Returnal Reviews
Returnal marks yet another high quality PC port of a PlayStation exclusive game and is a must-buy for anyone that hasn't already played on PS5.
Demanding but excellent combat and gorgeous visuals sit awkwardly in a half-baked roguelike structure.
Its roguelike runs are too long and it needs a way to save in the middle of them, but Returnal's third-person shooter action, clever story, and atmosphere are excellent.
In Returnal, Housemarque builds a game on both euphoric highs and confounding lows.
Housemarque's Returnal is a shining example of what the studio is capable of, packing tight gameplay together with an interesting world.
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. It makes Doom Eternal seem like Baby’s First Shooter. It’s gorgeous, frenetic, and endlessly replayable. 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.
Returnal can be messy, tough, and perhaps a little too uncompromising for a $70 game. And yet, despite the moments of pad-clenching exasperation, it remains a moreish experience even after you've plummeted its depths.
Returnal brilliantly meshes roguelike mechanics with precise combat and enigmatic exploration, making for an excellent game
Returnal blends elements of shooters, roguelikes, action games, and horror to redefine bullet hell and conjure a mysterious, moody masterpiece.
Housemarque’s PS5 exclusive elevates the time loop genre
In fact, the whole game is a tremendously satisfying experience. From the wonderful alien design, to the slow-burning storyline and its blank-faced staring astronaut, to the satisfying array of weapons, and perhaps most importantly, to the way the statues crumble when you hit them, this is something utterly solid, and eternally compelling. And unless my rig proves a fluke, finally a console-to-PC port to celebrate on day one.
Returnal feels like a next-gen game.
While Returnal’s marriage of rogue-like loops and serpentine story isn’t perfect, it’s a dark, engaging, and innovative experience which provides plenty of gameplay grunt to match its brain-teasing plot.
Returnal clearly heralds a new era for Housemarque, in terms of turning the focused arcade-blasting likes of Super Stardust HD into quest-worthy 3D action. Keep it coming, Sony and Housemarque.
Returnal stands as Housemarque's most ambitious title yet, taking the studio away from the arcade genre and into uncharted territory.
As long as your PC is up to the job, this is top-notch conversion of one PlayStation 5's finest, combining razor-sharp shooting with dense atmosphere and a captivating story.
Returnal is an incredible experience, which combines a replayable rogue-lite structure with heart-pounding bullet-hell gameplay.
This lack of variety in the style of play makes every run feel samey, and they begin to blur together. That leads to a roteness that made me want to put down the game when I was struggling with the difficulty. I like challenging games, but roguelites need to walk a fine line between familiarity and routine. Familiarity is the warm embrace of something that feels like home. Routine is boredom, and it is poison for a game like this.
Returnal on PC is just as stunning as it ever was, with a high level of detail in its environmental design and layered gameplay.