Forget that which you thought you knew about PlayStation exclusives. Though a number of Sony‘s biggest hitters have already retired their exclusive status to embrace a wider audience on PC, it’s this month’s port of sci-fi roguelike Returnal that should turn heads.
Forget God Of War – basically desired to see a burly dad scowl their way through life, I’d go to a crowded Tesco. The Last Of Us had its chance 10 years ago and even though it’s finally visiting PC the following month, the lovely Pedro Pascal is already scratching that itch on HBO.
I’m only half joking. All of PlayStation’s blockbusters that comes to PC is a win for players, however they all felt distinctly second-hand: many years of word-of-mouth means we already knew what to anticipate using their third-person action.
Returnal is different. Moving in, I knew very little understanding of Housemarque‘s third-person shooter beyond realizing it would be a roguelike. Consequently, Returnal’s opening hours were a captivating spectacle. Within minutes of crashing on the alien planet of Atropos, marked off-limits by humanity, protagonist Selene Vassos (voiced through the wonderful Jane Perry) makes a shocking discovery – her very own dead body, lying mauled within the planet’s ever-shifting forest. Though she doesn’t remember, she's already lived and died on Atropos countless times, and also the goal of Returnal would be to escape out of this sci-fi Groundhog Day and free her from an unsettling cycle of death.
The mystery of Atropos is captivating, but it’s a lot more than that – it grips hold of you until, like Selene, you have no idea in which the last 6 hours in your life have gone. Housemarque understands how to draw players in. As Atropos relinquishes much more of its secrets, the planet’s dead tell its story, from the scout logs of other ill-fated Selene’s to the carvings of an ancient civilisation that settled here long ago. Things get progressively weirder, and also the planet itself almost feels haunted when aspects of Selene’s past life begin to manifest within its twisting lands. The storyline of Returnal is magnetic, and makes the most important facet of a roguelike – getting players to keep playing after countless deaths – look effortless in the same way that Supergiant’s 2023 hit Hades did.
Like Hades, Returnal‘s combat often descends into delightfully fluorescent bullet hell. Because of the propulsion on her behalf spacesuit, Selene is a capable fighter that may dash and jump around foes with ease. Brawls are only for staying on the move, as the majority of Returnal‘s alien enemies can handle covering swathes of the screen with arcs and beams of sizzling energy. Landing your personal shots is relatively simple thanks to an ample targeting system, so you’re in a position to focus on staying alive as hordes of monsters attempt to kill you against all angles.
It’s a rush, and Returnal‘s weaponry is a pleasure to wield – there’s nothing beats eviscerating a hungry alien with a close-up shotgun blast, or sizzling via a flying manta ray before it can dive at you. My first death was brought on by an alien gorilla that appeared as if it had huffed the smoke monster from Lost, but it was not even close to my last – Returnal‘s randomised layout means that you’re always chasing the next run, hoping that Atropos coughs up better upgrades the next time you venture in. Sometimes it does. Often it doesn’t.
It could be amoral to spoil anymore of Returnal. If you’re keen on roguelikes, Returnal‘s brilliance stands with the likes of Hades and The Binding Of Isaac. If you’re yet to dabble within the genre, let Returnal be your introduction. Even at face value, Housemarque’s hit is a great, gorgeous third-person shooter. Whatever your reason for enjoying, just make sure you've one – now it’s on PC, there’s no excuse for missing Returnal.
As of today (February 15), Returnal can be obtained on PC. It’s available too on PS5.
