Announced this past June at Sony's PlayStation 5 reveal stream, developer Housemarque's latest game Returnal looks to be a high-caliber, fast-paced new entry into the amazing library of games that the Finnish studio has released over the past decade.

At The Game AwardsReturnal received a brand new gameplay trailer that hinted at what is to come and announced a release date of March 19th, 2021. Judging from the brand new gameplay, Housemarque has another solid shooter on its hands. The combination of the studio's signature furious gameplay, solid mechanics and Returnal's addition of roguelike elements to its third-person shooter core looks to be another evolution for Housemarque as a whole.

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Returnal - Selene fighting a fiery alien enemy

In the past decade, Housemarque has become a name synonymous with arcade action. The studio's slate of releases has included amazing shooter after amazing shooter, all featuring thrilling gameplay and fluid, responsive controls. Games like Resogun, Alienation, Nex Machina and Matterfall are just a few examples of the solid games Housemarque has brought to the shooter genre. Housemarque has carefully crafted its image as the studio players go to when they want something that not only gives a high-speed challenge but plays beautifully as well. However, not content to rest in its pursuit of shooter innovation, Housemarque has decided to take things to the next level, it seems, with Returnal, the studio's most ambitious project yet.

Returnal is a futuristic third-person action title featuring not only exploration but also a roguelike element of repeated death as a mechanic. The player controls Selene, an Astra space scout who becomes trapped on a hostile planet and must do everything she can to escape an endless loop of death and resurrection. After every death, Selene resurrects back at her downed ship, only to plunge headfirst back into danger. However, she experiences new and mysterious visions with each death that could be the clues to her eventual escape.

Selene seemingly finds an alien device in the trailer that she attaches to her arm and unknowingly thrusts her into the time loop that is the basis for the game's roguelike elements. Returnal echoes the themes of the excellent 2014 Tom Cruise film Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow, where Selene must learn the patterns and attacks of her enemies to continue to progress further and improve her skills with each death. The introduction of roguelike elements to this type of shooter is somehow still rare in 2020, despite the incredible popularity of the genre in the indie scene, with games like Hades and Dead Cells regarded as massive hits.

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Fans of Housemarque's arcade-style can immediately recognize the elements that made the studio's past games so memorable all over the Returnal gameplay. The action is fast and furious, and Selene takes on all of the planet's terrifying creatures that lob volleys of bullet-hell projectiles at her while simultaneously dodging Selene's fire left and right. Even in a third-person behind the back style camera system, the Housemarque arcade style is easily evident.

Returnal also looks absolutely gorgeous, with the hellish alien landscapes and multi-tentacled monsters created in amazing detail. The particle effects and explosions from the combat are colorful and striking against the harsh backgrounds. Housemarque is clearly harnessing the power of the PlayStation 5 to great effect.

Moreover, the studio is taking advantage of the PlayStation 5's unique Dual Sense controller to add to the systems of Returnal. Housemarque marketing director Mikael Haveri, posting on the PlayStation Blog, discussed how the new controller's haptic feedback capabilities allow for some interesting additions to the gameplay. Every weapon in Returnal has an alternate fire mode, and by using the Adaptive Triggers of the Dual Sense, players can easily switch between aiming down the sights and firing off the alt-fire of the respective weapons. This is accomplished by the strength of the squeeze the player employs on the trigger itself. If a player squeezes halfway, the haptic feedback will provide a solid stop to the trigger throw, allowing the player to aim down the sights. If the player then squeezes past this, the alt-fire will engage as the trigger is depressed completely.

It seems the marriage of the PlayStation 5 power and unique design features with Housemarque's arcade stylings might produce another solid shooter this March when Returnal launches exclusively to the PlayStation 5.

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