Deathloop: Preview

The next game from Arkane, the team behind Dishonored, is an action-FPS set in the 1960s. It’s a mid-century playground where your soldier-turned-assassin protagonist will run, shoot, and stab his way to freedom from a never-ending day on an island locked outside time.

Colt, the protagonist, must track down and assassinate eight distinct targets scattered throughout the city. The entire location is caught in a time loop, so if Colt dies or the clock strikes midnight without completing his mission, you’ll be back on the street attempting to take them down. As you learn more about Blackreef and its eight enigmatic geniuses, you’ll uncover new locations and connections between events throughout the city, allowing you to eventually break the loop. So far, everything we’ve heard about Deathloop suggests it’ll be a Hitman-style sandbox puzzle with Dishonored’s gameplay, which sounds awesome.

Residuum works well with Reprise, another system in the game. Colt has a number of Reprises available during each loop, which act as extra lives. When Colt dies for the first time in a loop, time slows down for a few seconds, allowing him to take on the challenge once more. When Colt uses a Reprise, he drops any Residuum he was carrying, and he’ll have to return to the location where he died to collect his belongings – a mechanism similar to how you regain your souls in games like Dark Souls. Colt will lose his Residuum forever if he fails to reclaim it.

When Colt took on a mission to assassinate Aleksis Dorsey, one of the ringleaders on Blackreef, we saw him put some of his abilities to good use. Aleksis is a wealthy aristocrat with shady morals who aspires to be the life and soul of the party. He has a massive mansion in Blackreef’s Updaam district. Naturally, Colt picks up the trail there.

It’s not easy to get into Aleksis’ estate because it’s tightly secured and Colt is Blackreef’s most sought criminal. Fortunately, there are multiple solutions to each given difficulty, and Blackreef is peppered with helpful hints to guide players in the proper route. Colt overhears a few of Aleksis’ men discussing a secret entrance into the estate – a window overlooking a cliff. Colt is soon making his way through Aleksis’ backrooms.
Colt is aware that Aleksis likes to disguise himself as a wolf, which should make him easier to recognize. Unfortunately, practically everyone at the party is dressed as Aleksis, so Colt has no way of distinguishing the genuine Aleksis from the imposters. Of course, Colt might go on a rampage and kill everyone in the house who is wearing that mask, which is a viable option, but there may be a simpler answer.

In the end, it’s up to you how you take down Aleksis, and you’ll only have to wait a few more months to make that decision. On September 14, Deathloop will be released on the PlayStation 5 and PC.

Click here to pre-purchase Deathloop on steam.