There have been plenty of excellent PS5 console exclusive titles that have been released this year. However, the reviews for Deathloop make it clear that it is among the best due to its interesting and detailed world, quirky characters, and addictive gunplay. The game was heavily marketed before its release, and the marketing's main focus was on the protagonist Colt and his deadly relationship with his pursuer Julianna. The relationship between the duo was something of a myster, as they seemed to be pretty chatting in most trailers despite each other's deadly intentions. However, now that the game is officially out, fans can learn what's going on between the two.
Deathloop's narrative has a lot of interesting components to it, but the game offers a unique game mechanic that adds something small to the overall story of Colt and Julianna by allowing players to take control of Julianna. While there isn't much story content revealed by playing as her, controlling Julianna makes one thing clear right from the start: above all else, she wants Colt dead. Major plot SPOILERS for Deathloop are below.
Colt’s Relationship With Julianna
When first starting Deathloop, Julianna contacts Colt and reveals that she's been killing him over and over for several years, as the entire island of Blackreef has been reliving the same day on repeat. Colt questions why Julianna is hellbent on killing him, as his goal seems to benefit her: he wants to break the loop. As the player progresses through the game, it's clear that Julianna has some sort of connection to Colt. Colt guesses that her hatred for him might be based on a romance gone bad, but she won't tell him how they're connected. Towards the end of the main campaign, Colt discovers that Julianna is actually his daughter and that she resents him for leaving her mother.
It's worth pointing out that Colt didn't necessarily leave Lila on purpose, as he was stranded and considered MIA for 17 years during his time working on Operation Horizon. Once recovered, he was sent to an asylum and didn't have any contact with Lila before being recruited by AEON as their chief of security. There are a lot of gaps in the story, so it's unclear exactly how Julianna found Colt, but her resentment for him causes her to take great satisfaction out of killing him endlessly. That isn't the only reason why Julianna's sole focus is on protecting the loop, however.
What Breaking the Loop Means
Colt and Julianna have plenty of time to discuss their thoughts on the time loop during the runtime of the game. While Julianna usually laughs off her devotion to protecting the loop as simply an excuse to cause Colt suffering, there are a few moments when the two get a little more real and reveal their true intentions. Julianna finds the visionaries that Colt is set on killing to be harmful to the world at large, and the uncertainty of ending the loop might mean that they could be set loose in the world once more.
While it's not a perfect ever-looping existence, Julianna is essentially living as a comfortable warden for the visionaries - keeping them contained on Blackreef forever. Because Colt is the only person capable of breaking the loop and potentially setting them free, Julianna needs to kill him every day before he can succeed. What's more, she is also a visionary, so if he's to succeed and truly break the loop, it could mean that she could be dead as well. The relationship between Colt and Julianna is complicated - especially in Deathloop's true ending - but it's integral to the premise of the game, and discovering it as it unfolds is one of the driving mysteries of the story.
Deathloop is available on PC and PS5.
