Returnal Explained

Returnal
Developer:Housemarque
Publisher:Sony Interactive Entertainment
Director:Harry Krueger
Designer:Henri Mustonen
Producer:Jari Hokkanen
Composer:Bobby Krlic
Engine:Unreal Engine 4
Genre:Third-person shooter, roguelike
Modes:Single-player, multiplayer

Returnal is a 2021 roguelike third-person shooter video game developed by Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game was released for the PlayStation 5 on 30 April 2021 and for Windows on 15 February 2023. It follows Selene Vassos, an astronaut who lands on the planet Atropos in search of the mysterious "White Shadow" signal and finds herself trapped in a time loop.

Returnal received generally positive reviews from critics for its visuals, combat, audio design and technical achievements, though its difficulty and roguelike design were met with mixed opinions. It won several end-year accolades, including Best Game at the 18th British Academy Games Awards. The game had sold over 560,000 units by July 2021.

Gameplay

Returnal is a third-person shooter video game[1] featuring roguelike elements and falling under the psychological horror genre.[2] [3] In a futuristic science fiction setting, the player controls Selene Vassos (Jane Perry),[4] a space pilot, equipped with a suit and armed with high-tech weapons, who is stranded on the alien planet Atropos and stuck in a time loop. After every death, Selene is resurrected, following a pattern of traversing foreign environments and combating extraterrestrial entities with growing visions in an ever changing world.[5]

The game is split into two halves, each consisting of three biomes. If the player dies during a run, they are sent to the beginning of the half. Selene has the ability to dash and can later unlock a grappling hook that lets her shoot to predefined points in a room. The xenomorph enemies launch arcade-like geometric arrangements and colors of energy, lines, fireballs in expanding spiral, square and spherical arrays, hoops, lasers which require strategy to navigate. Players can find a variety of weapons in the game, ranging from a basic pistol to an Electropylon Driver.[6] Each weapon has unique traits that can be leveled up to unlock enhanced perks that can deal more damage. Selene additionally has a melee weapon that can be used to attack enemies, destroy resource geodes, or destroy barriers.

The Ascension update introduces online cooperative multiplayer, which allows up to two players to complete the game's campaign together.[7]

Plot

Disobeying orders, ASTRA Corporation pilot and explorer Selene Vassos attempts to land on the off-limits planet of Atropos to investigate what she dubs the "White Shadow" signal, which somehow seems familiar to her. Upon arrival, Selene's ship, Helios, suffers heavy damage and crash lands. Unable to contact ASTRA, Selene explores the planet and is shocked when she comes across corpses of herself. She learns that every time she dies, time loops back to the moment she crashed, sending her back to her starting point. The planet seems to change with every loop, and Selene begins experiencing vivid visions.

Resolving to find the source of the White Shadow, Selene presses on, fighting hostile alien lifeforms and scavenging alien technology left over from the advanced, extinct alien civilization that used to reside on Atropos. As she tracks the White Shadow, Selene comes across what appears to be a replica of her childhood home. Every time she enters it, she recalls old memories and repeatedly encounters an astronaut wearing an antique space suit. Selene eventually learns that she apparently used an alien weapon to paradoxically shoot down her own ship, thus making herself responsible for her being marooned on Atropos.

Eventually, Selene tracks down the source of the White Shadow. Afterwards, ASTRA is able to receive her distress call and sends a rescue ship. Selene returns to Earth and eventually dies of old age, only to reawaken back on Atropos, having looped back to the crash. Dismayed that she has failed to escape Atropos, Selene continues to explore the planet. Eventually, her search leads her to an underwater abyss below the planet's surface, where she finds a replica of an old car.

She proceeds to the bottom of the abyss where she encounters a massive, octopus-like alien creature. She is then shown a vision of a middle-aged woman, who looks similar to Selene, driving through a forest at night with a young child in the back seat. While passing over a bridge, the woman sees the astronaut standing in the middle of the road and swerves to avoid it, driving the car off the bridge and into the lake below. The woman attempts to reach the now unconscious child but is pulled out of the car by dark cloud-like tentacles. A first-person perspective of the lake surface from below is then shown. The cloud-like tentacles reappear, pulling the viewer away from the surface and deeper into the lake.

If the player then continues the game after the closing credits, and collects six artifacts called "Sunface Fragments", Selene can then return to her home and recover a set of car keys. She then opens the car and confronts a pregnant humanoid creature seated in a wheelchair. Selene fights off the creature and is transported back to the car crash from the perspective of the astronaut, implying that she is the astronaut that the driver swerved to avoid. Selene then finds herself underwater and swims to the surface, crying out the name "Helios" as she does.

Development

Returnal was developed by the Finnish firm Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.[8] The game was in development for more than four years.[9] It takes advantage of the PlayStation 5's DualSense controller and Tempest Engine to support advanced haptic feedback, 3D spatial audio, and real-time ray tracing effects, enhancing the player immersion experience.[10] [11] With the increased processing power and inclusion of a custom solid state drive storage in the PlayStation 5, the game features reduced loading times and a wide variety of enemies, visual effects, and objects within gameplay scenes.[12] Additionally, the game runs at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second.[11] Returnals native resolution is around 1080p. The developers used temporal upsampling to get to 1440p and then checkerboard rendering to get to 4K.[13] Returnal also features an original score composed primarily by Bobby Krlic.[14]

The game's look relies heavily on a number of visual effects that the development team built in-house as extensions to Unreal Engine: The core visual style of the game relies heavily on particle systems and volumetric rendering.[15]

Returnal was revealed at Sony's PlayStation 5 reveal stream on 11 June 2020.[16] The game was exclusively developed for the PlayStation 5.[17] [18] The game was initially scheduled for a release on 19 March 2021.[19] On 28 January 2021, it was announced the release date was pushed back a month to 30 April 2021.[20] On 25 March 2021, it was announced that the game had gone gold.[21] A free update titled Ascension, which introduces a cooperative multiplayer mode and an endless mode known as the Tower of Sisyphus, was released on 22 March 2022.[7] On 8 December 2022, at The Game Awards 2022, it was announced that the game would be ported to PC in "early 2023".[22] It was released for Windows on 15 February 2023.[23]

Reception

Returnal received "generally favorable" reviews from critics according to review aggregator website Metacritic.

In a review for IGN, Mitchell Saltzman enjoyed how the gameplay integrated with the story, writing that "It makes Selene an interesting protagonist who's in this weird repeating-but-different scenario along with us." Saltzman criticized the need to replay sections in order to reach a higher weapon proficiency, saying that it made the game "ridiculously difficult" and the only way the player could succeed was by grinding to reach a higher level. Writing for The Guardian, Keza MacDonald gave the game a positive review, praising Returnal for its challenging difficulty, its rewarding combat, and engaging gameplay loop. MacDonald also praised the game for its visual and audio design, writing that "The planet looks and sounds extraordinary, each new area a distinctive biotechnological nightmare."[24]

The game's roguelike gameplay, which requires players to repeatedly play through levels following an in-game death, has been a divisive point among critics and players. In particular, Returnal has received some criticism from players for its lack of a save feature, while critics have been more mixed on its absence. Jon Bailes of GamesRadar+ wrote that the lack of a save feature should be understood as a deliberate choice which highlights the game's themes of mortality. Bailes stated that "Selene's traumatic endeavours were in tune with my attempts to finish the game. The lack of a save feature and extra stuff to do added another dimension to the emotional experience."[25]

Eurogamer's Chris Tapsell wrote that "checkpoints only work once per run, so you better be sure when you spend half a day's resources on one."[26] He also noted that at one point during his time with Returnal, "I'd paused the game while on my best-ever run, and came back not two minutes later to find my loaner PS5 in the middle of an auto-update. I lost all progress on the run, roughly a whole morning of my life. Turn auto-updates off!"[27] Criticism of the save system from players and reviewers alike resulted in developer Housemarque issuing a statement that they were working to address the issue but did not know what form a save feature may take.[28] In October 2021, Housemarque released Update 2.0, which allows players to "suspend cycle" to save their game during a run.[29]

Sales

Returnal sold 6,573 physical units within its first week on sale in Japan, and was the 15th-best-selling retail game of the week in the country.[30] Based on physical sales of the game in the United Kingdom, the game debuted at no. 2 on the sales charts for the week ending 1 May 2021.[31] As of 18 July 2021, the game had sold over 560,000 units.[32]

Accolades

scope=colYear scope=colAward scope=colCategory scope=colResult scope=col class=unsortableRef.
2021Golden Joystick AwardsBest Audio[33] [34]
PlayStation Game of the Year
The Game Awards 2021Best Audio Design[35]
Best Action Game
Best Game Direction
2022Visual Effects Society AwardsOutstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project[36]
22nd Game Developers Choice AwardsBest Audio[37]
Best Technology
25th Annual D.I.C.E. AwardsGame of the Year[38]
Action Game of the Year
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
Outstanding Technical Achievement
18th British Academy Games AwardsBest Game[39] [40]
Artistic Achievement
Audio Achievement
Game Design
Music
Narrative
Original Property
Technical Achievement
Performer in a Leading Role (Jane Perry as Selene Vassos)
2023Game Audio Network Guild AwardsBest Physical Soundtrack Release[41]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 'Returnal' for PS5 is Housemarque's most ambitious game yet . Jon . Fingas . Engadget . June 11, 2020 . June 12, 2020 . December 7, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201207210937/https://www.engadget.com/housemarque-returnal-ps5-204525796.html . live .
  2. Web site: Housemarque's first PS5 game is Returnal, an alien psychological horror third-person shooter. Makedonski. Brett. Destructoid. June 11, 2020. June 17, 2020. December 27, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201227123721/https://www.destructoid.com/stories/housemarque-s-first-ps5-game-is-returnal-an-alien-psychological-horror-third-person-shooter-593930.phtml. live.
  3. Web site: Housemarque reveals PS5 science-fiction mind-bender Returnal. Purchese. Robert. Eurogamer. June 11, 2020. June 17, 2020. September 20, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200920214315/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-06-11-housemarque-reveals-ps5-science-fiction-mind-bender-returnal. live.
  4. Web site: Louden. Greg. March 17, 2021. Returnal: Four mysteries from the new story trailer answered. live. March 28, 2021. Playstation official site. December 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211205225921/https://blog.playstation.com/2021/03/17/returnal-four-mysteries-from-the-new-story-trailer-answered/.
  5. Web site: Resogun creators announce PlayStation 5 game, Returnal . Ryan . Gilliam . Polygon . June 11, 2020 . June 12, 2020 . October 29, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201029085055/https://www.polygon.com/2020/6/11/21279232/returnal-housemarque-ps5-reveal-sony-event-new-game-release-date-details-trailer-playstation . live .
  6. Web site: James . Ford . 2021-12-21 . Returnal best weapons and guns to try out in Atropos . 2022-03-22 . gamesradar . en . March 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220329054124/https://www.gamesradar.com/returnal-best-weapons/ . live .
  7. Web site: Returnal is getting co-op and a survival mode in a free 'Ascension' update. Chaim. Gartenberg. The Verge. March 9, 2022. March 10, 2022. March 9, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220309233734/https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/9/22969764/returnal-co-op-survival-mode-free-ascension-update-ps5. live.
  8. Web site: Returnal Continues To Look Like The PS5's Coolest Exclusive. Walker. Alex. Kotaku Australia. April 20, 2021. April 21, 2021. April 29, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210429040727/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2021/04/returnal-ps5-housemarque-coolest-game/. live.
  9. Web site: Ben. Lyons. Returnal was in development for "four years plus some". gamereactor.eu. May 20, 2021. July 13, 2021. July 13, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210713094339/https://www.gamereactor.eu/returnal-was-in-development-for-four-years-plus-some/. live.
  10. Web site: Returnal is Housemarque's new PS5 shooter. Saed. Sherif. VG247. June 11, 2020. July 26, 2020. December 19, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201219061938/https://www.vg247.com/2020/06/11/returnal-housemarque-ps5/. live.
  11. Web site: Returnal Will Support Ray Tracing and 60 Frames Per Second at 1080p Resolution upscaled to 4k. Doke. Shunal. IGN India. April 21, 2021. April 21, 2021. April 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210423214541/https://in.ign.com/returnal/157772/news/returnal-ps5-ray-tracing-60fps-4k-resolution-frame-rate. live.
  12. Web site: Returnal to Take Advantage of PS5 Hardware and Peripherals for Relentless and Immersive Gameplay. Pepito. Christan. Sirus Gaming. July 4, 2020. July 26, 2020. July 27, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200727052438/https://sirusgaming.com/2020/07/04/returnal-ps5-hardware-peripherals-advantage/. live.
  13. Web site: Returnal's 4K Image is Upscaled from 1080p, Performance Mostly 60fps With Some Drops. Birch. Nathan. Wccftech. April 30, 2021. June 3, 2021. February 3, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220203045318/https://wccftech.com/returnal-upscaled-from-1080p-performance-mostly-60fps-drops/. live.
  14. Web site: The music of Returnal: an interview with composer Bobby Krlic. PlayStation.Blog. April 9, 2021. April 9, 2021. April 27, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210427004442/https://blog.playstation.com/2021/04/09/the-music-of-returnal-an-interview-with-composer-bobby-krlic/. live.
  15. Web site: Returnal - VFX Breakdown | PS5. 16 September 2021 . www.youtube.com. February 21, 2023. February 21, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230221010931/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdGg5QYybJU. live.
  16. Web site: Watch the 24 biggest trailers from the PS5 event. Faulkner. Cameron. The Verge. June 11, 2020. June 15, 2020. October 10, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201010214727/https://www.theverge.com/21277231/ps5-playstation-5-game-trailers-launch-release-dates-sony-event. live.
  17. Web site: Returnal Is An Upcoming PS5 Shooter From Nex Machina And Resogun Devs. Carr. James. Gamespot. June 11, 2020. July 26, 2020. October 22, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211022113709/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/returnal-is-an-upcoming-ps5-shooter-from-nex-machi/1100-6478324/. live.
  18. Web site: PlayStation 5 First Details Revealed: New 'Spider-Man,' 'Horizon' Games Unveiled (Watch the Trailers). Stedman. Alex. Variety. June 11, 2020. July 26, 2020. December 27, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201227132244/https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/playstation-5-reveal-first-games-details-sony-1234632015/. live.
  19. Web site: Returnal release date confirmed in new gameplay trailer at The Game Awards. Sheridan. Connor. Wood. Austin. GamesRadar+. December 20, 2020. December 10, 2020. December 10, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201210204524/https://www.gamesradar.com/returnal-release-date-seemingly-leaks-hours-ahead-of-potential-game-awards-appearance/. live.
  20. Web site: PS5 exclusive Returnal delayed to April. Gilliam. Ryan. Polygon. January 28, 2021. April 22, 2021. February 8, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210208191708/https://www.polygon.com/2021/1/28/22254241/returnal-release-date-delay-ps5-housemarque. live.
  21. Web site: PS5 Exclusive Returnal Has Gone Gold. Williams. Callum. GameRant. March 25, 2021. March 25, 2021. October 21, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211021164801/https://gamerant.com/returnal-gold/. live.
  22. Web site: Bankhurst . Adam . 2022-12-09 . The Game Awards 2022: Everything Announced . 2022-12-09 . . . en . December 9, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221209005303/https://www.ign.com/articles/the-game-awards-2022-everything-announced . live .
  23. Web site: 2023-01-18 . Returnal launches on PC February 15 . 2024-01-30 . PlayStation.Blog . en-US.
  24. Web site: May 12, 2021. Returnal review – epic dance of death with beautiful, brutal aliens. June 12, 2021. the Guardian. en. June 10, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220610092543/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2021/may/12/returnal-review-epic-dance-of-death-with-beautiful-brutal-aliens. live.
  25. Web site: May 2021. Jon Bailes 24. Returnal doesn't need a save system, it needs you to embrace mortality. June 12, 2021. gamesradar. May 24, 2021. en. June 21, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210621104718/https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/returnal-doesnt-need-a-save-system-it-needs-you-to-embrace-mortality/. live.
  26. Web site: Tapsell. Chris. April 29, 2021. Returnal review - magnificent and monstrous. June 12, 2021. Eurogamer. en. June 15, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210615004658/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-04-29-returnal-review-magnificent-and-monstrous. live.
  27. Web site: Yin-Poole. Wesley. May 1, 2021. Housemarque says "we hear the community" as Returnal players call for save and quit option. June 12, 2021. Eurogamer. en. May 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210524195625/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-05-01-housemarque-says-we-hear-the-community-as-returnal-players-call-for-save-and-quit-option. live.
  28. Web site: Returnal Devs Are "Actively Trying" to Address Save Concerns. May 19, 2021. May 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210519194137/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/returnal-devs-are-actively-trying-to-address-save-concerns/1100-6491468/. live.
  29. Web site: Returnal's latest update fixes the game's biggest problem. Joshua. Rivera. Polygon. October 26, 2021. October 28, 2021. June 8, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220608031945/https://www.polygon.com/22747000/returnal-save-game-update. live.
  30. Web site: Romano. Sal. May 13, 2021. Famitsu Sales: 4/26/21 – 5/9/21 [Update 2]]. Gematsu. May 28, 2021. December 6, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211206114445/https://www.gematsu.com/2021/05/famitsu-sales-4-26-21-5-9-21. live.
  31. Web site: Square. Push. May 3, 2021. UK Sales Charts: PS5 Roguelike Returnal Off to Slower Start Than Other Sony Exclusives. June 12, 2021. Push Square. en-GB. November 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211119231008/https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2021/05/uk_sales_charts_ps5_roguelike_returnal_off_to_slower_start_than_other_sony_exclusives. live.
  32. Web site: July 28, 2021. PlayStation 5 Surpasses 10 Million Units Sold, Remains the Fastest Selling Console in Sony Interactive Entertainment History. live. July 28, 2021. businesswire. en. August 12, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210812233713/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210728005586/en/PlayStation-5-Surpasses-10-Million-Units-Sold-Remains-the-Fastest-Selling-Console-in-Sony-Interactive-Entertainment-History.
  33. Web site: The Game Awards Nominees: 'Deathloop,' 'Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart' Lead 2021 List. October 19, 2021. November 23, 2021. Gamesradar. November 22, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211122003720/https://www.gamesradar.com/golden-joystick-awards-2021-nominations/. live.
  34. Web site: Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2021 winners . Tyrer . Ben . . . November 23, 2021 . November 23, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211124013113/https://www.gamesradar.com/golden-joystick-awards-2021-winners/ . November 24, 2021 . live .
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  36. Web site: 'Dune' and 'Encanto' Lead Visual Effects Society Nominations. Variety. Jazz. Tangcay. January 18, 2022. January 18, 2022. live. January 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220118193039/https://variety.com/2022/artisans/awards/visual-effects-society-awards-nominations-dune-encanto-1235156134/.
  37. Web site: Nominees for the 2022 Game Developers Choice Awards have been revealed. Destructoid. 11 January 2022. 13 January 2022. Eric. Van Allen. January 25, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220125035613/https://www.destructoid.com/nominees-for-the-2022-game-developers-choice-awards-have-been-revealed/. live.
  38. Web site: Ratchet & Clank Leads 2022 DICE Awards With 9 Nominations. Jason. Fanelli. GameSpot. January 13, 2022. January 29, 2022. January 13, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220113175719/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ratchet-clank-leads-2022-dice-awards-with-9-nominations/1100-6499612/. live.
  39. Web site: BAFTA Games Awards 2022 Nominations Announced. Matt. Purslow. IGN. March 3, 2022. March 6, 2022. April 14, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220414204320/https://www.ign.com/articles/bafta-games-awards-2022-nominations-announced. live.
  40. Web site: BAFTA Games Awards: Performance Nominations Unveiled. Alex. Reitman. The Hollywood Reporter. March 16, 2022. March 18, 2022. March 17, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220317184003/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/bafta-games-awards-2022-performance-nominees-1235112673/. live.
  41. Web site: 'God of War Ragnarök' Leads Game Audio Network Guild Awards With 14 Wins (EXCLUSIVE) . Flam . Charna . . . March 23, 2023 . March 24, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230324053930/https://variety.com/2023/artisans/news/god-of-war-ragnarok-leads-game-audio-network-guild-awards-exclusive-1235561473/ . March 24, 2023 . live .

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