The PlayStation 5’s timed console exclusive Deathloop has three different endings that are each determined by the player’s final choice, which encapsulates the good, the bad, and the secret conclusions to the game. It has become one of the most intriguing titles currently on the market thanks to scores of positive reviews for Deathloop and a unique premise that sets it apart from other AAA titles. Developer Arkane Studios has poured in an incredible amount of detail and intricate lore into the game, and the results are a mindboggling first-person shooter that is impeccably dressed in 60s nostalgia.
[Warning: Spoilers for Deathloop are below.]
When players start up Deathloop, the very first thing that they are confronted with is an unknown woman brutally murdering them. They then awaken on a mysterious beach, feeling hungover, unable to remember their name, and in a state of confusion, brushing off their murder as a bad dream. However, as players progress, they soon start to realize not only who they are (Colt Vahn) but also where they are: the island of Blackreef. And Colt is stuck there in a perpetual loop that he must somehow break to free himself from its eternal clutches.
In order to break Deathloop’s everlasting time loop, Colt soon realizes that he has to kill all of Blackreef’s Visionaries, a group of party-loving scientists and artists, in a single cycle (although something that Colt does not realize at first is that he too is a Visionary). To do this, players must uncover the mysteries of Blackreef, sourcing enough intel to allow for a perfect 24-hour loop of killing. On the way, Colt will also learn more about his assailant, Julianna Blake. Along with Colt, Julianna retains her memories of each loop that she experiences, and as a result feels that it is her destiny to protect the loop, whatever the cost. However, Deathloop’s Julianna turns out to be so much more than just the voice in Colt’s ear that is hungry for his blood. She is actually an integral part of the overall story arc for Colt, and the realization of how she and Colt are connected will impact a player’s final decision within Deathloop. And it is this final decision that will ultimately trigger one of Deathloop’s three endings.
Deathloop: The Fates Of Colt, Julianna, And Blackreef
Before any of the three Deathloop endings are realized, players will have to have uncovered enough information throughout Blackreef to successfully assassinate all Visionaries before the end of a daily cycle. By doing so, players will also have discovered one of the game’s most interesting twists: Julianna is not one of Colt’s exes, as Colt first assumed. She is, in fact, his daughter.
During Colt’s final interaction with Julianna within the Loop, Julianna reveals that Colt began killing her in a bid to save her by breaking the time loop. However, he is yet to be successful in his quest. Over time, Julianna grew weary of this constant threat to her life within each cycle, so she started to fight back. Thus, the cat-and-mouse mechanic between Julianna and Colt in Deathloop began. Julianna then presents Colt with a dueling pistol, and the decision players make at this point in the game then determines which ending they unlock.
Deathloop: Good Ending Explained
[Content warning: Suicide.] The first ending in Deathloop triggers if Colt fires his gun and kills Julianna. He is then prompted to jump off the side of the platform that the duo was standing on within the Loop and commit suicide. This eliminates himself, the final Visionary, and breaks the loop.
Following Colt’s suicide, he will then awaken on the same beach that he kept waking up on throughout Deathloop’s entire narrative. Unlike the previous times, however, on this occasion, he will awaken with a disgruntled Julianna standing over him aiming a gun at his face, and the sky will now be a vivid shade of oranges and red, signifying a change in the loop (and perhaps the doomed state the world outside of the loop is actually in). Julianna will ultimately decide not to shoot Colt, but she will sigh in disappointment. She will then proceed to walk away, leaving Colt in a world that will never be the same, to face the unknown alone.
Deathloop: Bad Ending Explained
The second ending in Deathloop is revealed if Colt decides not to kill Julianna during their showdown with the dueling pistols. If players leave enough time without shooting, eventually both Colt and Julianna will put down their guns and engage in a friendly father and daughter exchange that shows that the two assassins have come to an understanding with each other. The loop will then reset, with Colt once more waking up on the usual cold shore of Blackreef.
He will see Julianna waiting for him beneath the cliffs, and there will be no animosity between the two. Rather, they will set off together for their day on Blackreef as father and daughter, with Julianna even calling Colt “Dad” (although both agree that it doesn’t sound at all right). They then discuss what they will do with their day, with Colt announcing that he plans on pushing the party-loving Visionary Aleksis into his “meat grinder” and getting a drink after it with his daughter.
Deathloop: Secret Ending Explained
[Content warning: Suicide.] The final ending players can unlock in Deathloop is perhaps the most unfulfilling. If players choose to have Colt kill Julianna in the loop, but not commit suicide, the time loop will reset as normal. This is done by opting for Colt to “Remain in the loop” by taking a seat on the platform where he killed Julianna. Players will have to remain on the platform for a little while before the prompt to sit in the chair activates, thus making this ending the most elusive of the three.
These three Deathloop endings have been somewhat divisive. Despite being the “good” ending, many consider Colt breaking the loop a selfish act, as he has doomed everyone on Blackreef. Additionally, the fiery appearance of the sky during this ending, coupled with the lack of icebergs in the water, alludes to the world outside of the loop being in a state of chaos, and deeply impacted by the effects of global warming. The “bad” ending in Deathloop, on the other hand, offers a more satisfying conclusion.
While Colt may not have ultimately broken the loop as he had originally intended, it feels a much more fulfilling end to the story. The exchange between Colt and Julianna in the “bad” ending is also one that is perfectly laced with dark humor that compliments the rest of Deathloop’s debauched and warped narrative. This humor is noticeably missing from the “good” ending and is most definitely not present in the game’s secret ending. With the rest of the game offering up playful quips between Colt and Julianna, the prospect of the once rivals joining forces for some corrupt shenanigans together makes for a much more gratifying end to Deathloop.
