Returnal studio Housemarque has no plans for a live-service title "as long as people are buying premium games"

I heard you have to play through it at least twice™.
If Returnal wasn't a roguelike, it would have 6 stages. Estimating the game could take you anywhere from 6-8 hours, maybe 10 if you die a lot. That's pretty short. This is assuming it was designed like a normal shooter with Easy, Medium, Hard mode, continues, save spots, 2-3 lives, etc. Most people wouldn't consider a 6 hour game worth $70. What they could have done is put it out just like that and charge $40-50, which is about double the price of all their previous games. Would've been a smash hit. A TPS with cool graphics, cool audio design, and anyone can play it how they want. You could unlock when you beat it once an "Arcade Mode" where you have to beat the game on 1 life and it randomizes.

As a roguelike, it's too expensive. It's too short. It's going to alienate too many people. It's a solid shooter, but a bad roguelike. There's limited weapons, limited power variety, which is the essence of repeat runs not feeling stale. Limited progression.

So yeah, I don't know what they meant by premium. Paid titles, yes I support. $70 titles, or higher, you do have to really rethink the value of the product. It didn't even sell well on PC which has a large roguelike audience. They didn't understand the genre and doubled the price and sales reflect that. They know how to make a fun shooter though.
 
If Returnal wasn't a roguelike, it would have 6 stages. Estimating the game could take you anywhere from 6-8 hours, maybe 10 if you die a lot. That's pretty short. This is assuming it was designed like a normal shooter with Easy, Medium, Hard mode, continues, save spots, 2-3 lives, etc. Most people wouldn't consider a 6 hour game worth $70. What they could have done is put it out just like that and charge $40-50, which is about double the price of all their previous games. Would've been a smash hit. A TPS with cool graphics, cool audio design, and anyone can play it how they want. You could unlock when you beat it once an "Arcade Mode" where you have to beat the game on 1 life and it randomizes.

As a roguelike, it's too expensive. It's too short. It's going to alienate too many people. It's a solid shooter, but a bad roguelike. There's limited weapons, limited power variety, which is the essence of repeat runs not feeling stale. Limited progression.

So yeah, I don't know what they meant by premium. Paid titles, yes I support. $70 titles, or higher, you do have to really rethink the value of the product. It didn't even sell well on PC which has a large roguelike audience. They didn't understand the genre and doubled the price and sales reflect that. They know how to make a fun shooter though.
What Have I Done Reaction GIF
 
If Returnal wasn't a roguelike, it would have 6 stages. Estimating the game could take you anywhere from 6-8 hours, maybe 10 if you die a lot. That's pretty short. This is assuming it was designed like a normal shooter with Easy, Medium, Hard mode, continues, save spots, 2-3 lives, etc. Most people wouldn't consider a 6 hour game worth $70. What they could have done is put it out just like that and charge $40-50, which is about double the price of all their previous games. Would've been a smash hit. A TPS with cool graphics, cool audio design, and anyone can play it how they want. You could unlock when you beat it once an "Arcade Mode" where you have to beat the game on 1 life and it randomizes.

As a roguelike, it's too expensive. It's too short. It's going to alienate too many people. It's a solid shooter, but a bad roguelike. There's limited weapons, limited power variety, which is the essence of repeat runs not feeling stale. Limited progression.

So yeah, I don't know what they meant by premium. Paid titles, yes I support. $70 titles, or higher, you do have to really rethink the value of the product. It didn't even sell well on PC which has a large roguelike audience. They didn't understand the genre and doubled the price and sales reflect that. They know how to make a fun shooter though.

I mean, you're not wrong 😉

DeepEnigma DeepEnigma , c'mon brother the man has a point - this would have been a pretty short game if it wasn't a rogue like (and a pretty bad one at that).
In fact, I get the impression that it was made into a rogue like because they either didn't have any more content to add, or, they did but had to ship the game for the PS5's launch and also had to - somehow - justify the 70 pricetag.

I love everything about the game except the absolutely shite progression system, it REALLY brings the whole thing down and it's a shame.
 
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I mean, you're not wrong 😉

DeepEnigma DeepEnigma , c'mon brother the man has a point - this would have been a pretty short game if it wasn't a rogue like (and a pretty bad one at that).
In fact, I get the impression that it was made into a rogue like because they either didn't have any more content to add, or, they did but had to ship the game for the PS5's launch and also had to - somehow - justify the 70 pricetag.

I love everything about the game except the absolutely shite progression system , it REALLY.brungs the whole thing down and it's a shame.
That may be, but very on brand as well.
 
That may be, but very on brand as well.
Out of pure curiosity, what are your thoughts on the game ?
Did you manage to finish it ? Do.you think it was well balanced /had its systems properly in place ?
What would you like to see different in Saros ?

Honest questions btw love 🥰
 
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Saros will 100% be a roguelike. I thought Returnal was phenomenal, but I agree they can do so much to improve the roguelike experience. The variety in gameplay from run to run was not there in Returnal. Hopefully Saros can fix that. Returnal is still one of the best TPS ever created
Yeah it was a great tps, not so great roguelite.

The thing is, high fidelity graphic games are never gonna remotely catch up with roguelites with simpler graphic like isaac or even risk of rain 2 when it comes to sheer amount of content, objects, weapons, synergies, enemy types, bosses etc. So an AAA roguelite is always gonna feel low on content compared to most roguelites, that's why i would prefer if they make a normal tps.
 
Talk about devs that aren't clueless. People will buy premium games over playing free/paid live-service games that are actually garbage

I have no issue with live-service games as long as they're actually fun and interesting.
 
Wolf, the problem is that even with unlocked perks, you still start with 0 weapon proficiency...
I'm pretty sure I'd have managed to beat the 3rd boss yesterday but the fucking game only dropped either a higher lvl pistol or a shotgun during the run, had I had the Tachyomatic carbine I'd have probably beat him.

Here's the thing now : I just can't muster the courage to do EVERYTHING again from the beginning 'cause I'd be looking at another 2.5-3 hours run, and let's face it, taking the shortcuts doesn't really help since you'll be skipping on the health/weapon upgrades etc etc.

They REALLY need to do something about this shit in Saros.
That's because returnal progression between runs is terrible, other than the weapons and the gadgets (and only some of them can be used in combat) you barely unlock anything useful, the objects are very situational and single use, they don't feel much like progression and the larger the pool gets, the more useless objects you find instead of the useful ones.

There is something i can't tell you for plot reasons, but when you beat boss 3, the next runs are gonna start from an advanced point in the game so you are not gonna feel like you have to start over again all the time.
 
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Out of pure curiosity, what are your thoughts on the game ?
Did you manage to finish it ? Do.you think it was well balanced /had its systems properly in place ?
What would you like to see different in Saros ?

Honest questions btw love 🥰
I did. I'm normally not a big rogue or rogue-like fan. At first glance I tried it and put it down due to that.

Then I read a few tips on Gaf and abroad, picked it up again a few weeks later and was hooked. The gameplay was fantastic, per their specialty. The Geiger-like art design/atmosphere was great, and once I got into a routine unlocking the story elements, it sucked me in and I couldn't put it down. The music layered with the gameplay made it feel like one giant suffocating nightmare.

It felt very rewarding as you finally beat biomes that were challenging your resolve. But yes, I would've liked better static items or progression unlocks. On the other hand, it felt really good when you got a good roll as well.

Fuck the AI robot Derelict Citadel level though at first glance 🤭

RIP Helios.

They're not a studio that repeats itself (pun intended), so I do expect them to hone their craft more and build upon the feedback from the gamerverse.
 
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Okay, on roguelite. It is not a genre for everyone. However, I still enjoy seeing great examples in the genre and I would rather have an awesome AAA roguelite than another generic shooter.

That said, my brother hates, hates, hates roguelites and he even hated Hades for this reason....so I don't get to play them a lot, but I am actually a fan. Patience is required for any good roguelike or roguelite and that is my superpower.

One thing with roguelites is that sometimes they can kick your ass off the game. Like if I want to do a monster gaming session for 5 hours, I am probably not picking a roguelite. The content isn't easy to consume and it can get frustrating.

You need to play these games in spurts and be able to quit when you get frustrated. The game will be unfun for the rest of that session. However, good ones will always draw you back in after a short break. Once you have all the mechanics down, a full run can be quick, novel, and feel so rewarding. You start feeling like a super saiyan once you have all the mechanics down for everything. The games don't really give that high until your first completion and after that you will probably cherish the game forever.

You will almost never find someone who hated a roguelite that also cleared the roguelite.
 
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3 things i hope they fix:

Jumping\platforming with laser and shit, the platforming wasn't as tight as the shooting and loosing health because of that in a game where losing even a bit of health can traduce into a game over was kinda infuriating.

Get rid of falling down and losing health, the challenge should come from hard enemies, not being careful to not fall down because i swear, i lost way more health falling down than from enemies, great tps don't need this shit to be hard and challenging.

Get rid of money from enemies exploding everywhere and disappearing, it's a cheap, artificial way to make combat harder when you have to take care of enemies and money exploding everywhere and falling down or disappearing after 5 sec, one could say that it force you to play aggressively but countless games have an aggressive playstyle without this bullshit, you don't want the player to hide and pot shot from distance? Fix your enemy ai and make them more aggressive and with better path-tracing or whatever the name is, also if you make long range weapons in your game make me use them as long range weapon without forcing me to run towards enemies like a dumbass while using a long range rifle.
 
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I did. I'm normally not a big rogue or rogue-like fan. At first glance I tried it and put it down due to that.

Then I read a few tips on Gaf and abroad, picked it up again a few weeks later and was hooked. The gameplay was fantastic, per their specialty. The Geiger-like art design/atmosphere was great, and once I got into a routine unlocking the story elements, it sucked me in and I couldn't put it down. The music layered with the gameplay made it feel like one giant suffocating nightmare.

It felt very rewarding as you finally beat biomes that were challenging your resolve. But yes, I would've liked better static items or progression unlocks. On the other hand, it felt really good when you got a good roll as well.

Fuck the AI robot Derelict Citadel level though at first glance 🤭

RIP Helios.

They're not a studio that repeats itself (pun intended), so I do expect them to hone their craft more and build upon the feedback from the gamerverse.

Beautiful.
Appreciate it brother !
3 things i hope they fix:

Jumping\platforming with laser and shit, the platforming wasn't as tight as the shooting and loosing health because of that in a game where losing even a bit of health can traduce into a game over was kinda infuriating.

Get rid of falling down and losing health, the challenge should come from hard enemies, not being careful to not fall down because i swear, i lost way more health falling down than from enemies, great tps don't need this shit to be hard and challenging.

Get rid of money from enemies exploding everywhere and disappearing, it's a cheap, artificial way to make combat harder when you have to take care of enemies and money exploding everywhere and falling down or disappearing after 5 sec, one could say that it force you to play aggressively but countless games have an aggressive playstyle without this bullshit, you don't want the player to hide and pot shot from distance? Fix your enemy ai and make them more aggressive and with better path-tracing or whatever the name is, also if you make long range weapons in your game make me use them as long range weapon without forcing me to run towards enemies like a dumbass while using a long range rifle.

So much this.
The fucking money/obolite thing is infuriating especially since currency is a MUST in the game, I get it, they wanted to create some sense of urgency (and there's even perks/parasites about it) BUT, in a game where every sliver of health counts this is not the right way...

The platforming...I must have lost 2 whole chunks of health on the 2nd phase of the 3rd boss yesterday exactly because of the platform "lock on" shite, sure, you can remap the buttons (bumper jumper scheme comes in handy) but, I still needed to perform the "claw" where I was rotating the camera and spamming the triangle grab button while i was in free fall waiting for the platforms...

Also, talking about the action :
The problem with this game is that it isn't as action heavy as it should or rather, the difficulty isnt exclusively due to the enemy encounters, meaning, a biome may have - say - 10 different rooms but only 4-5 of them are populated by enemies leading you to - for a lack of a better word - "relax"/bring your guard down while exploring only for you to get destroyed in a random room full of enemies (even the treasure ones where you fall down which are usually filled with goodies up to a certain point).
See, the difficulty should be all about surviving wave of (progressively ) difficult enemies - like in say, Ninja Gaiden 2 - and NOT about getting jumped outta nowhere due to the RNG nature of the game, and / or because you arent getting a good weapon drop or because you didn't happen to stumble upon good items on a specific run, this is why I insist that the game should have been more linear like a soulslike and not the roguelike that it's now - make it as hard as balls all you like BUT, let me restart from a save point aka "bonfire" even if it takes me 30 tries to beat a boss but don't make me restart the whole thing from the beginning for fuck's sake, difficulty should never be due to RNG or fear due to you fucking up your commands/inputs due to being stressed/nervous as hell since you know what will happen after you lose all your HP points...
It's a completely wrong and artifical way of expanding/padding the game's longevity/length.

I REALLY hope that Saros won't double down on these idiotic decisions they made.with Returnal.
 
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I did. I'm normally not a big rogue or rogue-like fan. At first glance I tried it and put it down due to that.

Then I read a few tips on Gaf and abroad, picked it up again a few weeks later and was hooked. The gameplay was fantastic, per their specialty. The Geiger-like art design/atmosphere was great, and once I got into a routine unlocking the story elements, it sucked me in and I couldn't put it down. The music layered with the gameplay made it feel like one giant suffocating nightmare.

It felt very rewarding as you finally beat biomes that were challenging your resolve. But yes, I would've liked better static items or progression unlocks. On the other hand, it felt really good when you got a good roll as well.

Fuck the AI robot Derelict Citadel level though at first glance 🤭

RIP Helios.

They're not a studio that repeats itself (pun intended), so I do expect them to hone their craft more and build upon the feedback from the gamerverse.
No hyperbole or bullshit, Derelict Citadel is one of my favorite videogame levels of all time. Not saying the game is perfect on all fronts but the way that level brings together gameplay bliss, total isolation, oppressive personal tragedy (to be a bit pretentious), absolutely insane art and architecture and topped by the fucking soundtrack? Dude...

It's one of those games that feels like someone rummaged around in my brain and put together all the shit that gets me off in a way that I didn't know I wanted. Returnal is like Bloodborne for me that way and that level is just orgasmic.
 
No hyperbole or bullshit, Derelict Citadel is one of my favorite videogame levels of all time. Not saying the game is perfect on all fronts but the way that level brings together gameplay bliss, total isolation, oppressive personal tragedy (to be a bit pretentious), absolutely insane art and architecture and topped by the fucking soundtrack? Dude...

It's one of those games that feels like someone rummaged around in my brain and put together all the shit that gets me off in a way that I didn't know I wanted. Returnal is like Bloodborne for me that way and that level is just orgasmic.
The level definitely felt good, and became better understood after you learned the tricks to it. It was a puzzle in itself thrown at you that changed up the gameplay loop a bit in the process.
 
The level definitely felt good, and became better understood after you learned the tricks to it. It was a puzzle in itself thrown at you that changed up the gameplay loop a bit in the process.
I got a like on my take/theory from the game director so I'm gonna continue to run with that the citadel is literally built by yourself against your endlessly returning self. The Destroyer/Creator. The lore in the game fucking rules whether it contradicts itself and actually fully makes sense or not (it doesn't lulz).
 
Bless their heart(s).

I'm going through Returnal right now and man, the music, sound production and art-direction/esthetics are really something else...

...shame then that its whole rogue-like nature is what - IMO - brings it down : there's just no real progression ffs (minus some shortcuts) and everytime you start from zero - I managed to reach the 3rd biome yesterday and its boss with almost 3 health bars, 3 healing items, an astronaut figurine (2nd life basically) AND also managed to activate the respawn machinery - thing took me about 4 sittings and 3+ hours (thank God for the suspend feature they implemented) and yet, I fucking lost everything at the boss...
It's one of the most disheartening games I've ever played since I lost all the will to continue - and this is the 2nd time that it happens.
You can get back to that boss fairly quickly in future runs. Probably less than 10 minutes. Take a carbine for that boss and stay as far away as possible. Also regarding unlocks the thing that gets better each run is you.
 
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If Returnal wasn't a roguelike, it would have 6 stages. Estimating the game could take you anywhere from 6-8 hours, maybe 10 if you die a lot. That's pretty short. This is assuming it was designed like a normal shooter with Easy, Medium, Hard mode, continues, save spots, 2-3 lives, etc. Most people wouldn't consider a 6 hour game worth $70. What they could have done is put it out just like that and charge $40-50, which is about double the price of all their previous games. Would've been a smash hit. A TPS with cool graphics, cool audio design, and anyone can play it how they want. You could unlock when you beat it once an "Arcade Mode" where you have to beat the game on 1 life and it randomizes.

As a roguelike, it's too expensive. It's too short. It's going to alienate too many people. It's a solid shooter, but a bad roguelike. There's limited weapons, limited power variety, which is the essence of repeat runs not feeling stale. Limited progression.

So yeah, I don't know what they meant by premium. Paid titles, yes I support. $70 titles, or higher, you do have to really rethink the value of the product. It didn't even sell well on PC which has a large roguelike audience. They didn't understand the genre and doubled the price and sales reflect that. They know how to make a fun shooter though.
That's the key argument in my opinion, there's not enough variation for good roguelike gameplay.

Only a few mutations really change the way you approach the game, obviously there's only one character and each run feels very same-ish.

I dream of a game with Returnal's gunplay and feedback coupled with the variety of something like Risk of Rain 2. Maybe they can achieve that in their next game but I wouldn't bet on it, it wasn't a design priority for sure.
 
I'd rather have a follow sequel for super stardust HD or delta. Also a sequel to Dead Nation. So much could be done with those. Instead they went full 3d. I loved their indy projects.

In fact I really miss twin stick shooters in general like that and even something like Geometry wars.

Is there any good twin stick shooters that came out in the last few years?
same
I liked everything Housemarque did until Returnal, where I just don't get into it ever. It's always okay until I die due to some difficulty spike in that new room. The balancing seems weird. Always think fuck that after every session and need to read a ton of overrated praise before trying again... would much rather have it trying to be a Metroid Prime game with top notch tech. I rather backtrack than repeat the sameish rooms over and over again.

I love Twin Stick too but no one does them. Guy making Waves 2 died ... :-( But Waves 1 and the work in progress 2 was a one man job so a GW successor just needs one capable motivated person.
 
Resogun studio Housemarque has no plans for a premium game "as long as people are buying arcade games".

You (yes, you 🫵) should have bought Nex Machina.
 
That's the key argument in my opinion, there's not enough variation for good roguelike gameplay.

Only a few mutations really change the way you approach the game, obviously there's only one character and each run feels very same-ish.

I dream of a game with Returnal's gunplay and feedback coupled with the variety of something like Risk of Rain 2. Maybe they can achieve that in their next game but I wouldn't bet on it, it wasn't a design priority for sure.
They can't, high visual fidelity traduce in less content compared to what you can do with the shit, basic graphic/animations of risk of rain 2.
 
I have yet to give myself the pleasure of playing this game. I'm too conflicted about the platform PC or PS5.
 
I have yet to give myself the pleasure of playing this game. I'm too conflicted about the platform PC or PS5.
Pc all day.

One of the few sony ports that actually improve the textures and at least at launch, the game had huge slowdowns during the most hectic moments, not sire if they fixed it but if you have a capable pc, it's not even close.

Also probably lower price.
 
No hyperbole or bullshit, Derelict Citadel is one of my favorite videogame levels of all time. Not saying the game is perfect on all fronts but the way that level brings together gameplay bliss, total isolation, oppressive personal tragedy (to be a bit pretentious), absolutely insane art and architecture and topped by the fucking soundtrack? Dude...

It's one of those games that feels like someone rummaged around in my brain and put together all the shit that gets me off in a way that I didn't know I wanted. Returnal is like Bloodborne for me that way and that level is just orgasmic.

This.

I LOVE sci-fi and the game represents EXACTLY what i love about the genre - the sense of isolation, wonder, mystery, dread even, all wrapped up in an (almost) perfect package, add to that some amazing music and sounds and...

Esthetics/art-direction wise is perfect man, the towers in the distance, the piles of xeno bodies rounded up in rooms, the magnificent statues, the dark and gloomy atmosphere...it's what sci-fi exists for (OK it also leans into horror territory but it's mostly sci-fi).

Which is why, for the 3rd time in here, I'll have to mention that IMO, this would have worked so much better as normal, linear game.
I previously said that I thought that it'd have worked better as a tough, souls-like shmup, but, upon 2nd thought, I'd have loved it even more if it took the action-adventure route where you're exploring biomes, finding hints, translating text, platforming etc etc, in fact, I'd go as far as to say that the action actually gets in the way of this weird, beautiful and atmospheric built /realized world, I don't care about "surviving" waves of randomized enemies, I just want to bathe in the game's atmosphere and learn more about the xenos and Selene.

Remember Scorn ? on one hand, the fact that it was mostly a 3D adventure game sucked, on the other hand, you could just immerse yourself in the game's atmosphere and take it all in since there was no pressure of dying.
Mediocre game gameplay wise but very memorable, I still have the game's imagery burnt into my retinas, and that ending...
 
This.

I LOVE sci-fi and the game represents EXACTLY what i love about the genre - the sense of isolation, wonder, mystery, dread even, all wrapped up in an (almost) perfect package, add to that some amazing music and sounds and...

Esthetics/art-direction wise is perfect man, the towers in the distance, the piles of xeno bodies rounded up in rooms, the magnificent statues, the dark and gloomy atmosphere...it's what sci-fi exists for (OK it also leans into horror territory but it's mostly sci-fi).

Which is why, for the 3rd time in here, I'll have to mention that IMO, this would have worked so much better as normal, linear game.
I previously said that I thought that it'd have worked better as a tough, souls-like shmup, but, upon 2nd thought, I'd have loved it even more if it took the action-adventure route where you're exploring biomes, finding hints, translating text, platforming etc etc, in fact, I'd go as far as to say that the action actually gets in the way of this weird, beautiful and atmospheric built /realized world, I don't care about "surviving" waves of randomized enemies, I just want to bathe in the game's atmosphere and learn more about the xenos and Selene.

Remember Scorn ? on one hand, the fact that it was mostly a 3D adventure game sucked, on the other hand, you could just immerse yourself in the game's atmosphere and take it all in since there was no pressure of dying.
Mediocre game gameplay wise but very memorable, I still have the game's imagery burnt into my retinas, and that ending...
I don't know how to reply to any of these posts because I genuinely don't see that. I think the game works beautifully as it is and I put over 200 hours into it with no real incentive just because I fucking love playing it. I view it as highly modern take on a 16 bit shooter or arcade game. I missed that pure moment-to-moment gameplay joy, over and over. I love that all these weird elements just coexist and that they didn't overthink it, it all just works for me.

The lore strongly implies, or outright says, that anything not deemed flora/fauna in lore entries is Selene's intrusion on the planet and I love this idea that versions and mutations of her and her technology have been evolving and doing this dance for possibly thousands of years or more. I love that a dev put this much effort into the lore IF you want it on top of an outrageously addictive arcade game (essentially). It makes it more poignant for me than having it shoved in my face.

Anyway at work so can't write the ranting essay explaining how much I love this game right now lol.

Edit: Also for my money this is the most atmospheric game I've ever played. Even the guns sound eerie.
 
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Its not like every service game is a big success. Developers will never learn.

Keep the sp games coming and I will continue to buy them on pc.
 
So this means Hulst will force them to make GAAS shit as soon as one of their game don't sell. Got it.

Also Sony still intend to price their games $70 / €80
 
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