In the game, the amnesiac protagonist, Colt, is searching for a way out of the Aeon Program and off the island of Blackreef. It’s up to you to unravel the mysteries of his predicament and ensure his rival, Julianna, doesn’t take him out before he can escape. According to the premise, the island is stuck in a timeloop, but that wasn’t always the case. It started off as an isolated fishing colony, but an anomaly attracted the attention of the military, and eventually the attention of the founding members of the Aeon Program. These individuals and their followers came together to exploit the anomaly and create a timeloop that would allow them to live forever. Over time, the inhabitants started experiencing amnesia, which is where we find Colt in this exact position at the start of the game. Colt wakes to find himself on the island with only fleeting memories of the day before. His only companions come in the form of floating messages and radio calls from Julianna. Because of his amnesia, Colt isn’t quite sure of who he is, but you and he will learn about his past as you unravel the mysteries of the island. The game will also feature eight Visionaries, which are the founders of the Aeon Program. You will need to kill them in order to end the timeloop. As you play the game, you will learn more about each, and use what you learn to your advantage. But, there is one Visionary that’s a bit tough to contend with: Julianna. She will be the only person in the game you’ll have consistent contact with, and she is determined to keep you from stopping the timeloop by killing you. “This is the first person you meet and she’s trying to kill you,” says narrative designer Bennett Smith. “Part of the initial stages of the game are finding out and exploring and discovering why she wants to do this. Julianna has something in common with Colt. The island loops over one day, but everybody on the island seems to forget except for her and Colt. So in some ways they’re the only people they can both commiserate with because if they went to anyone else they would just forget.” Through that experience, “it’s basically her trying to get Colt up to her level,” said Smith. “She holds all the cards. She holds all the knowledge. So she calls you over the radio and taunts you, but it’s also this didactic experience where Colt is enquiring about what is going on and she’s giving him answers – but not all the answers. As the player navigates through this world and discovers things, she can kind of fill in some of the gaps.” According to game director Dinga Bakaba, Julianna is clearly the reason why everyone on the island wants to kill Colt, and while she should be his enemy, she keeps contacting him over his radio. “Julianna seems fascinated by him and interested in what he’s doing and how he’s doing,” said Bakaba. “This fascination goes both ways because everyone is on a schedule and everyone keeps forgetting, except for her. Julianna is with Colt every step of the way. So a lot of the conversations are this rivalry, this kind of duel of punchlines. “But every now and then there are also these moments of sincerity. They share a lot in common, they just have very, very opposed goals.” Deathloop releases exclusively for PC and PlayStation 5 on September 14 and to prepare you, Bethesda has released the PC specs as well as the global unlock times. You can look over those at the link.
