It’s very likely Returnal will be your cup of tea if you like Super Metroid and Castlevania games. Returnal is a Roguelike, so when you die, you have to restart. This means you have to do everything again, but you can skip bosses you’ve already beaten. The game just has the right incentive to keep you playing for hours – like finding loot, weapons, or new rooms to explore. Returnal’s concept is really simple. Selene, your character, crashed on Atropos, a mysterious alien planet. You’ve got to figure out how to fix your ship and get off the planet. Every time you die and come back, the planet you’re on shifts. This means the room placements change every game, even if the rooms are the same. You can dash, jump, and grapple. You can also get bonuses and penalties from items. You’ll duck and weave a lot during fights with amazing looking monsters. There’s a lot of variety in the environments, from ruins to deserts to frozen wastes.
PS5’s capabilities are fully utilized in the game. It runs smoothly at 60fps without stuttering or lag. Returnal also takes advantage of the DualSense controller, letting you half-press the L2 button to aim or toggle alt-fire mode. Also, the haptic feedback makes you feel like you’re in the game, from delicate step vibrations to heavy buzzes when you launch powerful alt-fire attacks. It’s super immersive and one of the best parts of the game. Even better if you’re wearing the Pulse 3D headset, since the spatial 3D sound helps you find things.
I’ll be the first to admit I’m not great at this game. Jumping off cliffs or pushing myself to the limit makes me stupid. Returnal doesn’t care. You just pick yourself up and try again, hopefully learning from your mistakes. I haven’t even beaten the first boss, unlike better players, but that’s fine. Supergiant’s roguelike Hades took me a while to figure out how to beat the bosses. You can’t save, and one run can take a long time, so pray the game doesn’t crash. Sony’s return to PlayStation Even after countless restarts, it’s got enough moments to keep you hooked.
