Returnal (for PlayStation 5) Preview (2024)

Sony markets Housemarque’s Returnal as the next must-own, AAA, PlayStation 5 exclusive. Although the game certainly looks like a big-budget extravaganza, the underlying gameplay is decidedly indie. Returnal is an uber-challenging roguelike in the vein of The Binding of Isaac, Dead Cells, or Hades; God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, or Marvel's Spider-Man, it is not. There’s an audience for the genre, and Returnal appeals to that fanbase with its life-death cycles and satisfying gunplay. That said, the average person may balk at the Returnal's brutal difficulty, especially when the game costs a hefty $69.99.

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A Vicious Cycle

In Returnal, you play as an astronaut named Selene. She voyages to the planet Atropos to discover the source of a mysterious alien signal transmitting from the world. Selene crash lands, and soon discovers the body of another female astronaut. Listening to the deceased’s audio logs, she hears her own voice saying things she had never recorded. After an alien monster kills her, Selene finds herself back on the ship. Stuck in a Star Trek-esque time loop, Selene must find the mysterious signal’s source and somehow break her endless life/death cycle.

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The game’s narrative explains the roguelike genre’s signature gameplay mechanics. You’ll explore Atropos, acquire numerous upgrades for your space suit, and find an assortment of alien weapons—all of which make you increasingly more powerful. However, the instant you die, you’re sent back to your crashed spaceship stripped of all acquired items. Some suit upgrades persist, particularly those gained from defeated bosses. Aside from those, you’ll always start over from scratch whenever you die. This is not only a roguelike staple, it’s reminiscent of classic NES-era games.

Every life cycle tasks you with exploring an altered landscape, with rearranged environments, enemies, and item locations. No two runs are ever the same. These mechanics are as roguelike as you can get, but Returnal also has elements that distinguish it from its genre peers.

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It should come as no surprise that Returnal contains classic “bullet hell” shmup gameplay. After all, Returnal is from the same developer that brought us Resogun and Super Stardust HD. Enemies assail you with a volley of energy spheres straight out of shooters, such as DoDonPachi Resurrection or Ikaruga. Selene can avoid most projectiles by dashing through them, though there’s a minor cooldown period between dashes. To survive encounters with the deadly alien fauna, you must run, jump, and dash across the environment, while laying down your own fire. Combat scenarios are every bit as intense as any shoot 'em up, requiring quick reflexes and complete concentration.

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You’ll also find a healthy dose of Metroidvania-style gameplay sprinkled throughout Returnal. For example, maps contain areas you can’t access without specific suit upgrades. These areas often lead to rare artifacts or act as shortcuts to later levels (after you’ve unlocked them). The map’s 2D presentation displays main pathways (marked as green doors) and side rooms (mark as blue doors), along with question marks denoting treasure chests and consumables—it's Metroid to the bone. Seeing unexplored areas on the map encourages you to venture forth into the unknown, even if it leads to a swift demise.

Gambling With Your Life

You must balance risk and reward while playing Returnal. When facing enemies, you decide whether to prolong the battle by attacking from afar or getting up close to quickly end things. Blue doors may hold better weapons or necessary life upgrades, but they could also house uber-powerful foes that can end you in seconds. Certain treasure chests could possibly damage your suit with temporary malfunctions. Do you risk a malfunction that, for example, causes suit damage for the possibility of obtaining a higher-level gun? If you’re lucky, you’ll walk away with powerful weapons and buffs.

Selene begins every cycle with her standard-issue handgun. You’ll eventually find assault rifles, shotguns, and other weapons. Each weapon has a secondary firing mode that often inflicts greater damage. Some of those alt-fire modes lob grenades, while others fire heat-seeking missiles. Alt-fire modes are not specific to weapon types. For example, your current assault rifle may not have a sniper alt-fire like the rifle you just found in a treasure box. Using alt-fire initiates a cooldown period, meaning you can’t spam them. It's a fair trade-off, as alt-fire attacks can turn the tide of a heated battle.

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Next-Gen Design

Though Returnal is an indie game in AAA clothing, it is very much a next-gen experience. Like Astro’s Playroom before it, Returnal takes full advantage of the PlayStation 5 controller’s haptic feedback and rumble features. Depressing the left trigger halfway unleashes a standard gun burst, while fully holding down the trigger initiates alt-fire. Some weapons fire at a faster rate depending on how hard you holding down the right trigger. In addition, you’ll feel the subtle raindrop thuds or violent tremors after suffering a fatal blow. The PS5’s built-in immersive 3D audio helps you hear threats around you, giving you time to prepare for an assault. The DualSense and 3D audio enrichen the already captivating experience and demonstrate features not possible on last-gen systems.

The visual quality is pure AAA gaming. Running at 4K resolution and at a smooth 60 frames per second, Returnal is one of the most striking PS5 games. You’ll squint as bright neon attacks whiz over your head or burst from your own gun. Dense jungles, ancient cyclopean ruins, barren deserts, and other locales come to life in stunning, and sometimes horrific, detail. The myriad of bright and terrifying eldritch horrors populating Atropos would make H.P. Lovecraft proud. Fog effects and smart use of ray tracing add weight and substance to the exotic environments.

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Alienation

If you like a stiff challenge, you'll love Returnal. This is, by far, one of the hardest titles released by a major publisher. Demon’s Soul is a cakewalk compared to Returnal. Although the game’s challenge makes it appealing to a certain demographic, it will be off-putting for mass audiences.

I’m a lifelong gamer with over 30 years of experience and, at the time of this writing, have yet to defeat the second boss after twenty hours of playing. Yes, I’ve gotten further in Returnal than I ever have in Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, but at least that game didn’t switch up the environments, enemies, or items. Dead Cells and Hades (which has a variety of forgiving difficulty options) found roguelike success, and Returnal will no doubt go on to reap equal adulation. Still, it's far from being the next Ghost of Tsushima when it comes to accessibility.

Survival Test

Despite its punishing difficulty, Returnal is an intriguing and thrilling PlayStation 5 exclusive. Developer Housemarque has reached a new plateau by delivering a game beyond the scope of its previous efforts. Returnal retains many of its predecessor’s bullet-hell sensibilities, so the extreme difficulty will make the $69.99 asking price hard to swallow for all but the most hardcore players. Still, if you’re willing to endure the pain, you may ultimately walk away satisfied.

We’ll have our full Returnal review posted soon, so make sure to circle back for our final thoughts.

Returnal (for PlayStation 5)

See It $29.99 at Amazon

MSRP $69.99

Pros

  • Stunning, next-gen graphics

  • Unpredictable, ever-shifting environments

  • Tight controls

Cons

  • Unforgiving difficulty

The Bottom Line

Returnal expertly weaves shoot 'em up and Metroidvania mechanics into its base, roguelike gameplay. Though its tight controls, visual fidelity, and intriguing story may entice you to play, the game's almost insurmountable difficulty will certainly alienate a portion of its intended audience.

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About Tony Polanco

Considering everyday life mundane, Tony prefers to spend most of his time absorbed in fictional worlds that stimulate his imagination. Tony is a geek through and through, and his love for comic books, science fiction, heavy metal, and video games knows no bounds. He uses his natural writing talent and communication skills to express to the world why it's awesome to live a geek-centric lifestyle. Tony is a former contributor to DualShockers and current executive editor for The Koalition.

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Returnal (for PlayStation 5) Preview (2024)
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