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Deathloop Review
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Posted: 13 months ago, last updated 4 weeks ago.
Author: @GeekDadGamer and Jo Robertson.
Overview
Deathloop is a shooting game where you play an assassin stuck in a time loop. You wake on a beach while residents of Blackreef island have gathered for a party that seemingly lasts forever. Your mission is to assassinate 8 guests but at the end of each night time resets and starts again.
It's a shooting game where the novelty is that you can learn behaviours and patterns of enemies each time you play the current day's loop. This enables you to work out how best to kill the eight individuals you need to assassinate.
The game-day is split into four. You can spend as long in each as you want but you can only explore one district in each time. At first, this means it's impossible to kill everyone in your single day. You need to work out how to get them together by investigating their lives and schedules throughout the day. You also need to learn how the environment changes in different periods, with the party kicking off, a snow storm freezing water to offer new routes and changing patrol paths of guards.
Although you start fresh each day, you can spend resources to keep some upgrades from one day to the next. Still, you need to pick up items each day to make good progress. Over time you build a character who fits your approach to the challenge of the loop.
On PlayStation 5 the game uses the DualSense controller. If your weapon jams in the game, the triggers of the controller can't be pressed and are blocked. If you run out of ammo the trigger goes limp. This kind of control feature means that you can't use the DualShock 4 controller to play Deathloop.
Deathloop is a quest to live a perfect day, albeit a perfect day for a killer. For those mature enough for this gruesome task it offers an intriguing and challenging experience that needs as much thinking as it does shooting.
It's a shooting game where the novelty is that you can learn behaviours and patterns of enemies each time you play the current day's loop. This enables you to work out how best to kill the eight individuals you need to assassinate.
The game-day is split into four. You can spend as long in each as you want but you can only explore one district in each time. At first, this means it's impossible to kill everyone in your single day. You need to work out how to get them together by investigating their lives and schedules throughout the day. You also need to learn how the environment changes in different periods, with the party kicking off, a snow storm freezing water to offer new routes and changing patrol paths of guards.
Although you start fresh each day, you can spend resources to keep some upgrades from one day to the next. Still, you need to pick up items each day to make good progress. Over time you build a character who fits your approach to the challenge of the loop.
On PlayStation 5 the game uses the DualSense controller. If your weapon jams in the game, the triggers of the controller can't be pressed and are blocked. If you run out of ammo the trigger goes limp. This kind of control feature means that you can't use the DualShock 4 controller to play Deathloop.
Deathloop is a quest to live a perfect day, albeit a perfect day for a killer. For those mature enough for this gruesome task it offers an intriguing and challenging experience that needs as much thinking as it does shooting.
Game Details
Content Rating: PEGI 18
Release Date: 21/05/2021
Platforms: PC and PS5
Genres: Action, Fighting, Open World and Shooting
Accessibility: 21 features
Developer: Arkane Studios (@ArkaneStudios)
Lists
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Commitment
Duration: This game will take between 20 hours and 25 hours to complete. Turning on the ability for other players to jump in as Julianna extends the longevity considerably.
Players: You can play this with 2 players online. Deathloop adds in a multiplayer element where other random players (or friends) can play Julianna (rather than letting her be computer-controlled) who will try and protect the time loop and take out Colt. She can hide as any non-player character before popping out to cause harm to the hero. You can opt to turn this off, but letting it happen extends the game in novel directions (as well as granting you extra life and upgrades if you defeat her). This means, of course, that you can choose to play as her and invade other players games. It's a nice break from the main action and requires a different approach and use of Julianna's stealth powers.
Players: You can play this with 2 players online. Deathloop adds in a multiplayer element where other random players (or friends) can play Julianna (rather than letting her be computer-controlled) who will try and protect the time loop and take out Colt. She can hide as any non-player character before popping out to cause harm to the hero. You can opt to turn this off, but letting it happen extends the game in novel directions (as well as granting you extra life and upgrades if you defeat her). This means, of course, that you can choose to play as her and invade other players games. It's a nice break from the main action and requires a different approach and use of Julianna's stealth powers.
Costs
Deathloop usually costs £59.99 to £79.99.
Does not offer in-game purchases, 'loot boxes' or 'battle/season passes'.
You need to purchase a PlayStation Plus subscription to play online with PlayStation 5.
Deathloop
Deathloop Deluxe Edition
Does not offer in-game purchases, 'loot boxes' or 'battle/season passes'.
You need to purchase a PlayStation Plus subscription to play online with PlayStation 5.
Age Ratings
Content Rating
Rated PEGI 18 for graphic violence and use of strong language. Human characters can be shot, stabbed, impaled or dismembered, with realistic responses and blood effects. When characters are defeated, their bodies disappear. The game also contains use of strong language ('*!@?*'). There is a scene in which the player approaches a brothel. While no sexual activity is shown, sexual sounds can be heard coming from inside.Users Interact: The game enables players to interact and communicate with each other, so may expose players to language usually associated with older rated games.
Account Rating
You need be 18-years-old to subscribe to PlayStation Plus for online play, but can create sub-accounts for younger players of 7-years or older to play online with PlayStation 5.
Accessibility
There are no difficulty settings and the game depends on the ability to play a first-person shooting game. Activity cards offer tips and guides. You can launch these to run along-side your gameplay in a separate window, so you can follow without having to close the game screen.
You can adjust the size of subtitles, but at the largest setting they aren't very larger and the red speaker indicator text can be hard to distinguish.
Adaptive triggers are used for information as well as immersion. When you run out of ammo you’ll feel the trigger goes limp with no resistance, so you know it's time to take cover or reload. If your gun jams so do the triggers. You can turn off the adaptive triggers to make the game less physically tiring. You can adjust the haptic vibration intensity.
Sprinting and kicking are accessed by clicking down the left and right sticks. You can switch sprinting to a toggle rather than holding. You can select to auto-switch to the next weapon when out of ammo, auto-equip picked up weapons and exclude empty weapons from the selection wheel.
There are auto-aim options that can be selected and adjusted. They can slow the crosshair near enemies and snap-to enemies when you are close to them. These are reported (by Dynamic Reactions on YouTube) to not be as effective as they need to be.
There are good visual indications about whether enemies have spotted you (once you have focussed on them to tag the) along with a guitar sound to indicate when you have been seen. The game outlines items you can pick-up and pops up a button indicator. Subtitles are adjustable and a good size, but other game text is tiny and can't be altered.
There is audio to help you find switches in timed puzzles. Mines also beep so you can find them using sound. This directional audio isn't mirrored visually.
There is screen-shake you can't turn off, but you can adjust the Headbob (and Motion Blur on PC) to ease motion sickness.
Our Deathloop Accessibility Report documents 21 accessibility features:
You can adjust the size of subtitles, but at the largest setting they aren't very larger and the red speaker indicator text can be hard to distinguish.
Adaptive triggers are used for information as well as immersion. When you run out of ammo you’ll feel the trigger goes limp with no resistance, so you know it's time to take cover or reload. If your gun jams so do the triggers. You can turn off the adaptive triggers to make the game less physically tiring. You can adjust the haptic vibration intensity.
Sprinting and kicking are accessed by clicking down the left and right sticks. You can switch sprinting to a toggle rather than holding. You can select to auto-switch to the next weapon when out of ammo, auto-equip picked up weapons and exclude empty weapons from the selection wheel.
There are auto-aim options that can be selected and adjusted. They can slow the crosshair near enemies and snap-to enemies when you are close to them. These are reported (by Dynamic Reactions on YouTube) to not be as effective as they need to be.
There are good visual indications about whether enemies have spotted you (once you have focussed on them to tag the) along with a guitar sound to indicate when you have been seen. The game outlines items you can pick-up and pops up a button indicator. Subtitles are adjustable and a good size, but other game text is tiny and can't be altered.
There is audio to help you find switches in timed puzzles. Mines also beep so you can find them using sound. This directional audio isn't mirrored visually.
There is screen-shake you can't turn off, but you can adjust the Headbob (and Motion Blur on PC) to ease motion sickness.
Our Deathloop Accessibility Report documents 21 accessibility features:
Games Like Deathloop
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