Slated to hit shelves at the end of this month, Returnal looks to be the first major PlayStation 5 exclusive of 2021, following an astronaut stranded on an alien planet trapped in a never-ending time loop. Over the last few months, players have seen more and more of Housemarque's ambitious sci-fi roguelike, including closer looks at its story, weapons, and frantic combat.
Today, the studio has offered another sneak peek at Returnal, this time revealing the legions of extraterrestrial enemies players will be slaying in their quest for freedom. The footage clocks in at 2 minutes long and follows protagonist Selene discussing the array of alien creatures she's encountered throughout her travels.
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The first is the Mycomorph, which is a tall, intimidating creature that can throw spores at the player and slow their movement. Selene recounts that it's a fungus-like entity, with the trailer showing that they explode into roots when killed. While they stick to ranged attacks, the next foe is its polar opposite, with the PS5 exclusive revealing a brutish species known as the Titanops. The giant creature has a blade attached to its arm and can quickly close distance with Selene by leaping across the battlefield.
Next up is the Automaton, which is an imposing robotic entity that packs some serious power. At a range, it can use two lightning-fast laser miniguns to attack Selene, which she will have to nimbly dodge past to survive. Meanwhile, it's still incredibly dangerous up close, using what appear to be two large flails to punish the player when they approach. A burrowing scorpion-like creature known as a Gorgolith is the next enemy under the spotlight. The beast can lie in wait beneath the ground and attack the player using a variety of powerful moves, including utilizing a laser-firing tail that the player has to leap over.
It's followed by Returnal's most mysterious foe yet, with the trailer focusing on a creature known as an Ixion. The alien entity looks to be the toughest opponent shown off yet, darting around the arena using a large pair of wings, firing barrages of bullets with a malformed blue arm, and, at one point, launching a blinding laser beam into the sky. Unlike other monsters in the trailer, Selene has no data on Ixion, pondering what it is and where it's come from during her battle with it.
The footage is capped off with one last enemy, as Selene comes face to face with a parasitic alien known as the "infected scout" that forces her to fight tentacle-sprouting humans that look identical to her. Players won't have to wait long to experience these monsters for themselves, with Returnal slated to launch in just two weeks' time.
Returnal releases for PlayStation 5 on April 30.