It’s been quite a while since gamers were last treated to news regarding Deathloop, with an announcement introducing the upcoming Arkane Studios’ shooter at last year’s E3 presentations. Premising two dueling assassins locked in an infinite time loop, Bethesda has since kept relatively quiet regarding the stylish title, that is, until Sony’s recent high-profile PlayStation 5 reveal event. While quite a few heavy-hitters lined the duration of the stream, it also saw the first gameplay debut for Deathloop in the form of a new trailer.

Gameplay seems as action-packed as one might expect from Dishonored developer Arkane, with players utilizing a combination of supernatural abilities and old-fashioned firepower by the looks of the game’s new footage. As per the PlayStation Blog, players follow Colt, a man stranded on a hostile island (called “Blackreef ) and stuck in a Groundhog Day-style time loop. The only way to break the loop is to eliminate the eight people responsible for the island-wide déjà vu before the stroke of midnight, a mission made monumentally more challenging by legions of henchmen as well as a formidably-skilled rival named Julianna.

The cat-and-mouse relationship between Julianna and Colt may appear straightforward on the surface, but there’s actually a little more to it than one might expect. While Deathloop is largely centered on a story-based campaign, the first-person shooter also allows for an interesting blend of multiplayer by allowing a random player to inhabit the role of Julianna. As Colt attempts to undo the loop, the fact that another player can throw a wrench into those efforts has the potential to be either a welcome challenge or an extreme annoyance based on the circumstance. However, Bethesda assures this invasion element is entirely optional from the game’s settings.

Regardless, it’s worth noting that Julianna will still appear in the game, either as a rival player or through the game’s AI. Though, Deathloop game director Dinga Bakaba recommended that players might utilize a mix of the two modes to enhance the intended “unpredictability and chaos” of the character. “The focus is on the campaign and the story,” Bakaba said regarding the invasion mechanic. “And that campaign can be played with Julianna controlled only by the AI, or – and this is our recommendation – by a mix of A.I. and random players to experience the range of unpredictability and chaos that Julianna is capable of.”

Deathloop is expected to arrive later this year for PC as well as a console exclusive the PlayStation 5.

What do you think? Are you intrigued by this multiplayer component in Deathloop, or are you intent on keeping the single-player game as solo as possible? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! For more headlines recently featured on DFTG, check out these next few news stories:

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