Deathloop introduces two of your eight assassination targets

Time loop FPS Deathloop debuted a new trailer during today's PlayStation 5 showcase to introduce a few of those assassination targets you'll be setting out to put in the ground. Your protagonist Colt has eight total targets to deal with if he wants to break out of the time loop affecting Blackreef, an island broken up into districts a bit like Dunwall of Arkane's previous Dishonored. The new trailer introduces two of the ill-fated targets.

"Eight people that have to die to make things right, and thanks to the timeloop, you’ve only got one day to take them all out or the loop resets," says Bethesda explain. "But the targets are spread out across the island and are often only accessible at certain points throughout the day."

It sounds like the way order in which you approach your targets will affect what they get up to. It's a bit of the puzzle. "The island itself is broken up into four open districts, similar to what you might remember from Dishonored, though the districts aren’t tied to levels," Bethesda say. "You can explore any district in any order as you work to solve the puzzle of the island. Time of day will play a role in changing the look and layout of the different districts. While mornings might see clear streets filled with people preparing to throw a massive party, nights will see those same streets covered with snow from an afternoon flurry and the remnants of a spectacular rager. Snowbanks might cover paths you would have been able to take earlier in the day, while also providing lifts to new, previously unreachable locations. Events that took place throughout the day (whether you were there to witness them or not) will also have their own effects on the districts, and the decisions you make in one area of the island can impact others. All this will need to be factored in as you hunt down your targets." It sounds like a right good puzzle, like picking apart a knot you've not found the end of just yet.

"The loop can give you perfect clarity on the outcomes of your actions," says campaign designer Daniel Todd. "You never need to wonder what would happen if you tried one path or another; you can try both and compare the results. One outcome may be to your advantage if you have one goal in mind, but if you return to the same location with a new goal, the alternate outcome may be the one that gives you the upper hand."

As you learn the island, you'll learn your targets as well. You'll need to puzzle out their schedules and their vulnerabilities and figure out how to get them right where you want them. One target, Egor Serling, is apparently no big challenge, as evidenced by Colt snapping his neck numerous times. The trick is that taking him out alone means you won't have time to handle the others.

Across the island, Aleksis "The Wolf" Dorsey is throwing some kind of cannibal masquerade that Egor would skip if not for your time-looping intervention. Get Egor to the party and get a shot at killing two of your marks at once. And so on with all five others, I imagine. Every loop you fail will net you more info on which targets are where and how you can shove them where you want them to be. That masquerade is going to be one hell of a blood bath if you're successful. As long as that other rival assassin Julianna Blake doesn't kill you first.

Deathloop is now launching in 2021 after a recent delay.