Deathloop
By Chad Sapieha,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Innovative shooter has brutal violence, intense profanity.
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Deathloop
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Based on 1 parent review
Nowhere near a masterpiece but fun
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What’s It About?
DEATHLOOP is all about the quest to live a perfect day -- or, at least, a perfect day for a killer trapped in a time loop. A confused and disoriented Colt wakes up one morning on a remote island to discover that he's been reliving the same day for an untold amount of time. A group of scientists have used the atoll's strange physical properties to attempt to create a bizarre utopia of endless life and partying, most unaware that they, themselves have become trapped in the loop with no memory of each previous day when it resets. Only Colt and a strange woman named Julianna -- who wants to protect the loop as it is, and is willing to kill Colt every day for eternity to do it -- retain their memories at the start of each loop. Colt's goal is to study the routines of the island's key figures, called Visionaries, and attempt to kill them all in a single, perfectly planned day. Each loop he learns a little more about them by eavesdropping on conversations, listening to audio journals, and reading found notes, which allow him to gradually access new areas and additional information and opportunities. Julianna, meanwhile, who players can opt to play as once progressing far enough in Colt's story, wants only to kill Colt and protect the loop. Choosing to play as her sends players into others' games as an antagonist, creating a slightly asymmetrical player-versus-player scenario, as Julia's and Colt's abilities are a little bit different. As the game moves forward, players gain access to better guns, weapon and character upgrades, and even superhuman abilities, such as invisibility, the power to teleport short distances, and link multiple enemies together to make them easier to dispatch.
Is It Any Good?
There's a lot to love but also a bit to bemoan in this fantastically bold and original shooter. Deathloop is set in a beautifully imagined 60s-style retro future world, and its story and main characters are both instantly compelling. Colt is unflinchingly cool, even as he bumbles his way through his first few days, and Julianna is a fountain of biting one-liners and occasionally sharp insights, as when she observes that Colt -- who admits to feeling nothing for the people he's killing again and again each day -- may have sociopathic tendencies. The storytelling is a fit match for the game's brilliant design, which challenges players not to mindlessly wade through endless baddies, but rather be mindful of everything they see and hear as they study the island and its inhabitants. It's like a giant puzzle box filled with secret compartments that players gradually access, each one containing its own gratifying reward in the form of information, weapons and gear, and opportune assassinations. It draws key bits from disparate sources including classic "roguelike" games, cult action films, and Arkane's own Dishonored series, but there's really not much else like it.
But like most daring new games, some of the experiments don't quite fly. The gradually unlocked upgrades and abilities, while fun to toy with and certainly handy, are weirdly inessential in combat. Improving your skill through experience in firefights and knowledge of the island is all you really need to survive each loop, even as you near the end. Plus, while you're sure to find important information and hidden areas each new day, there does come a point when a sense of repetition begins to settle in. Engaging the same enemies in the same places again and again grows tedious. And while some players will likely enjoy taking on the role of antagonist as Julianna, others are bound to find these so-called game invasions frustrating and disruptive. You can play offline to avoid having other players insert themselves in your story, but the game will still occasionally introduce a computer-controlled Julianna in an attempt to mess with your perfectly laid plans. Still, these issues never sink the ship. Deathloop is a refreshingly imaginative and innovative shooter that doubles down on narrative rather than action, and is definitely worth a look for older players.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in media. Deathloop almost trivializes the act of killing, since the day always restarts with everyone who died coming back as though nothing happened, so did this alter how you viewed the game's violence?
Do Colt and Julianna -- a pair of likable but morally bankrupt antiheroes -- represent progress for diversity in games? Is the fact that they're Black characters headlining the game enough to move the bar forward? Do they need to be "good" as well?
Game Details
- Platforms: PlayStation 5 , Windows
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Release date: September 14, 2021
- Genre: First-Person Shooter
- Topics: Adventures
- ESRB rating: M for Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Last updated: August 7, 2022
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