Everything we know about Deathloop

We’ve been closely following the news about Deathloop since it was revealed at the Bethesda 2019 E3 conference, even featuring it on the cover of one of our issues. A lot has happened in the two years since its announcement, including a deal that placed Bethesda-owned studios under the Microsoft umbrella, leaving everyone wondering if the title would continue as a PlayStation 5 exclusive.

As for the journey of the game, it seems that the development of Deathloop was a case of life imitating art. The game went through a cycle of lags, showing details in a Sony storefront, lags, and showing more details in Sony’s state of play. But it looks like the loop is about to be broken as the sleek first-person shooter has gone gold and is just around the corner. To make sure you have all the information you need on launch day, here’s everything we know about Deathloop:

Who is doing it?

Arkane Studios is handling the development of the game, specifically its team based in Lyon, France. The studio is best known for the Dishonored and Prey series, and it’s bringing much of those games’ DNA to Deathloop, a new IP for the team. The game’s director, Dinga Bakaba, is an Arkane veteran and previously directed Dishonored 2 and Wolfenstein: Youngblood.

Who am I playing?

Throw on the 1960s-inspired leather jacket from Colt Vahn, a two-way assassin. He’s stranded on Blackreef Island, a spit of land in the middle of the ocean teeming with deadly enemies, but he’s also trapped in an endless 24-hour period. To escape both, Colt must cross off all the names on his hit list before time restores his progress.

If I am a murderer, who are my targets?

Scattered across the island are eight individuals, called Visionaries, who hold the key to breaking Colt’s nightmarish imprisonment. Here’s the list: Egor Serling, Aleksis Dorsey, Frank Spicer, Charlie Montague, Harriet Morse, Fia Zborowska, Dr. Wenjie Evans, and Julianna Blake. Each of these people helped the AEON Program successfully travel through time in search of eternal life. They are the pillars that support the project of prolonging life, and as long as one is still alive, it will continue. From fancy clubs to science facilities, Colt must track down everyone in this group, study their routines, and eliminate them before time runs out to break the maddening cycle. But be careful, if you don’t get all of them, you’ll have to start over the next day, and there is only one solution to Arkane’s “murder riddle”.

Egor and Aleksis were two of the first targets Arkane revealed. As the founder of AEON, Egor Serling is a scientifically minded individual who enjoys solitude while wanting to be the life of the party. At the other end of the spectrum, Aleksis Dorsey considers himself the leader of his pack, something he communicates through his trademark wolf mask. Later we got to see Frank Spicer, the muscle of the group and aspiring rock star. Julianna Blake is a unique member of the Visionaries. Not only does it recognize that it is in a cycle of time, unlike everyone else whose memory is reset each time, but it is also actively chasing you to prevent you from finishing it. The other four objectives remain a mystery, but you will have plenty of time to discover them during your time in the loop.

How does The Time Loop work?

As the name suggests, Deathloop’s deadly gameplay takes place on a repeating 24-hour cycle. Each day is divided into Morning, Noon, Afternoon and Night. If Night comes to an end and you still have goals on your list, or you die, you will wake up again in Morning. Fortunately, you’ll keep all the information you collected during your last loop, and with an unlockable rare item called Residuum, you’ll even be able to keep some of your gear and abilities between loops.

However, dying does not always mean starting over. At the beginning of the game, players acquire the Reprise ability. Reprise allows you to go back in time before your death, giving you the opportunity to correct your deadly mistakes before committing them. This is especially valuable because you cannot quickly save your game in Deathloop. However, you only get two reps per day and have to retrace your steps to get back some of your most valuable items after activating it. If you want more than two returns in a loop, fix your gaze on Julianna because killing her refreshes the skill.

Blackreef Island

Within the black sand beaches of his prison are four distinct districts, each with its own unique flavor. You can explore any of them in any order you like, but you can only research a location for a set period of time, so choose carefully. Your target may not be available the moment you decide to infiltrate their liar, but once you discover this, you will be able to avoid that combination of time and place in the future.

For all the other inhabitants of the island, Blackreef is an endless party that you are trying to finish. This means that all the people you meet in the game will be antagonistic and will try to kill you. While the world around you can be downright hostile, at least it has a wonderful vibe. Everything from the game’s locations to its characters has an eye-catching ’60s aesthetic design.

What are the tools of the trade?

Despite waking up on a beach with no idea what’s going on, Colt gains access to a surprisingly large variety of gear throughout his adventure. Weapons, of course, are some of the most important. For quiet assassinations, you can go for the removable nail gun called the PT-6 Spiker, or the tried and true Machete. If you want to shoot guns, you’ve got the Rapier, a sniper’s dream shotgun, the Strelak 50-50 assault rifle, the heirloom gun that looks like it should be out in the open plains, and many more. To make these weapons – and yourself – even more lethal, you can equip small metal trinkets found all over the world that grant power-ups and alter the properties of weapons.

Guns aren’t the only trick up your sleeve. Deathloop also boasts some powerful abilities, like Reprise, that you can collect by choosing the correct Slab. These slabs grant unique powers in the game, including Karnesis, which allows you to launch objects and people with ease. Many Arkane fans will recognize the Shift ability as it bears a striking resemblance to a similar power, called Blink, in Dishonored. You can also upgrade each skill to improve its effect. Slabs are rare, but you can sometimes find them in Visionaries you’ve killed.

Is there a multiplayer?

Yes, the game has a limited online PvP skin that works like a Dark Souls invasion. Other players can enter your world like Julianna Blake and try to assassinate you. You will always know when this happens because your talkative rival announces his arrival on the radio. The person who plays as Julianna only has one life in a day, but another player might inhabit the lethal sniper later, so you’re never completely safe. Knowing that some players might find this feature unappealing, Arkane made it possible to restrict rivals to their friends list or exclude themselves entirely.

When will the game come out?

Deathloop will be released on September 14 for PlayStation 5 and PC.