

There are speedy projectiles, energy waves, homing missiles and more that will all be flying in your direction at the same time, and it’s up to the player to be constantly on the move. While the game’s been described as a ‘roguelike’ ahead of its release, make no mistake that this is actually a bullet hell game in disguise.

The creatures that inhabit Atropos are brutally fierce and, getting right up in your face unless you get out of the way. Just like me, you’ll fight for a bit before being overwhelmed by an unbelievably powerful monster, but it’s in death that Returnal truly begins. Upon further inspection, the recently deceased is actually her, and after picking up a nearby pistol, alien creatures start to come out of the woodwork. What Selene actually finds is the corpse of another Scout. It isn’t long until something malfunctions and Selene’s journey is brought to a screeching halt as her ship crash lands in a dense, forest-like plain.Īs Selene walks through the dark, rain-soaked environment, there’s a huge sense of foreboding that some terrifying alien creature could jump out at any moment. Opening up with the vast expanse of space, we are introduced to our heroine, Astra Scout Selene, who after spotting a unique signal coming from a nearby planet called Atropos, pilots her ship in the signal’s direction.
Returnal upgrade#
You’ll lose your weapons, power-ups and more (essentially anything that isn’t a permanent upgrade is gone forever). Every time you die, the player is sent straight back to the remains of their ship, Helios, forced to begin their journey anew. I leapt into the air with a roar, fist bumping the sky – Returnal had me hooked from that point onwards and I had genuine difficulty putting it down again.

Dodging a sea of bullets and jumping over countless waves of harmful energy, I somehow managed to take the entity down on my first try. It wasn’t until Returnal’s second boss that everything clicked. Not counting remakes or games included on the console, Returnal is the first major triple-A exclusive for PS5, and an absolute triumph from developer Housemarque.
