PlayStation’s exclusive line-up is kicking goals this year and it’s only May. With E3 just around the corner, it’s clear we’re only scratching the surface for next-gen gaming.
Come September, Arkane Studio’s and Bethesda’s latest title – a Groundhog Day meets James Bond adventure – is expected to add to the list.
9News was given a behind the scenes look at Deathloop, sitting down with Arkane Studios (Dishonored, Prey) developers to see the game in action and ask some burning questions.
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“The story campaign is an investigation, we like to call it an inverted murder puzzle about finding out how to kill the eight visionaries responsible for the time loop before the end of the day,” game director Dinga Bakaba said.
As you may expect from the title of the game, Deathloop is violent.
But what it showcases in violence it seemingly balances with puzzles and strategy, the developers, telling 9News there’s plenty more to discover.
“The player will have to explore the world to find what makes them tick, and create loopholes in their schedules, in order to line them up for the perfect assassination,” said Mr Bakaba.
“This is the only way to break the cycle of violence and madness on the island.”
Described as an action-adventure/first first shooter, Deathloop does bring in some elements from the roguelike genre.
A roguelike game traditionally revolves around the player dying to progress further.
But developers hit back when asked if the game was a roguelike, telling 9News they wouldn’t put Deathloop in that category and it differentiates itself greatly from the genre.
“The world of Deathloop is something we’ve crafted every single inch of,” Mr Bakaba told 9News.
“That’s not to say games like Returnal or Hades aren’t lovingly crafted – but you see what I mean.”
“Our vision of a time loop is the world remains the same, only the protagonist and his knowledge remain the same,” Mr Bakaba said.
“Players who like roguelikes will find some elements that are familiar to them, but I’d definitely not encourage them to approach it like a roguelike.”
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Deathloop can be played entirely as a single player game, but there’s an option to enable online multiplayer which will see a second assassin enter the loop.
The secondary assassin, aka Julianna Blake, can be played by another player online or can be set as an AI.
“She’s the most tricky of all the visionaries, she’s the strongest, she’s the smartest,” said Mr Bakaba.
“We wanted the encounters to feel special. That’s why we added this mode that allows you to play as her.”
“And no, she’s not invincible, quite the contrary. She’s actually at a disadvantage compared to you.”
The DualSense controller, one of the biggest selling points for the PS5, is configured to react with haptics depending on your weapon of choice and environment.
“We made sure each (weapon) has a different kick, playing with how far the trigger effect is, the resistance.”
“The weapons are part of the focus, giving them lots of personality.”
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The game will also allow you to feel different types of surfaces through the controller, as well as feeling interactions – such as jumping.
“All of these things we tried to give some kind of way, some kind of feedback (through the controller).”
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Set in the 1960s, Deathloop’s retro modern style and feel is stunning.
It’s James Bond-esque setting is inspiring and there’d be some great opportunities to snap a photo.
A photo mode would be great, right? Well, it looks like we’ll have to wait for that one (if at all).
“We would love to be able to do that. It’s not a promise of anything, but it’s something I would love to be able to do,” Mr Bakaba told 9News.
Deathloop is scheduled to release later this year on September 14 and will be exclusive to the PlayStation 5.
smooth jazz