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Returnal Review Thread (PS5)

I finally finished Returnal for the 1st time. What a great game, what a journey on Atropos ! :messenger_grinning:
I am a casual gamer but I love challenging games (and I hate easy games). I am not immune against frustration, I just deal with it and I always comeback wiser, stronger. I avoided all spoilers as much as I could so each victory against enemies, bosses was duly earned! :messenger_bicep:

IMHO, Returnal's intro is a work of art : it is not perfect (there seems to be some fps drops at some points), but the way they mixed the visuals, the mysterious soundtrack and the haptic feedback is something that I greatly, greatly appreciated. I want more intros like this.

Returnal cemented my love for the PS5 controller. Playing regular games with a "dead" controller is an experience that I can easily forego. I have always been eager for more feedback from video games. When I was interested in military flight sims, I used to own a Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 Joystick. That was decades ago...

It is now an habit, but the sound quality and sound design in PS5 games outclasses all my previous gaming experiences. The audio chip in my PC's motherboard and regular PC games in my backlog simply cannot match the experiences I have with the PS5. I purchased a licence for Dolby Atmos for headphones last year but I am still waiting for a truly great audio experience on my PC. Maybe Ori and the Blind Forest, or Cyberpunk, will surprise me.
3D audio is another feature that shines in Returnal. The game prioritizes sounds outside of the field of view, so it is incredibly useful to find the targets which frees the chests locked behind bars : half press L2 and listen : left/up, right/behind, etc. When I received my PS5, I chose the default HRTF profile simply because I could not figure out which one was the best for me and it has given me excellent results so far.


What makes Returnal such a great game is that in each run the player has to make many choices with the resources, the weapons, the "infected" items, the keys, the dead scouts, the exploration. Some choices pay back immensely and sometimes it back fires but it is still not enough to stop a good run.
It was my first Housemarque game : they now have a new fan.
 

tommib

Banned
I finally finished Returnal for the 1st time. What a great game, what a journey on Atropos ! :messenger_grinning:
I am a casual gamer but I love challenging games (and I hate easy games). I am not immune against frustration, I just deal with it and I always comeback wiser, stronger. I avoided all spoilers as much as I could so each victory against enemies, bosses was duly earned! :messenger_bicep:

IMHO, Returnal's intro is a work of art : it is not perfect (there seems to be some fps drops at some points), but the way they mixed the visuals, the mysterious soundtrack and the haptic feedback is something that I greatly, greatly appreciated. I want more intros like this.

Returnal cemented my love for the PS5 controller. Playing regular games with a "dead" controller is an experience that I can easily forego. I have always been eager for more feedback from video games. When I was interested in military flight sims, I used to own a Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 Joystick. That was decades ago...

It is now an habit, but the sound quality and sound design in PS5 games outclasses all my previous gaming experiences. The audio chip in my PC's motherboard and regular PC games in my backlog simply cannot match the experiences I have with the PS5. I purchased a licence for Dolby Atmos for headphones last year but I am still waiting for a truly great audio experience on my PC. Maybe Ori and the Blind Forest, or Cyberpunk, will surprise me.
3D audio is another feature that shines in Returnal. The game prioritizes sounds outside of the field of view, so it is incredibly useful to find the targets which frees the chests locked behind bars : half press L2 and listen : left/up, right/behind, etc. When I received my PS5, I chose the default HRTF profile simply because I could not figure out which one was the best for me and it has given me excellent results so far.


What makes Returnal such a great game is that in each run the player has to make many choices with the resources, the weapons, the "infected" items, the keys, the dead scouts, the exploration. Some choices pay back immensely and sometimes it back fires but it is still not enough to stop a good run.
It was my first Housemarque game : they now have a new fan.
Returnal is everything. I do feel anxious that we might not get an experience like it until the next Housemarque game - and I'm hoping they just drop the battle royale crap they were working on. Elden Ring will be the closest.

And is it me or the background of Selene is just devastating and so fucking sad. It's Silent Hill 2 levels of fucked up sadness. The gameplay is already all you can ask from an action game but add to that the best soundtrack of the year and that ultra-dark and pure hopeless narrative and you get something truly special that leaves a mark. I've sent an email to Housemarque to tell them all this. They replied and were so humble. You guys should do it to. Long live Harry Krueger.
 

kingpotato

Ask me about my Stream Deck
So with the recent Sony purchase, I wonder if that affects the chance of any dlc for Returnal. Please sir, I'd like some more.
Hungry Food GIF
 
I'm amazed we got this game. Rougelikes don't tend to be mainstream enough to justify a AAA budget game, yet here we are. And by a company that makes the some of the best moment to moment gameplay in all of gaming.

Returnal is such high quality. It's actually amazing it is Housemarque's first 3D AAA game. Definitely my GOTY for the year so far.
 
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hroerekr

Member
I saw a nice deal on this game. Did they include saves with one of those patches? (or any indication it is in the roadmap?)
 

tommib

Banned
I saw a nice deal on this game. Did they include saves with one of those patches? (or any indication it is in the roadmap?)
Not happening I think. Game has a high percentage of gamers who finished it in its current state considering the difficulty.
 

hroerekr

Member
Not happening I think. Game has a high percentage of gamers who finished it in its current state considering the difficulty.
I see. But the game didn't sell well, so it's a very small pool of enthusiasts to get the stats.
Adding saves (and maybe other QoL features) could be an opportunity to reach more people.
Oh well, I will wait for a deeper discount or borrow from a friend before buying.
 
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Matsuchezz

Member
i finished the sucker with very limited time to play. So it is doable. Maybe there should be an nintendo mode where the bosses die with three hits and the characters recharge health after a fight.
 
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