As one of the first true PlayStation 5 exclusives, fans are hoping that Returnal is a worthy addition to a genre Sony's studios have perfected, the third-person action-adventure. Action games are a big departure for Finnish developer Housemarque, who showcased their unique style in shoot 'em ups like Resogun.
Returnal's roguelite elements and harsh difficulty invite comparisons to games like Hades and Demon's Souls. Have they stuck the landing?
Kirk McKeand, The Gamer: "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."
David Ehrlich, IndieWire: "Roguelike fans are used to dying in order to move forward, but a palpable sense of progress is often more elusive here. Sure, you’ll occasionally unlock new artifacts and weapons that make Selene more powerful — the vast majority of which she doesn’t get to take into the next life — and each time you kill something with one of the game’s mega-satisfying future guns earns some experience towards helpful boosters (i.e. pulse waves that auto-fire out of your laser rifle), but it’s not like Hades where every attempt made you quantifiably stronger. On the contrary, Returnal players will often find themselves investing several hours into a thorough run only to get destroyed with nothing measurable to show for their efforts. Oh, and you can’t save your progress. That just seems petty."
Diego Arguello, Polygon: "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."
Cameron Corliss, Game Rant: "It'd be criminal not to emphasize how stellar Returnal's use of the DualSense controller is, as it sets the bar for all PlayStation exclusives moving forward. It's not the constant barrage of vibration that players experienced in Astro's Playroom, but Returnal utilizes the controller more practically and compellingly. Returnal's opening cutscene is as excellent of a showcase as one could ask for, with players feeling every bump and scrape the ship experiences. It's something that legitimately needs to be felt to fully understand, as words can't quite do it justice. In fact, one of the only downsides of Returnal is that there's no option to replay the full intro."
Mitchell Saltzman, IGN: "However, one of the key aspects of the roguelike genre that Returnal does not nail is that nagging feeling of “just one more run.” That’s because a run through Returnal lasts way too long, plain and simple. To paint a picture, I’ve put in 42 hours into Returnal so far, and in those 42 hours I’ve only died 25 times. That’s not a weird flex, or me saying that this game is easy, because again, it’s absolutely not. It’s to illustrate that if you’re going to get anywhere near the end your run is almost always going to be at least about two hours long, which is exhausting. It also means you have to clear your schedule when you sit down to play, because there’s no saving your progress at any point in the run."
Sam MachKovech, Ars Technica: "I wondered how Returnal would grapple with this as a fully 3D roguelite—a rarity in the genre—and the answer, as it turns out, is a bare-minimum effort. Atropos is largely made up of premade "rooms," which I put in scare quotes because they're marked on your handy mini-map with entrances and exits but can vary from constrained caverns to wide-open outdoor spaces. If you walk into a room and recognize its stairwell, then you'll recognize the rest of it—every platform, every gap, every bottomless pit."
Scott Baird, Screen Rant: "Returnal might be the best-looking game on PS5, and it does incredible things with the DualSense controller and its soundscape. A version of Returnal that wasn't quite as punishing and had more content would be something truly special. As it stands, the game is fun, but it has a tendency to pull the rug out from under the player a bit too often. People who love hard video games will find a lot to praise in Returnal, but the haunting beauty of Atropos is surrounded by a harsh environment that will overwhelm those who can't keep up."
Daniel Tack, Game Informer: "Returnal is a relentless nightmare that’s a dream to play. The journey is full of horror and terrible discoveries, but also unbridled curiosity and wonder. If you have the taste for it, this is an adventure that begs to be experienced."
Chris Carter, Destructoid: "Returnal is a mostly thrilling sci-fi action romp that suffers from a lack of scale at times. In the moment, I'm completely fixated on my run, upgrading like a fiend, and dashing around for iFrames like I was playing a Capcom game. But after that run ends and I'm looking at the bigger picture, Returnal can feel a little smaller than it actually is. Keep that in mind before you take the pricey plunge."