Sunday, 12 September 2021 17:48

Deathloop's Emergent Environmental Interactions Could Be a Big Selling Point

Written by Kieran Hollingsworth
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Deathloop has revealed all-new details including gameplay and story elements, but its emergent environmental interactions could be huge.

2021’s PlayStation Showcase highlighted what PlayStation owners can expect to get out of their PS5’s in the coming years. While big reveals such as God of War: Ragnarok and Wolverine may have drawn the most attention, fans also received more in-depth looks at a number of titles set to come out soon. Among the games to receive further information was Deathloop, for which the latest gameplay trailer offered a lot to be excited about.

The PlayStation Showcase gameplay trailer for Deathloop gave fans a good look at everything from the game’s story, to more subtle elements such as gameplay mechanics. The ominous story elements of the trailer succeeded in further sucking in fans already anticipating the release of Deathloop. However, for fans paying close attention, what may have proven most exciting was Deathloop’s emergent environmental interactions.

RELATED: Deathloop Review

Deathloop at the PlayStation Showcase

What stands out from Deathloop’s gameplay trailer is the depth of Colt’s supernatural abilities. Colt’s blinking mechanic was once again on display, and he can be seen making extensive use of his Star Wars force push ability. However, another of Colt’s abilities was highlighted in the trailer, which looks a bit more complex and effective. Colt comes across three enemies standing in a triangle and establishes a neural connection of sorts between them. This appears to leave them in some sort of an unconscious state and makes killing one of them kill them all. It’s likely that there are many abilities in the game fans will have to wait for launch to see, but from what is already known, it looks exciting.

Fans were also given a greater look at the story of Deathloop, which seems more complex than they may have thought. More attention was given to pondering the question of why Colt may be reliving the same day over and over, but fans are still none the wiser. Colt makes repeated reference to “Somebody” who has wrecked all of the planes on the island, created the time loop, and is leaving Colt messages and hints. It’s unclear whether this somebody is the same person, but as this time loop seems to be one big experiment, it is likely. It’s also revealed why Colt is on the island to begin with, as it is shown he was hired to be the island’s head of security. The importance of this is unclear, but it looks set to be one of the big mysteries of Deathloop’s story.

Deathloop’s Cool Emergent Environmental Interactions Feature

In Deathloop’s latest gameplay trailer, fans were given a more in-depth look at a number of the features outlined in previous reveals. While the fan’s attention may have been on Colt’s powers and the gripping story, one minor moment in the trailer stood out.

Near the end of the trailer, Colt is being approached by an enemy wielding a machete, but instead of firing directly at the enemy, he shoots at a nearby vending machine. This sends cans spraying out across the floor, which seems to kill the enemy by tripping them up. In another scene, Colt is seen lighting fireworks aimed at a group of enemies, causing a commotion. These environmental interactions could be a pretty major feature in Deathloop.

In a game that appears to be about experimenting with different ways of killing enemy factions, these environmental interactions are likely to come in big as a central mechanic, and be a lot of fun. Due to the nature of Deathloop, even players who wouldn’t typically make use of features such as these will likely turn to them for variety, and in aid of finding the most efficient way of working through the game.

While little else in the way of environmental interactions are shown in the trailer, it’s likely that the game will be chocked full of them, just waiting to be discovered. While working their way through the groundhog day story of Deathloop, players are likely to stumble across many of these interactions and implement them into their routine. Deathloop’s gunplay looks fun, but its emergent environmental interactions might steal the show.

Deathloop launches on September 14 for PC and PS5.

MORE: How Deathloop is Taking Advantage of the PS5 DualSense Controller Features

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