Deathloop is Bethesda’s new IP that on the surface looks like an update, a repeat of their wonderful Dishonored series, but it is so much more than that. Deathloop is, despite the insane amount of marketing, a surprising and refreshing first-person shooter that mixes roguelike elements with a time loop mystery and all of this works brilliantly together.

NOTE: This review is spoiler-free.



During the marketing campaigns (did I mention how extensive they were?), the game looked atmospheric, but the mannequin-looking enemies made the game seem like it may not have much of an atmosphere. Happily that impression is completely wrong. The game oozes a late ‘60s, early ‘70s aesthetic; not as over the top as something like No One Lives Forever, but a definite early TV sci-fi show aesthetic. The atmosphere adds to the mystery as you playthrough each level, sometimes multiple times, all in service of trying to break the loop.

Graphically the game is not lost in the time from which it takes its inspiration from. The PS5 performs like the cutting-edge champ we always suspected it could as there are zero frame drops anywhere to be found. The Ray Tracing is impressive too, giving you gorgeous scenery to look at as you sneak about.



The story starts out simply enough: you are Cole and for some reason Juliana hates you and just wants to see you dead. Repeatedly. That’s not quite true, as she wants you to remember because Cole is an amnesiac. He does not remember what happened or why or where he is - all he knows is that he must break the loop to break free and live. Stopping him is Juliana and everyone else on the island. They like the Loop because the island has been transformed into a consequence-free party planet by the eight bosses. Well, there’s more to it, but spoilers.

Finding out what happened is an intriguing puzzle doled out in just enough of a drip feed to keep you guessing and interested.

You piece together what happened to you and why you are persona non grata during each run. Found documents, terminals with emails and other bits of information survive each and every death and reset of the loop and remain in your inventory and Cole’s memory. This is where the time loop mystery part of the game comes in and what keeps you moving forward through each reset. Finding out what happened is an intriguing puzzle doled out in just enough of a drip feed to keep you guessing and interested.



A good story and a truly excellent mystery are not enough to make a good game. You need a good game and that means good mechanics. It’s a good thing that Arkane has a template from the Dishonored games to look to. That’s not to say that Deathloop is a copy of that series. The basic mechanics are there, including stealth, powers and gadgets that make killing in more interesting ways a fun sub-puzzle to solve. Dishonored videos are littered with players using the game mechanics in ways to create amazing kill streaks. Within a week of release there are going to be the same videos for Deathloop.



Each level is designed to give the player the obvious route, but a little bit of attention to detail will have you seeing new paths to take, some of which will be locked out until you gain a new trinket to confer a power or ability to enable you to take that path. That’s part of the genius of the game design – there is always an obvious path that 90% of players will follow, but for those wanting to explore, wanting to create special moments for themselves or more likely their streaming audiences, these are littered all over the map.

Each level is designed to give the player the obvious route, but a little bit of attention to detail will have you seeing new paths to take...

The trinkets are artifacts that higher-powered enemies carry, and can be found in each level or manufactured by the player at specific machines in the levels. These machines take the energy created by the Loop and the rifts it creates and compresses it into an artefact. The first one you get gives you three lives per level; basically you can die twice, and the trinket will revive you by sending you back in time to before your death. If you go back to where you died, you will see the multi-coloured remains of your body. Once you discover the machine to create trinkets you can go back and harvest the resource from your death and resurrection to create more trinkets. This is a great way to make your deaths meaningful and useful.



The one area where the game does suffer is in the control department. Now this is going to vary from player to player, but for an FPS, a controller is just not precise enough to hit enemies that are intelligent enough to flank you and move to find cover instead of just rushing headlong at you. Although there are some enemies that do have the character fault of rushing the player, even in the face of a heavy-duty shotgun when all they have is a machete. The game does have a generous auto-aim allowing for the gun to snap to the nearest enemy when you aim down sights. Thankfully the auto-aim is not overly obvious - it was something I noticed about an hour into the game. Deathloop, for some players. will be better when played with a mouse and keyboard.



However, the mouse and keyboard players will miss out on the impressive implementation of Sony’s haptics in the DualSense controller. The easy mechanic is using the controller speaker for when Juliana calls Cole, something that developers were implementing in PS4 games. The trigger haptics are as advertised with different tension and feedback depending on the weapon you use, though when slicing into an enemy with the machete you do not feel the resistance as the blade hits flesh and bone. What is interesting and something I initially thought would be irritating is when your weapons jam, the trigger locks to simulate that.

...the mouse and keyboard players will miss out on the impressive implementation of Sony’s haptics in the DualSense controller.

The more impressive haptic implementation is when Cole walks on some surfaces. In a temporary steel structure and walkways if you are not crouched you will feel the slight “give” of the floor with each step. As each step falls the controller will rumble and it will feel in your hand as if you have sunk a little due to your weight on the steel floor. It is an eerie feeling but that just adds to player immersion.



Deathloop is an impressive addition to Sony’s exclusive line-up. If you managed to get a PS5, this is a game that will make you glad you did. For fans of Arkane waiting for a Dishonored 3 this will not scratch that itch, nothing can, but it will give you a new Arkane sandbox to play in - a new universe to practice your death dealing skills in, and a terrific new mystery to lose yourself in.