Deathloop starts out really strong, with an interesting timeloop mechanic and all the exploration and open-endedness you'd expect from an Arkane game. The characters and world are constantly entertaining and whether exploring or just pursuing the objectives, it feels like there's something new around every corner, even if that's just new lore about the world of the characters.

Unfortunately, it doesn't really last. Once the pieces start falling into place the lack of depth and, honestly, choice at the heart of the timeloop mechanic becomes apparent, and the game then kinda limps towards a pretty underwhelming ending. By the end, I was rushing to beat the game as I'd had my fill.

Despite that, it's still fun, and the Julianna invasion mechanic made for some fun times (and some frustrating ones), though I had little interest in pursuing it myself, even with the challenges and rewards or whatever.

Ultimately, it's just far less substantial than it sets out to be, and fails to live up to the potential the concept offers. Still, I can give a game a lot of leeway for an interesting premise even if the execution is, honestly, pretty flawed, and Deathloop does enough right to be a good game. Just not a great one.