i FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA OUT NOW PUB ARMOR GAMES STUDIOS DEV INSERTDISC5 / PLAYERS 1
Some of the best stories in videogames feature time loops. Two critically acclaimed PlayStation standouts that come immediately to mind are deadly assassin sim Deathloop and existential space exploration adventure The Outer Wilds, but if we widen the scope beyond narrative you can find a loop in most games. Many obvious ones, including bullet-fuelled action game Returnal and underworld hack-and-slasher Hades, fall within the roguelike genre, where looping is a staple. Playing hundreds of matches in the same handful of maps in your chosen multiplayer FPS is its own kind of loop – and heck, getting your butt repeatedly kicked by a brutal boss encounter can feel like you’re stuck in a never-ending loop.
To play games is to take part in some sort of loop, whether it’s simply a recurring plot point in a story or an inherent aspect of a genre. A handful of developers
