"Deathloop" is out now, and Arkane's stylish "murder puzzle" is arguably one of the most creative games of the year. In this time-loop adventure, you will shoot, sneak, and think your way through eight deadly Visionaries who will try to save a day that repeats itself forever at all costs. Breaking the loop requires both strategic thinking and quick reflexes, and we've compiled a list of Deathloop tips that should help you navigate the game's unique structure and demanding gameplay. Whatever you do, don't be afraid to make mistakes during play.

If you have already played Deathloop for a few hours, you can skip these tips. However, if you are just starting out, Blackreef Island will open up fairly quickly. Once the tutorial is over, you can go wherever you want and take on the Visionaries in whatever order you want. However, the game recommends starting with Wenjie, and following its advice will unlock important gameplay elements. By conquering Wenjie first, you will gain the Residuum, a resource that allows you to bring back your favorite items and skills. Otherwise, they will disappear when morning comes.

Each area of Deathloop has dozens of smaller goals to accomplish, usually three or four larger ones. While it is possible to play as efficiently as possible and try to accomplish all the objectives in one visit, it is not always advisable. First and foremost, achieving the objectives will often give you good equipment. Leaving the place is the only way to spend the Residium to keep the equipment, or to discard it and use the Residium to power up something else. Furthermore, it is wise to leave the area and recharge your skills before returning, as the resurrecting reprise power can only be used twice per area.

Like Dishonored's Corvo, Deathloop's Colt has access to special abilities that set him apart from his enemies in the game. These include teleportation, telekinesis, invisibility, damage reduction, and "linking" targets to hurt them at once. All of these powers are worth acquiring, but only two can be equipped at a time. Every power has optional upgrades, and you can earn these upgrades by hunting certain visionaries repeatedly. Once you find a power you like, it is worth hunting down the visionary a second (or third, or fourth) time to see how to upgrade that power.

Death Loop special powers give you a big advantage, but as mentioned, you can only equip two at a time. Unless you just like to collect things for completeness, it is not worth looking around for every last upgrade for every last power. Once you find two powers that fit your playstyle, your best bet is to upgrade them. Upgrading a power requires killing a visionary, which is usually a risky and time-consuming process. If you go through the trouble, get rewards that you can actually use.

In the multiplayer component of Deathloop, you control the antagonist Julianna Blake to invade other players' games. It's a fascinating bully mode, but it's easy for Julianna to gain the upper hand - especially against less skilled players. If you want to test your wits against all invaders, there is no need to change the multiplayer options. However, if you want to play with friends, you can toggle the "friends only" invasion setting. You can also toggle single-player mode, in which Juliana will also invade, but as a computer-controlled character.

Once you start regularly defeating Visionaries, you will have access to many great weapons, trinkets, and abilities. However, it is not worth using up all of your limited Residuum reserves. Colts can only equip four trinkets, three weapons, and two special abilities at a time. If you want to change your style of play for different purposes, it is helpful to have a small amount of gear. But it is much easier to find gear that you really like and focus on saving it first. If you have to sacrifice a situationally useful item to do so, that's not a big problem.

Defeating the Death Loop visionaries is not as simple as kicking down the front door and destroying enemy bases all over the place. You must carefully explore each level and learn the Visionaries' schedules, habits, and weaknesses. The most common way to do this is to find documents, but you can often get small clues by listening to enemy conversations; if you encounter two or more eternalists and take your eyes off them for a moment, they may give you a hint during their conversation. Usually they are not game-changing, but it is worth listening for a few seconds.

Deathloop is not Dishonored. You can take on multiple opponents, and prolonged firefights are a perfectly valid strategy. Still, eternalists will attack in groups when they have the chance. When approaching a new area, especially one where you see three or more Eternalists, it is a good idea to reduce their numbers with Silent Execution. Even though it is faster to shoot through them with a gun, guns make a loud noise and can draw a large group of enemies into range. Stealth takes time, but there is no need to rush. As long as you stay in a certain area, time will not advance.

Similarly, if you start a firefight and it doesn't go your way, there is no reason to stay there. Eternalists in the Death Loop will quickly lose sight of you if you are hiding. If you see a large group of enemies, the best way to deal with them may be to take down a few, run away, and repeat the process. Retreating also provides a good opportunity to see if there are any hidden paths nearby. Few areas in the Death Loop have only one entrance.

Blackleaf Island is stuck in a time loop and only you and Julianna retain memories between cycles. Therefore, every enemy, obstacle, and shortcut remains in place each time you revisit an area; as you explore and re-explore the four main locations, you will find paths that you take repeatedly, with few obstacles and few enemy obstructions. Memorize these paths and use them to your advantage. Of course, if Julianna invades (and she will), the game plan may change completely. But at least you know some good hiding places along the way.