Even though it is exactly that a true audio and visual achievement at the outset of a new generation, and a slick and confident shooter that has no comparison.

To say that Deathloop is a showcase of the power and potential of the PS5 does it a disservice. 'Deathloop succeeds because it outlines clear rules that govern its interlocked space and then spends 20 hours begging you to break them' The studio's proficiency in building realistic worlds with honest characterization is evident here, as too is the experience gained through working on everything from Dishonored, to Prey, to Wolfenstein. Arkane works smartly to alleviate frustration throughout – impressive, given that light roguelike elements sit atop a first-person shooter framework and immersive sim foundation that inform Deathloop's basic rhythms. The way life and death unfolds in Deathloop is a sensation that isn't soon forgotten. How about the time I emerged from The Moxie victoriously, only to catch a slug from a Julianna I hadn't realized was lying in wait with an Aether slab equipped – back to the beach I go. As I attempt to 'shift' up the craggy rocks that surround Charlie's Condition Detachment compound in Updaam, remembering an open window I can use to circumvent security, only to misjudge a jump and plummet to my death. Sprinting through The Complex with the revolving Heritage shotgun in hand and a swarm of Eternalists surrounding me, dancing between bullets until one finally catches me in the torso.

I don't remember the innumerable lives I lived on Blackreef during my time with Deathloop, but I do remember the deaths. If you can't break the cycle by the time Aleksis Dorsey’s party draws to an end, as Ramblin' Frank's fireworks light up a night sky overlooking one of Arkane's most impressive and labyrinthian combat spaces to date, it's going to loop back around to morning anyway – there's no use crying over Colt's spilt blood. Throughout its opening hours, you'll rarely succeed but never do you feel like a failure. Deathloop gives you the space to develop theories and encourages you to test them in real-time – the consequences be damned.

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