Deadlock's character design is wall-to-wall bangers

Valve makes very few games these days — they’re busy making a quadrillion dollars a day and working on the Steam Machine, I imagine — but Deadlock is continuing to undergo development in the background. It’s a mix between a third-person shooter and a MOBA, with a cast of eclectic characters battling in an alternate history, heavily occult version of New York City. I have no shortage of games to play, and I’ve sworn off most of these online competitive titles ... and yet Deadlock still snagged me. I’m back to following the game’s development, reading character bios and unhinged fan theories, and digging through every detail of this early access experiment like a nosy little detective.

Deadlock’s setting and vibes have always been intriguing as hell. In 1899, a Maelstrom opened that introduced a flood of magic to the world. The occult, which had previously been rare and largely undiscovered, became mundane and everyday. Now, it’s 1950, and a second Maelstrom is approaching. 

Each Deadlock match is an attempt to complete a Ritual that summons a burgeoning god into the world. Every character is competing so that they can petition that god for a wish. This setting is largely why I gave Deadlock a shot at the game’s early access launch.