Does Deathloop have Multiplayer?

Games like Dark Souls, and probably a few before that I’m not thinking of, popularized the notion of “invading” players. Other players could enter your game session and either help or hinder your progress, depending on the kind of mood they were in. I can’t say I’ve ever been fond of the idea of someone walking into my room and slapping the controller out of my hands, but it certainly does add a bit of zing to what’s otherwise a single-player experience. Deathloop utilizes a similar idea in its core game design. Speaking of, does Deathloop have multiplayer?

Does Deathloop have multiplayer?

Deathloop does have multiplayer, though it’s a strictly one-on-one affair. If you were hoping for traditional deathmatch arenas like the ones found in DOOM or Quake, you’re not getting that here. Rather, Deathloop’s multiplayer takes the form of a rival character to your own. See, your character, Colt, wants to try to end the time loop he’s stuck in, while his rival, Juliana, wants to make sure it’s preserved, and the only way to do that is to kill Colt. Depending on how your game is configured, Juliana can be controlled by one of three entities:

• If you’re playing Single Player mode, Juliana will be controlled by an AI.
• If you’re playing Online mode, Juliana will be controlled by a random player connecting to your game
• If you’re playing Friends Only mode, Juliana can only be controlled by users on your personal friends list; otherwise, she’ll be AI controlled.

You can also play as Juliana yourself, provided you’ve made enough progress into the campaign and unlocked the option on the main menu. Whenever a player-controlled Juliana spawns into another player’s session, a distinct sound will play to warn the host player, followed by a brief exchange of dialogue between her and Colt. 

While it’s Colt’s goal to progress the story, if you’re playing as Juliana, your only role is to kill Colt and reset the loop. Both characters exist simultaneously in the world, so it’s Juliana’s job to follow Colt’s tracks and shoot him dead using the same basic tactics he uses, while Colt needs to keep an eye out for Juliana and be ready for her when she comes shooting.

Juliana can also track Colt through NPCs and security installations, and if any spot him, she’ll be notified of his presence on the map. Whenever Juliana finds Colt, nearby doors will be locked, so Colt will either have to kill her or hack her satellite relay. If Colt isn’t in the same map area as one of the story Targets, Juliana can’t invade, so don’t worry about being attacked if you’re just exploring.