Today's PS5 Reveal event did a fair job of reassuring everyone that we wouldn't be going into the next generation empty handed. There were several standout announcements, with one of the more notable reveals coming from developer Arkane Studios. The game is called DEATHLOOP, which I'm pretty sure has to be typed in all caps or else Todd Howard will show up at my house and make me play Fallout 76.
In any case, Deathloop is about a pair of supernatural assassins that, as the title implies, are trapped in a deadly time loop that sees them reliving the same day over and over again. It's like Groundhog Day, except way more unpleasant. Players assume the role of Colt, one half of the aforementioned assassin duo whom would like nothing more than to escape the loop. Unfortunately, his nemesis Julianna will stop at nothing to ensure that their eternal feud is allowed to continue.
Deathloop is described as "a uniquely Arkane take on the first-person shooter genre", which from what I can gather by watching its reveal trailer, means that it's going play a lot like the studio's previous creation, Dishonored. The real twist, however, is that the antagonist is a playable character. That's right, much like Dark Souls or Dying Light, other players can join your game as Julianna to hunt you down.
“We felt this style of multiplayer, where we give people the option to play as the main antagonist, is a great way to really ramp up the level of trickery, tension, chaos and just plain unpredictability that we love in games like this,” explains Deathloop's Game Director Dinga Bakaba. “We feel that our game systems uniquely position us to allow for the confrontation between two players to be one not just of skill, but of wits, creativity and an open display of your personality.”
The inclusion of a player-controlled antagonist can spell trouble for anyone who might want to take a more casual, leisurely approach to completing Deathloop's campaign. For that reason, players can opt to disable the PVP option that allows outsiders to join in, at which point Julianna reverts by to a slightly more manageable AI opponent.
While there's no release date as of yet, what is known is that Deathloop is coming to PC and will be a timed console exclusive for PS5.
