Schell Games

[{"content":{"text":" Welcome back to What The Schell?, where we throw out the canon, take two disparate game worlds and weld them together to see if the resulting sparks that fly are dangerous, delightful, or a bit of both. This issue of What the Schell? theorizes about a crossover between the slapstick spy thriller I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine and the time-bending, clone-cooperating shooter UnLoop . On paper, these games are practically cousins. IEYTD 3 is a 60s-style spy thriller; Unloop is a \"Space Age\" sci-fi adventure. Both love a good laser, both demand creative puzzle solving, and both know you're going to fail a LOT before the final, rewarding victory run. But where IEYTD resets the world when you die, Unloop keeps your ghost around to help. So, what happens when the Agency gets its hands on time-loop technology? DISCOUNT CODE: IEYTDUnloop-8904FC "},"id":"5f971fda-07f3-460e-a044-d46a66aa2242","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"link":"https:\/\/www.meta.com\/addons\/770670366101820\/","text":"Get the Bundle","class":"","id":""},"id":"401950be-cceb-4ce2-8698-dffffb2ce010","isHidden":false,"type":"buttonBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/5zizswqyj3l4mm0f"],"src":"","alt":"Crossover art depicting Agent Phoenix solving puzzles in the UnLoop environment","caption":"Love this beautiful artwork? Same! Click it to see the full version","link":"https:\/\/schellgames.com\/media\/pages\/blog\/ieytd-3-unloop\/0856f4b708-1771450018\/i-expect-you-to-loop.jpg","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"a74873a7-945b-48ab-82bf-186425c1f33c","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"Operation: Echo Chamber","customid":""},"id":"c932437b-e5c6-4447-a615-049ebea32d43","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h3","text":"Mission Briefing","customid":""},"id":"e0a52b36-a135-40d9-89e0-6ca42d8b4efb","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":" The world fades in. You are sitting in the center of the main climbing vehicle of the Zoraxis Lunar Elevator. The aesthetic is a jarring clash of styles: the sleek, dangerous spy-fi of Zoraxis tech, overlaid with the groovy, neon-and-chrome atompunk vibes of the Unloop universe. Smooth jazz plays softly from a radio on one of the workstations. \"Agent! Can you hear me?\" The Handler\u2019s voice crackles in your ear, sounding tinny and panicked. \"Telemetry is going haywire. Just grab the Infinity Drive behind that blast door and get out. You can't let it reach the Moon.\" You look forward. The blast door is massive. Three thick cables run from the door to three separate control consoles arranged in a triangle around you: Engineering , Biochemical, and Command . \"Bad news, Agent,\" the Handler sighs. \"Intel suggests that door requires three simultaneous bypasses at all three consoles to open. Unless you\u2019ve grown two extra torsos since breakfast, we are done for.\" But you aren't done. You look down at your wrist. You aren't wearing your standard Agency cufflinks. You\u2019re wearing the Chrono-Gauntlet. A smooth, synthesized voice\u2014the Unloop AI\u2014purrs into your other ear. \"Chill, baby. You\u2019ve got the best team in the world. Yourself.\" "},"id":"65e81784-bb0a-4e74-a416-f7c40db760c2","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"web","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pgjckhtKFU8","video":[],"poster":[],"caption":"","autoplay":"false","muted":"true","loop":"false","controls":"true","preload":"auto"},"id":"d10b685d-bacf-4da8-a02d-4a03d5dc8070","isHidden":false,"type":"videoBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h3","text":"Loop 1: The Heavy Lifting","customid":""},"id":"ac4e6f93-84b8-4e61-9ba7-01548d6f9062","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":" You press the button on the Gauntlet. RECORDING. With nothing nearby to interact with, you start at the Engineering Console . It\u2019s a mess of heavy industrial levers. You reach out with your telekinesis, grabbing a heavy iron wheel. You crank it. It groans, hissing steam. \"Agent, what are you doing?\" The Handler asks. \"That valve only primes the hydraulic pump! You still need to hit the two other switches!\" You ignore him. You just hold the wheel. 10 seconds. 15. The gauge hits the red zone. Warning. Neurotoxin levels critical. You don't move. \"Agent! The gas! Get out of there!\" You cough. The screen fades to black. You have died. \"Cut,\" the AI says smoothy. \"Let\u2019s take it from the top.\" "},"id":"deee1594-4345-457f-8e69-97242e93f3e9","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"web","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=f_sEbgqO3-w","video":[],"poster":[],"caption":"","autoplay":"false","muted":"true","loop":"false","controls":"true","preload":"auto"},"id":"98beb166-0e2b-4c9a-b744-eae096d81162","isHidden":false,"type":"videoBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h3","text":"Loop 2: Covering Fire","customid":""},"id":"9377d647-9a68-4d16-8e39-745ab683a5c5","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":" REWIND. The world spins backward. The gas clears. You are back where this mission began. But this time, you don't go to Engineering. You look to your left. A shimmering, blue wireframe version of yourself\u2014your Echo\u2014zips over to the Engineering console. \"Good heavens!\" The Handler shrieks. \"Agent, there\u2019s a... a ghost Phoenix? I have no idea how to tell Sean in HR about this.\" You ignore him, this time turning your attention to the Biochemical Console . Across the room, your Blue Echo grabs the steam wheel. The blast door hisses and begins to crack open. Pulling the lever at the Biochemical console, a large groan indicates you've bypassed the next of the station's defenses. The gas shuts off, but that has in turn triggered the station's security. From the ceiling, three Zoraxis laser turrets drop down, locking onto you and your Blue Echo. You can't let the timeline collapse, and need to protect the defenseless Echo holding the wheel at all costs. You grab a telekinetic pistol from the Tactical desk. Blam! You shatter the lens of the first turret. Blam! You take out the second turret just as it charges a shot. \"Agent, are you... protecting the ghost?\" The Handler seems even more anxious than usual. \"This isn't in any of our proprietary training manuals.\" The third turret fires directly at you. You accept your fate. \"Groovy,\" the AI whispers. \"One more time with feeling.\" "},"id":"70b0d138-c89d-40bd-9a0b-b9b27c7365ec","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/c9ikremdznmfdgjd"],"src":"","alt":"","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"20f8934d-770c-491c-8811-74d695d64679","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h3","text":"Loop 3: The Heist","customid":""},"id":"42502877-fbae-4027-8167-e51af22e0864","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":" REWIND. You spawn. The music swells\u2014a perfect mix of the Bond theme brass and the Unloop synth-wave. To your left, Blue Echo zips to Engineering and grabs the wheel. To your right, Green Echo zips to Biochemical and draws their pistol. You sit in the center, at the Command Console , and watch the symphony. The gas dissipates. The door unlocks. The turrets drop down. The Green Echo fires\u2014 bang, bang \u2014clearing the air before the turrets can even target the Blue Echo. \"I... I don't understand,\" The Handler stammers. \"There are three of you. And you\u2019re perfectly synchronized. It\u2019s like a ballet. A terrifying, identical ballet.\" With the wheel held and the turrets down, a large red button reveals itself on the Command Console. With one hand you slam the button, with the other you telekinesis the third turret to miss its shot. The heavy blast door slides open. The path is clear. The Infinity Drive sits on a pedestal. You gently lift it, floating it through the air, past the head of your Blue Echo (who is still struggling with the steam wheel), past the smoldering remains of the turrets defeated by your Green Echo, and into your hands. "},"id":"3e86a6e8-993d-4c69-86aa-2f1c77d79518","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/ayvbtbnde0we6a0q"],"src":"","alt":"","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"b9611b75-e4d5-44b0-a422-04fb6b6178ec","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h3","text":"Mission Debriefing","customid":""},"id":"49e18066-5093-42c7-9818-472a0bc00055","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":" Drive in hand, you strap yourself back to your chair, pulling the newly-revealed Escape lever. The floor drops out beneath you as you begin the descent the slow descent to Earth along the Lunar elevator cable. As you do, the timeline resolves. The Blue and Green Echoes dissolve into light and slam back into your body. You are one person again. \"I\u2019m marking the mission as a success,\" The Handler says, his voice shaky. \"But when you get back to HQ, you are going straight to Psychological Evaluation. I don't care what gadget you were using; nobody should have that much chemistry with themselves.\" "},"id":"a1a59b0f-e2c9-4f62-ae16-5fbb73467775","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"text":" And that's just mission one of where I Expect You To Loop could go. Imagine Dr. Prism adapting to your time warping abilities and releasing a new trap or Robutler assassin to thwart each new attempt. Or Charlie Caliente seated in a giant, flamethrower-wielding mech as the Agent loops to block the fire, sabotage his fuel cells, and disable it for good. Would you play Operation: Echo Chamber ? "},"id":"79fb1ab6-bfbb-451e-912c-ff116bbbf9b0","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"}]

I Expect You to Loop | What the Schell?

March 11, 2026 · insights

Related Articles

Can you outwit Dr. Prism?

Let's work together.