Deathloop dev says its campaign is "a puzzle"

The game director of Deathloop has told GamesRadar that he sees the game as "kind of a puzzle." 

Talking to GR+ as part of our Big in 2021 series, game director Dinga Bakaba said that players will have multiple ways to tackle the studio's brain-teasing time-loop.

In response to a question about the level of freedom players will have when it comes to experiencing Deathloop's Blackreef Island, Bakaba says that "with all projects, there is some kind of flavour; this one is more action, this one is more RPG, this one is more adventure. So there are always those flavours we play with." In Deathloop, however, "where we wanted to focus was on how you approach the campaign itself. So the campaign is kind of a puzzle. It's quite open-ended, in the sense that you're presented with a problem, with few leads in the beginning."

While the likes of Prey and Dishonored also offered players plenty of avenues to success, Bakaba says that Deathloop is "more of a puzzle than what we did before. Although there is one solution to the overarching puzzle, each and every situation can be approached in a variety of ways."

Bakaba offers a few hints as to what those different approaches might entail. Stumbling upon guards digging a tunnel early in the day, for example, might offer a simple way to thin out the enemy ranks. If, however, you choose to spare them, and come back to that same tunnel later on, you might find that it's a useful entryway into a previously inaccessible area. Decisions, decisions...

You can read more about Arkane's time-bending shooter in Josh's feature on why Deathloop could define a new generation of shooters for PS5.

For more of the biggest games that will launch this year, be sure to check out our guide to all the new games 2021.