Ever since the announcement trailer was released last year, players have been eagerly anticipating Housemarque's trippy sci-fi game Returnal. Returnal is one of the PS5's exclusive titles, and players will soon be able to make their way through the game when it launches on April 30.
Finnish game developer Housemarque's Returnal follows Selene, an ASTRA scout who crash-lands on a strange alien planet. The planet Atropos is a shape-shifting world, and players will see Selene battling different hostile enemies in Returnal's gameplay loop. As a rougelike, death is not the end, and players will constantly find themselves returning to the crash site to start all over again. Players will need to unravel the mystery surrounding Selene and Atropos, all the while engaging in fast-paced combat against horrifying enemies.
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Many critics have been able to play through Returnal to see what it's all about, and have published their thoughts online. Critics have been explaining if the gameplay loop leaves much to be desired, how Returnal makes use of the PS5's capabilities, and more. Below is a roundup of several reviews for Returnal, each offering their own opinions on the game.
Game Rant (Cameron Corliss)
"Laser-focused on creating tight gameplay mechanics, Returnal boasts the same 'one more run' appeal that's commonly found in the upper echelons of video game design...Returnal is an excellent video game flirting with perfection. It has the most satisfying gameplay loop Housemarque has crafted to date, which says a lot considering the studio's pedigree. If PlayStation's other PS5 exclusives feel even half as satisfying as Returnal does, fans are in for one hell of a console generation."
Score: 5/5
Game Informer (Daniel Tack)
"Housemarque’s third-person shooter delivers lightning-fast action transfused with incredible exploration, featuring equal doses of intensity and lingering unease. Every run is the start of something new, but what you learn over many failures provides an extra edge as you attempt to chart the sci-fi horror world of Atropos. Returnal deftly combines gameplay, graphics, and musical composition to create a haunting tapestry that’s an absolute joy to partake in, even when a mistimed dodge or a sinister trap claims your life."
Score: 9.5/10
DualShockers (Peter Hunt Szpytek)
"Returnal isn’t just a tech demo or optimized version of a PS4 game: it’s a must-play for anyone with a PS5 who isn’t afraid to work through the frustrations of dying over and over again. From the incredible use of the DualSense controller to the intriguing way the story is told over run after run, to the addicting and satisfying combat, Returnal begs the player to hold off going to sleep for just one more try. After all, as Selene constantly reminds, 'you can do this. You just need to try again.'"
Score: 9/10
IGN (Mitchell Saltzman)
"The moment-to-moment gameplay of Returnal is sublime, with a great selection of weapons that each have a wide variety of interesting possible traits, meaningful strategic decisions that can either keep a run afloat or doom it to sink, and punishingly challenging yet rewarding gunplay that is consistently exhilarating. Even with all of this focus on action, it never drops the ball on the story. Its big issue is that runs last way too long, and there’s no way to save progress outside of putting the PS5 in rest mode. That saps the desire to immediately return and try again after a failure, though not enough to grind it to a halt. Even so, Returnal is an incredible roguelike, and one of Housemarque’s best games to date."
Score: 8/10
The Gamer (Kirk McKeand)
"At its core, Returnal is one of the most satisfying third-person shooters I’ve played - it’s Hades via Vanquish. It forces you to meet it at its tempo and doesn’t relent...I just wish success wasn’t so tied to luck, which only exacerbates any frustrations you have when repeatedly trekking through areas you’ve already beaten. Even after the credits rolled, I felt satisfied, but that satisfaction was also mixed with relief - the ordeal was finally over and the chiropractor's elbow has been removed from the small of my back."
Score: 3.5/5
Push Square (Stephen Tailby)
"Housemarque is a studio best known for its flashy visual effects and fast-paced shoot-'em-up gameplay, and this might be some of its greatest work to date. Selene is an agile character who can dash through environments with ease, which is ideal, because Atropos is going to throw all kinds of otherworldly opponents at you, each with their own attacks and quirks...All the console's bells and whistles enhance the experience, making this a real showpiece for the hardware. But more than that, the game is a force to be reckoned with; the breathless combat, super slick gameplay, and the subtle but unsettling story combine for an experience of surprising scale."
Score:9/10
The Telegraph (Dan Silver)
"Returnal is a punishing game which revels in the brutality of its challenge – and given the randomness baked in to the roguelike conceit, it doesn’t always feel like a fair one. Extreme difficulty spikes abound and ultimately twitch-like reflexes will only get you so far; the success or otherwise of any given run can often depend on which weapon types, buff-bestowing artifacts or consumables appear early on. I managed to blitz through one of the game's six biomes, boss-fight and all, at the first attempt thanks to a fortuitous combination of auto-healing augmentations and a launcher blessed with homing ammunition. Conversely, soldiering on with a sub-optimal build can be a dispiriting struggle."
Score: 8/10
Polygon (Diego Arguello)
"Returnal is tough. Even when you get to the point of having learned all the ins and outs of a biome, you’ll find yourself in a new one with different enemy arenas and rooms to plunge through. And it all starts again...Returnal’s biggest achievement is the way it presents the horror of being stuck in place. It’s bold and unapologetic in crafting its universe, making up for some of its more frustrating decisions by carving its own path and fulfilling its haunting potential. It doesn’t matter how hard Selene fights; she’s back in the same place with the same questions as before, if not more. The terror of fighting tooth and nail, seeing her suit covered in snow, mud, and sand, her visions tormenting her in her sleep — it stuck with me."
It seems that the majority of reviewers have positive thoughts, if not glowing praise, about the game, barring a few issues here and there. Most at least agree that Returnal is one of the best displays of the DualSense controller's functions, offering a massively immersive experience for the game. The slow unraveling of Selene's story also enticed many reviewers, and often gave them the drive to continue exploring the game world. A huge design flaw that many pointed out is the lack of a real save and quit feature. If Returnal's runs can last hours long, then Housemarque should seriously consider patching one in sometime in the future.
Whether players will enjoy the roguelike gameplay mechanics of Returnal will probably boil down to whether or not they enjoy other games in the genre. Roguelikes can be a hit or miss with players at times, often depending on how the game incorporates upgrades and progress gains or losses. Players will soon be able to find out whether Returnal meets their expectations and provides a worthwhile gameplay experience.
Returnal launches on April 30, 2021, for PS5.