Deathloop is perfect for supernatural speed running

Deathloop, as its name implies, is about a time loop and, well, death. You take control of Colt as he attempts to assassinate eight targets in a single day. Mess up? Roll the clocks back and try again in this Edge of Tomorrow scenario. The entire premise makes Deathloop speed running imminent.

The Bethesda-published and Arkane-developed shooter is fast, bloody and great for creating the optimal route of assassin carnage. Deathloop is like a supernatural Hitman, according to some critics, after all. There are few better ways to assassinate someone than to find the most efficient — and deadly — way to pull it off.

Deathloop supernatural speed running has already begun

“[The] Deathl0op speed run record is currently held by Bethesda QA and its less than an hour,” said Arkane Studios level designer Julien Eveillé. “They’re giving you a week before entering in the competition.”

Quality assurance departments usually earn the fastest times since they are the first to actually play the game and learn its ins and outs. Those records never last very long though, as speed runners are great at breaking down how games work quickly.

Deathloop only launched on Sept. 14, so runners like Bryon “Bryonato” Rothfusz are still waist deep in their casual play throughs. They don’t know what strategies they’ll take or what issues they’ll run into with the shooter just yet. They do know that it should be a good game for speed running, though.

Deathloop Day 2!!!
I'm so happy the Arkane kick is back.https://t.co/BqzPliNhEM pic.twitter.com/HSGrb1H6Gt

— bryonato (@bryonato) September 14, 2021

“The foundation is there,” Bryonato, who is known for speed running Control and Titanfall, said. It’s a little early to know if a robust speed running scene will surround Deathloop, but there will most certainly be runs at events like Games Done Quick. The shooter is definitely popular, accumulating more than 136,000 viewers on Twitch at the time of this writing.

Deathloop released to rave critic reviews from outlets across the game industry. Tamoor Hussain at GameSpot gave the game a perfect 10/10 score, citing “beautiful art direction” and “excellent writing.” PC Gamer called the game an “entertaining stealth shooter” and said that the multiplayer element, where players can “raid” other sessions and play as an in-game antagonist, is the real charm of Deathloop. 

“Deathloop gets DIFFICULT,” said Twitch streamer Suzi Hunter. “I think it might be an allegory for speed running, cuz you die, die, and die, but every time you come back you do it a little faster until you get a perfect run. It’s great!”