I have been SO obsessed with Deathloop.
The story follows Colt Vahn, who is stuck within a time loop, where every time he dies, he returns back to the beginning of the same day. It’s up to you to uncover the secrets behind the time loop, figure out how to break it, and try to stay alive without dying by the hands of Julianna Blake, the primary antagonist of the game.
Honestly, I don’t know where to even start with this game, so I’ll just start praising it until I’m satisfied/ hit like 547 words or something.
I’ve been thinking as to why I love this game so much, and one reason is just how addicting the concept is. It’s an FPS developed by Arkane Studios that involves entering different maps and pretty much going in with a preplanned objective in mind. The catch is that you decide what the objective is that will help you progress in breaking the loop, and you can accomplish it however you so please. It has rouge-like elements to it, and at its core, that is absolutely what makes the game addicting. If you die, you do start over, but Colt will retain any and all information gained during that run, so if you get caught while trying to do stealth, or you were too ballsy going in headfirst against your enemies, then next time, you will have learned enough to the point where no matter how many times you die, the next attempt will be easier than the last. This goes on to the point where you will remember enemy positions, behaviors, order of operations; all of that.
On top of all of that, the game is just super expressive and a blast to play. Take the main characters into consideration. Colt and Julianna have this synergy going on, and as you enter every map, she will talk to Colt in a very nonchalant way, while Colt hates her presence every time she talks. Little things like this are strewn throughout the whole game. It’s got a personality to it, and it draws you in immediately. You want to hear what everyone has to say, from Colt and Julianna, to even the basic enemies that you swat away like flies. Which speaking off…
The combat is SO GOOD. What makes it so fun are the trinkets you can equip. These are upgrades that you can find during your loops that grant you with abilities, powers, and all sorts of stuff. Mixing and matching them is what this game excels in. You can find all sorts of slabs and trinkets, but the catch is that if you die, or don’t save them through infusion (the method which lets you keep items between loops), you’ll lose them. In a sense, it’s high risk trying to get a really good slab or trinket, but high reward if you’re able to obtain them and infuse them for later runs.
I just cannot recommend this game enough. I just only scratched the surface of this game, as there are so many layers to its lore, collectibles, and even in the music. It’s a blast from start to finish, and once you complete your first run, you’ll be crawling back for more, and more, and more.