I would like to preface my review with a quick buyer's guide for those unsure if this game is for them or not.

-- B U Y E R ' S G U I D E --

It took me about 24-25 hours to finish the story once, and another 22-23 hours to finish all of the content including all achievements.

For Arkane fans: It's a game that boasts the quality we've come to expect from Arkane titles. It's well worth your time, although with a few shortcomings.

For Action/Roguelite fans: It's a fast-paced shooter with some great weighty guns that look and feel really powerful. Sound also hits really hard which further emphasizes that heavy feel for all firearms and supernatural powers across the board. It also has elements of a Roguelite in terms of progression which is made in small to medium doses, leading to a satisfying feeling after each successful loop.

For Immersive Sim fans: Sadly for those looking for a deeper player-driven experience you won't find the same quality as in Prey. It has great moments of exploration and world-building but it won't scratch the itch left by Arkane's 2017 instant classic. With that said, there are plenty of secrets you can easily miss, so exploring levels fully is advised, and also greatly rewarded both narratively and mechanicly.

-- R E V I E W --

I had three major gripes during my time with the game, my biggest being its lackluster multiplayer mode, contrasting its otherwise great singleplayer counterpart. In case you don't know already, you have to kill 8 targets in this game to break the perpetual time loop the protagonist Colt Vahn has inexplicably found himself in.

One of those targets, Juliana Blake, can be a player controlled character but the combat in this game isn't complex enough to warrant this Demon's Souls' style invasion system. Rewards for killing Juliana aren't amazing either, and there are no significant differences between an AI or player controlled Juliana, just that it might be considerably harder if a talented and creative player invades your game.

I played the mode as Juliana to invade other players, mainly to take a break from the singleplayer mode as curiosity for its multiplayer side overcame me, but also to get the two achievements associated with it. After a few matches I got bored of the long matchmaking periods (on release week of all times) and decided to retire not only from it, but to turn off the feature entirely so I could finish the experience on singleplayer mode in peace. I did not miss it until the end of my playthrough, which further cemented the feeling of its unwanted and unneeded existence.

My second gripe with the game was the fact that there's only one real sequence of events you can take to reach the end of the game. You need to kill all 8 targets in a very specific order, which is fine the first time you do it, but since the game's nature is in looping continuously, there aren't many reasons to keep playing after you see the credits, unless you're like me and enjoy reaching that 100% in Arkane titles. Something I highly recommend because the achievements are very fun and allow you to see almost everything the game has to offer leading to a more complete, varied and prolonged experience.

My third and final gripe with the game were the unfulfilling endings. There are two different endings both of which felt rushed and without a decent payoff or sense of real conclusion to speak of. It really felt as if the developers just rolled with the excuse of the infinite time loop, and decided not to make a meaningful ending to allow the game and player some closure. This was the only instance during my time with the game where the narrative felt weak and uninspired.

Every other aspect of this game is otherwise well realized, from its shooting, to its exploration and world design the game shines with the typical polish we've come to expect from this artist-filled studio. Arkane are industry leaders when it comes to creating unique worlds filled with interesting corners begging to be scrounged through. This game is no different, although it takes a unique approach to their usual formula.

The world is open in nature, an island divided into 4 zones functioning as sandboxes, which are comparable to smaller Dishonored levels. They provide several different routes from which to approach your targets, and player freedom is fully realized through its vertical and interconnected level structure. Deepening this segmented world structure, is a time-of-day feature which further divides the game into 4 different time periods, Morning, Noon, Afternoon and Evening after which the day ends, the loop finishes and the player returns to the beginning of the original day.

Almost all 4 island regions have variants for each time of day (14 variants in total), where the environment, enemy locations, target availability and unique side activities change and become locked or available, giving the player answers to events happening earlier in the day only later at the end of it, and vice-versa. This ensures you'll have plenty of reasons to search every corner of every map during the day's entirety to maximize all possible gameplay opportunities, and finish all of the side content available. Some of which can and will be skipped by less attentive players.

To provide a sense of progression the game includes a mechanic which allows for all 12 weapons, all 14 weapon trinkets (which function as perks for your guns) all 7 powers, all 20 power upgrades and all 33 character trinkets to be permanently attached to Colt, ensuring that when the next loop unsurprisingly comes, either by finishing it, skipping it or dying during it, players will be able to keep their favorite finds during each go around. This mechanic is directly tied to exploration, so the game gives you several reasons to explore levels to their fullest. There are also a couple of unique weapon variants with special properties which can be obtained by killing targets, stronger NPCs around the world and some optional side content.

There are 7 powers in total, 2 of which are character specific, one for Colt which functions more as a passive ability and another for Juliana. The catch here is that unlike in the Dishonored franchise, you can't have all of your powers equipped during missions as you unlock them, having to choose only 2 before every level along with a maximum of 2 corresponding upgrades for each of them. This felt to me like a balancing decision from the developers accounting for the multiplayer portion of the game, which ultimately removed mechanical depth, freedom of choice and roleplaying value away from the singleplayer portion of the game. Something Dishonored 2 and Prey gave us in droves and we have yet to see Arkane do better since.

Visuals are gorgeous, sound is great across the board, the soundtrack is very interesting because it brings 60's rock and jazz to an Arkane title, where they fit right in, and overall the presentation even down to its UI is very saturated and stylish.

You can really feel this game could have used more development time to increase its various narrative outcomes, and perhaps refine some of its gameplay systems, but even so, I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with Deathloop, even after several distasteful realizations the game still found ways to keep me hooked, because at its core it's still an Arkane title and so it's right up my alley with its unique blend of narrative and gameplay.

I would score the game a 7/10. I subtracted a point for the lackluster multiplayer integration, another point for the lack of freedom in combining powers and abilities like we've come to expect from their previous titles and another point for the unfulfilling endings. It has been a fun and positive experience, so I still do recommend it.

I would like to preface my review with a quick buyer's guide for those unsure if this game is for them or not. -- B U Y E R ' S G U I D E -- It took me about 24-25 hours to finish the story once, and another 22-23 hours to finish all of the content including all achievements. For Arkane fans: It's a game that boasts the quality we've come to expect from Arkane titles. It's well worth your time, although with a few shortcomings. For Action/Roguelite fans: It's a fast-paced shooter with some great weighty guns that look and feel really powerful. Sound also hits really hard which further emphasizes that heavy feel for all firearms and supernatural powers across the board. It also has elements of a Roguelite in terms of progression which is made in small to medium doses, leading to a satisfying feeling after each successful loop. For Immersive Sim fans: Sadly for those looking for a deeper player-driven experience you won't find the same quality as in Prey. It has great moments of exploration and world-building but it won't scratch the itch left by Arkane's 2017 instant classic. With that said, there are plenty of secrets you can easily miss, so exploring levels fully is advised, and also greatly rewarded both narratively and mechanicly. -- R E V I E W -- I had three major gripes during my time with the game, my biggest being its lackluster multiplayer mode, contrasting its otherwise great singleplayer counterpart. In case you don't know already, you have to kill 8 targets in this game to break the perpetual time loop the protagonist Colt Vahn has inexplicably found himself in. One of those targets, Juliana Blake, can be a player controlled character but the combat in this game isn't complex enough to warrant this Demon's Souls' style invasion system. Rewards for killing Juliana aren't amazing either, and there are no significant differences between an AI or player controlled Juliana, just that it might be considerably harder if a talented and creative player invades your game. I played the mode as Juliana to invade other players, mainly to take a break from the singleplayer mode as curiosity for its multiplayer side overcame me, but also to get the two achievements associated with it. After a few matches I got bored of the long matchmaking periods (on release week of all times) and decided to retire not only from it, but to turn off the feature entirely so I could finish the experience on singleplayer mode in peace. I did not miss it until the end of my playthrough, which further cemented the feeling of its unwanted and unneeded existence. My second gripe with the game was the fact that there's only one real sequence of events you can take to reach the end of the game. You need to kill all 8 targets in a very specific order, which is fine the first time you do it, but since the game's nature is in looping continuously, there aren't many reasons to keep playing after you see the credits, unless you're like me and enjoy reaching that 100% in Arkane titles. Something I highly recommend because the achievements are very fun and allow you to see almost everything the game has to offer leading to a more complete, varied and prolonged experience. My third and final gripe with the game were the unfulfilling endings. There are two different endings both of which felt rushed and without a decent payoff or sense of real conclusion to speak of. It really felt as if the developers just rolled with the excuse of the infinite time loop, and decided not to make a meaningful ending to allow the game and player some closure. This was the only instance during my time with the game where the narrative felt weak and uninspired. Every other aspect of this game is otherwise well realized, from its shooting, to its exploration and world design the game shines with the typical polish we've come to expect from this artist-filled studio. Arkane are industry leaders when it comes to creating unique worlds filled with interesting corners begging to be scrounged through. This game is no different, although it takes a unique approach to their usual formula. The world is open in nature, an island divided into 4 zones functioning as sandboxes, which are comparable to smaller Dishonored levels. They provide several different routes from which to approach your targets, and player freedom is fully realized through its vertical and interconnected level structure. Deepening this segmented world structure, is a time-of-day feature which further divides the game into 4 different time periods, Morning, Noon, Afternoon and Evening after which the day ends, the loop finishes and the player returns to the beginning of the original day. Almost all 4 island regions have variants for each time of day (14 variants in total), where the environment, enemy locations, target availability and unique side activities change and become locked or available, giving the player answers to events happening earlier in the day only later at the end of it, and vice-versa. This ensures you'll have plenty of reasons to search every corner of every map during the day's entirety to maximize all possible gameplay opportunities, and finish all of the side content available. Some of which can and will be skipped by less attentive players. To provide a sense of progression the game includes a mechanic which allows for all 12 weapons, all 14 weapon trinkets (which function as perks for your guns) all 7 powers, all 20 power upgrades and all 33 character trinkets to be permanently attached to Colt, ensuring that when the next loop unsurprisingly comes, either by finishing it, skipping it or dying during it, players will be able to keep their favorite finds during each go around. This mechanic is directly tied to exploration, so the game gives you several reasons to explore levels to their fullest. There are also a couple of unique weapon variants with special properties which can be obtained by killing targets, stronger NPCs around the world and some optional side content. There are 7 powers in total, 2 of which are character specific, one for Colt which functions more as a passive ability and another for Juliana. The catch here is that unlike in the Dishonored franchise, you can't have all of your powers equipped during missions as you unlock them, having to choose only 2 before every level along with a maximum of 2 corresponding upgrades for each of them. This felt to me like a balancing decision from the developers accounting for the multiplayer portion of the game, which ultimately removed mechanical depth, freedom of choice and roleplaying value away from the singleplayer portion of the game. Something Dishonored 2 and Prey gave us in droves and we have yet to see Arkane do better since. Visuals are gorgeous, sound is great across the board, the soundtrack is very interesting because it brings 60's rock and jazz to an Arkane title, where they fit right in, and overall the presentation even down to its UI is very saturated and stylish. You can really feel this game could have used more development time to increase its various narrative outcomes, and perhaps refine some of its gameplay systems, but even so, I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with Deathloop, even after several distasteful realizations the game still found ways to keep me hooked, because at its core it's still an Arkane title and so it's right up my alley with its unique blend of narrative and gameplay. I would score the game a 7/10. I subtracted a point for the lackluster multiplayer integration, another point for the lack of freedom in combining powers and abilities like we've come to expect from their previous titles and another point for the unfulfilling endings. It has been a fun and positive experience, so I still do recommend it.