Recently, I was invited by Bethesda to check out Deathloop and while I didn’t get to play the game, due to the event being digital, I did get to see around 30 minutes of uninterrupted gameplay, as well as asking questions of Dinga Bakaba the games director and Sebastien Mitton, the art director, more on that in a bit, for now let’s focus on the gameplay.

If you don’t yet know what Deathloop is, think Dishonored with guns, though that would be doing both series a disservice, as Deathloop is aiming far beyond that. While there are guns to shoot, you will also have access to powers and abilities that will change how you go about your task, of killing the eight individuals who are holding onto the loop, that you are stuck in. Which brings up another point, the mystery of why you are stuck in the loop, who you are and how can you break it and get out. Well, the latter is not that challenging, the loop will be broken when you take down all eight targets in a single day, the catch is that if you die, the loop restarts and your progress is wiped away, but the knowledge you collect, may help you the next time.

Of course, the catch is that while you are on an island, there are four locales upon it and multiple times of day, so if you visit one locale in the morning and trigger something there, you can see the repercussions later in the day. The same happens in reverse though, if you visit a location for the first time, later in the day, there might be additional enemies, or someone who you were aiming to kill, may no longer be visiting there. So, as you learn more about your targets and the parts of the island they like to inhabit, this will start to shape the paths you will want to take, that of course, will change depending on your skills, and weapons you have access to. In the gameplay that I was able to watch, there seemed to be a lot of ways to complete the task that Colt had opted to undertake and that makes me incredibly happy.

As mentioned before, the powers that Colt has access to, defines how things can play out, for example there is a power called Karnesis, which is the games version of telekinesis. With this power, Colt can lift people up, then throw them off the side of a high place, making it perfect for taking out a range of enemies, without creating a lot of noise. Though, getting to where enemies are in a group, so you can take them out, may require getting to a higher place, or at least behind the enemies, without being seen and that is where Shift comes into play. With this power, you can zap around the map, at least, short distances at least, so while you can zap from the starting locale to the other side of the area, you can use it to climb up high, or dash behind a distracted foe. For those that are looking forward to playing the game in a manner that leans into stealth, then Aether is the power for you, as it lets you turn invisible, at least until you run out of power or attack.

The power known as Havoc is perfect for me and other players who opt to run into combat, without concern for their own wellbeing, as you can absorb the damage you get, then discharge it, in a powerful blast, taking down all the foes in its way. The final new power that you can make use of, if you are smart is Nexus, which links enemies, so if you take down one, the rest suffer the same fate and the good news is that you can link them, then use another power, like Karnesis, to launch everyone into the air, even if they are not right near each other. All these powers are made possible by devices known as slabs, something that Colt obtains early on, but while all the powers come later, the one he gets from that first slab is called Reprise, which if the name doesn’t give it away, lets you rewind time, to try again. Specifically, trying again twice, before the third kill is you done for that loop and everything starts over from the beginning again, if you are killed and Reprise activates, you can also return to where your former self died, to reclaim any items you may have collected up until that point.

Items is also an interesting thing, because there are weapons to use, like handguns, SMG’s and shotguns, but also the more unique items like the PT-6, or as it is known in the game the Spiker, a gun that shoots nails and is incredibly quiet. While ammo is not lying around on every create, window ledge and table, there are ammo vending machines scattered around the world and the best news, they don’t take cash, because in a world where the day never ends, what would be the point of spending money. But guns and superpowers are not the only tools in Colt’s arsenal, he also has a radio/hacking tool that can be used to unlock doors or reprogram turrets, allowing you to discover new routes and a little more importantly, turning the tools of the island onto those who would do you harm.

One final way to manipulate the game to your own style, is that of Trinkets, these add-ons are items that allow you to provide boosts to Colt and his weapons. For example, if the demo that I saw, one of the trinkets enabled, allowed Colt to double jump and another allowed for reduced fall damage, perfect if you miss that jump. These trinkets can be vast and because you can pick and choose which ones you want to enable, you can have a collection that are perfect for when you are going after a target and then swap to a different group, for those times you want to obtain information. As the trinkets can allow for larger magazines in your gun, make you even quieter whilst sneaking and even let you perforate enemies with reckless abandon, the sheer number of combinations, along with the powers, should allow for some real creative approaches and replayability.

By the end of the demo, Colt was successful in killing his target, but Colt is not the only badass assassin on the island and Julianna was able to take Colt down, which sadly undid the work that he achieved in that run. What impressed me though, was the number of options available in completing the mission, some are stealthy, some make use of all the ammo in your pockets, and some are more subtle, but I really can’t wait to discover, which ways work best for me. Deathloop is going to be part time bending mayhem, assassination simulator and chaotic platformer and that sounds perfect to me.

Deathloop is coming out on PlayStation 5 and PC on September 14