Housemarque, developer of the now available roguelike sci-fi horror shooter Returnal, is giving a closer look at the enigmatic title's gameplay. The studio has developed a pedigree of well-received games, but Returnal is set to be its first big AAA title, which launched just today as the latest PlayStation 5 exclusive.
Many players' early reviews of Returnal have been positive, with particular praise being directed towards the game's performance and narrative. The game is structured as a rougelike, meaning that the game world is procedurally generated and changes each time the players dies. Rather than starting over at a previous checkpoint or reloading a save game, death causes the player to return to their starting position but allows them to retain key items and abilities. Fast-paced shooting mechanics give the game its own unique feel, but the experience can be very difficult. The game's lack of difficulty settings has been criticized by some, but Housemarque apparently designed the game with a single difficulty level in mind.
A video on the official PlayStation YouTube channel takes deep dive into Returnal's gameplay with game director Harry Krueger and narrative director Gregory Louden. The nearly thirty-minute gameplay presentation gives players a very clear look at Returnal's roguelike gameplay loop, third-person shooter gameplay and storytelling techniques. The creators discuss topics such as the game's level generation technology and specific gameplay elements, such as suit malfunctions. The guided tour gives players a clear picture of what they should expect before entering the terrifying world of Returnal.
Returnal is one of the earliest exclusives in the PlayStation 5's life cycle, and the game is said to take full advantage of the console's current-gen hardware. The game's load times and fast travel appear to work almost instantaneously, with lengthy loading screens nowhere in sight. This demonstrates the console's power, with these fast loading times likely being attributed to the PS5's solid-state drive internal storage device. Returnal is also said to take full advantage of the PS5's beloved DualSense controllers, robustly supporting haptic feedback vibration and adaptive triggers. The controllers apparently allow complete immersion into the game's deadly setting of Atropos, with features such as simulating the feeling of rain on players' hands.
The title's gameplay loop looks very interesting, but the narrative has been kept largely a secret by Housemarque. Players are finally discovering that mystery for themselves, but it remains to be seen if the overall user response will be as kind to the $70 rogulike as critics have been so far.
Returnal is available now on PlayStation 5.
Source: PlayStation