In the wake of games likeDishonored 2,Prey, andWolfenstein: Youngblood, Arkane’s next first-person adventure is taking things in a slightly different direction. Acting almost like a mish-mash of the studio’s previously developed projects, the upcomingDeathloopis built on tons of cross-pollination of the studio’s experience, alongside a distinct art style and universe. One aspect in particular that’s coming fromYoungbloodis multiplayer, albeit in a versus scenario instead of co-op. Colt has to fight and defeat visionaries to break the time loop inDeathloop, but players also have to contend with Julianna, a rival mercenary who’s only objective is to kill the other player.
It’s worth noting that it’s entirely possible to playDeathloopsolo, but Arkane highlights that the game has a distinct one-versus-one multiplayer design meant to raise the stakes. That being said, despite emphasizing this rival/competitive dynamic, rarely have any of the game’s previews or trailers shown much of this in action, at least on an in-depth level. It’s hard to really know what role Julianna’s character will play as an adversary for players, specifically in a multiplayer context. For those playing solo, Julianna will likely function in a boss-fight-style format. However in a game likeDeathloop, where the difficulty potentially favors Colt, Julianna’s impact is hard to gauge.
The Deathloop Multipalyer Premise: Colt Vs. Julianna
Deathloop’s premise and gameplay foundation is pretty simple: Colt, the player, is stuck in time and needs to defeat eight Visionaries to end the Groundhog Day scenario.Regions are as open-ended asDishonored’s varied arenas, and players choose what routes they want to take in attempting to assassinate the Visionaries, break the time loop, and escape. However, the unique angle taken inDeathloopstems from another Visionary named Julianna; a rival mercenary, embodied by another player in multiplayer, who’s only objective is to invade players' game worlds and kill them. Colt’s time loop restarts when he dies three times, either by an NPC or another player.
Julianna’s abilities are nearly identical to Colt’s, but that doesn’t inherently mean players are on an even playing field. Julianna players only have one life per time of day, as opposed to Colt’s “Reprise,” which provides him with three lives per loop. Julianna can surprise players with her invasions, as she essentially locks off exit doors until players defeat her, or Colt hacks the doors and leaves before Julianna can catch the other player. However, Colt players who go on the offensive and kill Julianna also replenish their Reprise, meaning it’s encouraged to fight back against invasions.Arkane has specifically designed Julianna’s invasionsas a challenge, not relentless PvP.
How Do Julianna’s Invasions Impact Deathloop’s Gameplay?
Of course, that brings up an interesting question for online play: What is the impact of Julianna players in online play? There is an admittedly tough balancing act to be had when adding invasion-style PvP in singleplayer games.Dark Soulsis arguably the most comparable multiplayer experience toDeathloop, but other tangential examples likeDeath Strandingcome to mind as well. Determining how player interactivity, and the blend of isolated-versus-integrated multiplayer, can tangentially affect multiplayer is a tough ask, and even harder to execute.Dark Soulstakes a strictly skill-based approach, whileDeath Strandingis a more subtle and cooperative approach.
Weighing the advantage to Colt players could actively discourage multiplayer invasions by Julianna players altogether, assuming the difficulty is unbalanced. On paper, the issue of balance doesn’t sound particularly problematic: Colt has extra lives, Julianna only shows up once per region. If anything, the challenging aspect ofDeathloop’s asynchronous designis weighted towards Julianna players, who need a degree of skill to stomp down Colt as many times as it takes to end the opposing player’s time loop. However, what is the reward for doing so? Do Julianna players gain extra loot or some other kinds of tangible gameplay reward? Why toggle on multiplayer at all?
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Balancing Challenge Vs. Grief in Deathloop’s Multiplayer
Any player who finds simple satisfaction in the gameplay alone will beencouraged to invade other players' worlds inDeathloop, it’s just a matter of what rewards are offered to successful invasions. Assuming players are significantly encouraged to engage in invasions, how stacked are the odds going to be against them? Julianna works alongside all of the NPCs in the game, but Colt players have multiple lives, an arsenal of weapons they can amass over time, and the element of surprise on their side. With two evenly-matched players, hypothetically, Julianna players are potentially always going to be at a disadvantage in trying to kill Colt players and end their time loop.
Deathloop’s release date isn’t particularly far away, so as the months close in, prospective players will want to learn a little bit more about the finer details of multiplayer. The incentives to Julianna players invading, the difficulty curve and balance between Colt-versus-Julianna, among other factors, could be make or break for multiplayer. Players shouldn’t feel discouraged to try invading as Julianna, while Colt players shouldn’t feel inherent grief with the multiplayer option on.
The versus dynamic should allow for a relatively balanced experience on both sides:Deathloopdoesn’t have to be as punishingly skill-based asDark Souls, but multiplayer should at least be as level of a playing field as possible. Julianna’s impact on the game, as a multiplayer component, should find a happy medium between balanced and rewarding for invading players' worlds.
Deathloopreleases on July 06, 2025, for PC and PS5.
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