we can switch to the multiplayer mode. Here, we get to play for the other side as Juliana, to “Protect the Loop”. This is a good way to get a sense of the map routes and enemy locations. It is also generally fun to try sabotage another players’ game.
Deathloop differentiates itself from older Arkane games (I’m talking about Dishonored), by rendering guilt unnecessary. We destroy only to find things intact the next day. The story and mechanics by nature encourage trying new routes and techniques. It’s a tough climb, but I soon got comfortable taking liberties with the game. Around Day-5, I find myself predicting enemy movements, sensor locations, and leaping through the lands with ease. Day-10, I throw caution the wind and abandon the use of the crouch position. Risk is fun. Stealth is for the weak. Pistol go boom. Day-15, and I am generally more relaxed and fun in real life.
In its current version, the game is exclusionary. It only plays on the PS5 and the PC; and you need a high-end PC to run it smoothly. Keep it on your wishlist for a year or two though, for when it is available on more platforms: the wait is worth it. An infinite rating to the game, for keeping even infinitely looped days feel consistently fresh.
Anusha Ganapathi
@quofles
(This economics graduate spends her leisure time preparing for the zombie apocalypse)