Deathloop

Stop reading this and go play Deathloop right now. That's an order.

Deathloop makes the most of its creative time loop mechanics and tight gameplay, but the repetition can wear thin after a while.

The Isle of Blackreef is a place where lawlessness and debauchery aren't just welcomed but encouraged. It's caught in a time loop, so the events of any given day have no bearing on the next. At the end of every sex, drug, and alcohol binge-fueled...

Deathloop encases fun investigation work and satisfying combat in a unique time loop mechanic to create a tremendously satisfying adventure.

Deathloop offers an engaging blend of shooting and stealth in one endlessly looping day. It leaves a lot of room for players to experiment with their preferred approach to combat and exploration, which makes it stimulating and exciting to play. A multiplayer invasion mode, too, has so much potential if it actually takes off – it could keep you playing for many hours more. Deathloop won't be for everyone, but its mix of ideas comes together so confidently that it's easily a game of the year contender for us.

I've argued in the past that this contradiction is fundamental to the immersive sim genre, but Arkane is unique in making it a question of story and setting. We see this in the opening and closing moments of 2017's Prey, in Dishonored 2's Clockwork Mansion and in the studio's penchant for villains who are domineering game designers in all but name. And we see it in Deathloop, which takes that curious inside/outside thinking and applies it to Time itself.

Taken as a single-player experience, Deathloop feels complete and incredibly well-rounded. The extra injection of optional multiplayer action is a fabulous cherry on top. Basically, Deathloop is everything I wanted it to be. It’s confident both as a successor to many of the ideas of Dishonored while also expressly its own thing, with a tone and sense of style I absolutely adore. It’s one of my favourite games of the year - and one we’ll surely be talking about for months to come.

A real gem of a game; a puzzle to figure out over time - but one that lets you approach its scenarios in myriad ways. It's a treat for PS5 and PC gamers (and eventually Xbox owners in 2022).