DEATHLOOP
DEATHLOOP – Getting to Know the Visionaries
DEATHLOOP
For every hero, there must be a villain.
In DEATHLOOP’s case there are eight villains, although (for the most part) they certainly don’t see themselves as villainous. They call themselves Visionaries, and that’s precisely how they view themselves: brilliant minds, all ahead of their time. And that may actually be true. However, their brilliant minds are warped by selfish desires and extremist philosophies. These eight Visionaries are responsible for creating and upholding the timeloop keeping Blackreef stuck in its never-ending cycle, and they’ll do anything to stop Colt from destroying all of their hard work.
The AEON Program
“The island of Blackreef is trapped in a timeloop, but it’s not a natural phenomenon. It’s the result of a series of experiments as part of the AEON Program, run by ‘a group of opportunistic 20-somethings who call themselves ‘Visionaries,’” says Narrative Designer Bennett Smith. “These Visionaries want to escape the constraints and discomforts of the world. AEON's goal is simple: pursue the dream of an eternal life free from consequence and far from society.”
“After years of recruiting young and impressionable ‘Eternalists’ (the other inhabitants on the island) to help set up the AEON Program on Blackreef, the Visionaries kicked off their experiment and isolated Blackreef from the rest of the world,” Smith continues. “They've harnessed the old research equipment on the island and used themselves as anchors for the Loop; as long as at least one Visionary is alive at the end of each day, the Loop persists. They also enjoy enhanced abilities and even superpowers, thanks to the devices (called Slabs and Trinkets) the AEON scientists have developed.”
Meet the Visionaries
Aleksis “The Wolf” Dorsey
Bennett Smith, Narrative Designer: Aleksis Dorsey formerly ran a profiteering pharmaceutical company before becoming the primary financial backer of the AEON Program. Obsessed with wolf iconography, he believes his social and business achievements have earned him the title of an ‘Alpha.’ Aleksis wants to be the man everyone wants to spend time with, sleep with and party with.
Egor Serling
Smith: Egor Serling is the original AEON founder, a self-proclaimed pseudoscientist, and someone who just can’t get no respect. Egor craves a contradictory kind of legitimacy: he wants to be left alone and viewed as a preeminent genius, but he also wants to be adored and invited to parties. And when neither of those things happen… Egor turns violent.
Wenjie Evans
Pawel Kroenke, Lead Narrative Designer: Dr. Wenjie Evans is the foremost scientist of the AEON Program. Her revolutionary research on Blackreef's Anomaly enabled the creation of Trinkets, Slabs and even the timeloop itself. Wenjie may seem aloof and dismissive, but that's because she knows that the only person who can offer her an interesting conversation is herself.
Harriet Morse
Smith: Harriet Morse doesn’t fear death. She grabs it, wields it like a hammer, then smashes your teeth in with it. Attend one of her sermons and find out what you’ve been missing. It may only be the First Day, but in Harriet’s calculating mind, it’s merely the first step in her ascension to self-actualizing glory.
Fia Zborowska
Kroenke: Fia is the principal visual artist of the AEON Program and the creator of Blackreef's over-the-top style. Having ingested a veritable cornucopia of psychedelics just before the loop kicked off, she's not quite all there. Or as she would put it: she's there, and there, and everywhere else, at the same time, all the time.
“Ramblin’” Frank Spicer
Smith: There are legends, and then there’s Frank Spicer. He’s a complicated crooner chock full of superlatives: the best, the most, the only. Back on the mainland, his career was ruined. Now he’s using Blackreef and AEON to launch the greatest comeback ever. He’s terrified of anyone jeopardizing his shot back in the limelight, with the security measures to prove it.
Charlie “*$%@ing” Montague
Kroenke: World-famous video game auteur, or as he prefers to be called – interaconteur. The mind behind Blackreef's many boundary-pushing gaming experiences, as well as the Minicom instant messaging system, his technical expertise is almost as big as his ego.
Julianna Blake
And then there’s… her.
Smith: One minute she’s tenderly holding your hand, and the next, she’s plunging a machete through your spine. She’s got beef with Colt and it just ain’t getting cooked properly. Colt needs to step it up and get running; she’s playing the long game and has a massive head start.
Get to know Julianna even better in this in-depth feature.
Taking Out the Visionaries
Like everyone else on Blackreef, the Visionaries (with the exception of Julianna) suffer from amnesia caused by the timeloop. They are all under the impression that they are currently on the first day of their eternal freedom party, and because they don’t realize they’ve been stuck like this, they repeat the same actions every day. This will make your job of hunting and manipulating them a bit easier.
Across the island you’ll find clues about their secrets, habits and routines. Everything you uncover about the Visionaries will be tracked in the Leads section of your menu and can be recalled between cycles. These Leads offer step-by-step instructions for finding and defeating all eight Visionaries.
On top of getting you one step closer to breaking the timeloop, taking out Visionaries also comes with some pretty major bonuses.
Risk & Reward
“All of our Visionaries have a unique weapon or Slab,” says Game Systems Designer David McClure. “If they don't have a unique weapon, they will have a weapon with a unique Weapon Perk. The only way to get hold of these unique items is to defeat the Visionaries holding them (or Julianna).”
Killing Visionaries will always net you a huge reward, whether it’s a new ability or a powerful upgrade to an ability you already have, so it never hurts to kill them more than once. But be aware, when a Visionary dies it places increased stress on the timeloop. This means Eternalists will be more dangerous, hunting you with renewed ferocity. However, it also means you’ll come across better equipment. Items like Trinkets will be also be more powerful and plentiful. The stress will decrease a little when you expend a Reprise charge and will significantly decrease when the day restarts.
