Returnal

 PC
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 180 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 102 out of 180
  2. Mixed: 31 out of 180
  3. Negative: 47 out of 180

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  1. gamersansargent
    Jun 27, 2023
    0
    Cannot play : random crash because of "lake of video memory"
    I have 12 Go, and playing in low details
    I cannot tolerate that !
  2. mugen_is_here
    Mar 12, 2023
    1
    It's too tough. Too many enemies. Too strong enemies. Too weak weapons. Too much grind to be enjoyable. Too large levels.
    An inexplicable story.
  3. Pickle
    Feb 19, 2023
    5
    I feel as if reviews are divided in these two categories… One being the game’s quality and the other being a review that’s mainly focused in describing the experience you had with the game, You know?

    Personally if I were to review the game based on its quality, it’s a great game, the graphics, the gameplay, the sound design, everything about it is top notch, the game’s atmospheric and    I feel as if reviews are divided in these two categories… One being the game’s quality and the other being a review that’s mainly focused in describing the experience you had with the game, You know?

    Personally if I were to review the game based on its quality, it’s a great game, the graphics, the gameplay, the sound design, everything about it is top notch, the game’s atmospheric and the narrative ambiguous but mysterious enough that you’re engaged with it constantly, then the gameplay is very arcadey and fun, something that’s completely subversive compared to contemporary story driven titles that aim to give more “weight” to the character at the cost of control responsiveness.

    Even then though my actual experience was mediocre at best, initially I loved the game, and then I got pummelled time and time again up until I couldn’t get past the first biome of five (I’ve heard) . This kind of experience might be really appealing to people who adore challenge, but personally I felt frustrated and after a while, feeling quite bored towards the game, I just feel as if I’m going to take a break from the whole thing and move on to other games; these really demanding and challenging titles might’ve been fine when I was a kid and in a few cases I had nothing more than games to keep me entertained, but now I feel like they’re a bit of a loss of time, no offense to those who like the “climbing” or accomplishment of a game challenge, but to me I just don’t have it in me anymore, I lack the determination, time, and persistence to overcome the challenges these titles throw at me, instead I see those challenges as hinder and a blockade in what I’m actually interested in experiencing in a game, which is mainly its story, in conjunction with its gameplay.    … Expand
  4. TavorX95
    Feb 18, 2023
    8
    I really like this game, video game stories are so boring and not well thought out almost all of the time, being short and vague really helps this one. Akin to Dark Souls "lore". If you don't care about the story it's quick to get through or even skip most of it. If you care it's at least mysterious, has some serious end of Inception vibes of the "what is really happening" sort. TheI really like this game, video game stories are so boring and not well thought out almost all of the time, being short and vague really helps this one. Akin to Dark Souls "lore". If you don't care about the story it's quick to get through or even skip most of it. If you care it's at least mysterious, has some serious end of Inception vibes of the "what is really happening" sort. The gameplay is smooth, the action is fun, it doesn't have a lot of weapons but each weapon is so different it is enough that I never feel like I want more. There are certainly a few I prefer and some I very much dislike but that's to be expected. A Returnal 2 could definitely improve on this.

    This is not going to be a game for everyone. It does have elements where you have to decide to challenge yourself (like a pistol run) or not. The visuals are great, the framerate is smooth. It's a good PC port. Don't know what else to say. Not the best game I've played but I really enjoyed beating this one and going back and doing some challenge runs. Being able to use a mouse and keyboard does make this game much easier (for me at least) than the PS5 version due to the increased accuracy and movements from mouse and keyboard.    … Expand
  5. vgmkyle
    Feb 16, 2023
    7
    Still not a great game, but it beats the bricks off the outdated PS5 version. The appeal behind Returnal will always allude me because I've simply played 10x better in the Science fiction department.
  6. PMG-Writer
    Feb 19, 2023
    9
    Thus, "Returnal" is simply a joy on the home PC from the first to the last second. The storyline is interesting and has its special moments. You'll also get your money's worth right away in terms of gameplay. You'll have to settle into the game a bit first, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be offered a lot. Not only in terms of gameplay, but also technically. The game looks greatThus, "Returnal" is simply a joy on the home PC from the first to the last second. The storyline is interesting and has its special moments. You'll also get your money's worth right away in terms of gameplay. You'll have to settle into the game a bit first, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be offered a lot. Not only in terms of gameplay, but also technically. The game looks great and the fantastic soundscape creates a very intense and exciting atmosphere. The new features are also successful and have simply become good. If you want to experience a great and interesting title on your PC, you should urgently get "Returnal".… Expand
  7. madterps
    Mar 25, 2023
    4
    Returnal is not very good, it is throughly mediocre. It is trying to be hard because it does not have much else to offer. Weapon drops and health drops are at random, the game would be 100% better if those were allowed to be permanent like Soulsborne. Or you had a chance to recover your previous weapons/health before you faced the boss.

    In a sea of awesome but hard games like Sekiro and    Returnal is not very good, it is throughly mediocre. It is trying to be hard because it does not have much else to offer. Weapon drops and health drops are at random, the game would be 100% better if those were allowed to be permanent like Soulsborne. Or you had a chance to recover your previous weapons/health before you faced the boss.

    In a sea of awesome but hard games like Sekiro and Nioh, ditch Returnal for something better like Elden Ring.    … Expand
  8. Sholva
    Feb 26, 2023
    9
    This game is incredibly good.

    Now that I have achieved the true/secret ending, I have many question still, but I believe I’ve also understood a big part of what is happening in this game, and these are the types of games I enjoy the most: those which don’t tell me everything to the last letter, and leave me filling in the gaps with my own theories and stuff. The PC port is is    This game is incredibly good.

    Now that I have achieved the true/secret ending, I have many question still, but I believe I’ve also understood a big part of what is happening in this game, and these are the types of games I enjoy the most: those which don’t tell me everything to the last letter, and leave me filling in the gaps with my own theories and stuff.

    The PC port is is absolutely what I love to see in my fast paced action games, it controls pretty well with Mouse and Keyboard.

    FPS wise, it can run at pretty good FPS on my R5 3600 and RTX 3060, easily above 80-90 FPS from 1080p to 1440p with a mix of High and Epic Settings and with the help of DLSS (mostly on Quality DLSS).

    It just so happen to be another Unreal Engine 4 release suffering from some Stutters and hiccups (not shader cache/compilation related), which get accentuated when Ray Tracing is enabled, much more manageable with RT OFF, but still needs a patch or two to get those stutters smoothed out, and then it will feel even better, this game deserves to run as smoothly as possible, I have hopes for it to be improved.

    No story spoilers here but...it's just fantastic all around, this game feels like DOOM Eternal and Control mixed together, gameplay wise, almost as if the story was written by the likes of Remedy (another studio I love), with so many mysterious developments to find out and so many questions to be asked and theories to formulate.

    Also very Aliens vibes all around too, in the visual design and setting especially (let alone how Selene speaks and her mannerisms, very Ripley like), and funnily enough I'd even say Metroid as well (especially Prime), but with a super-fast paced combat but...yeah, the exploration and the way things are unlocked and gated after achieving better gear is very much so Metroid, and it's great.
    I wouldn’t call this game a complete “roguelike”, it has some small elements found in other famous roguelike games, but this game is more than that, to me at least.
    It’s so hard talking about this game but not mentioning spoilers or my own take on what I think it’s going on…but yeah, I am satisfied, greatly.

    Replayability is off the charts also in this game, I love exploring every corner of each biome every single time, because it never gets tiring or repetitive, since the combat is great and it looks amazing at the same time.

    A fantastic game all around which hopefully gets those stutters patched out soon. Definitely one of my favorite PlayStation games ported to PC.

    I give it the 9/10 until they release a patch that hopefully improves the slight stuttering issues, then it's getting that 10/10 for sure : )    … Expand
  9. xStealthxUK
    Mar 3, 2023
    0
    Would be a good game if it constantly didn't stutter and "Fatal Error" crash

    Stop supporting trash ports. All the Media outlets probably never even made it to later Biomes where the game crashes all the time or play the Coop that crashes 95% of runs. Guess what happens when you crash? Game says you died and starts you over. DO NOT BUY THIS and get scammed like me, play good    Would be a good game if it constantly didn't stutter and "Fatal Error" crash

    Stop supporting trash ports. All the Media outlets probably never even made it to later Biomes where the game crashes all the time or play the Coop that crashes 95% of runs.

    Guess what happens when you crash? Game says you died and starts you over.

    DO NOT BUY THIS and get scammed like me, play good Rogulikes instead. Steam is full of them    … Expand
  10. Jt0429
    Feb 18, 2023
    9
    Good-
    Excellent PC optimisation; Plenty of options to tinker with.
    Bad- Not really the game’s fault but it can’t maintain a stable frame rate on the Steam Deck. Thoughts- I’ve long maintained that Returnal is, by itself, enough of a reason to justify owning a PS5 ever since I first played it when the console launched. And now that it’s no longer stuck on the console, the reason to    Good-
    Excellent PC optimisation; Plenty of options to tinker with.

    Bad-
    Not really the game’s fault but it can’t maintain a stable frame rate on the Steam Deck.

    Thoughts-
    I’ve long maintained that Returnal is, by itself, enough of a reason to justify owning a PS5 ever since I first played it when the console launched. And now that it’s no longer stuck on the console, the reason to buy the console has been significantly diminished—at least for someone like me who doesn’t find Sony’s other first-party output particularly interesting. Returnal is a gorgeous game that sounds excellent, plays incredibly well, and most importantly for the sake of this review, has made the jump from PS5 to PC in a grace that few other titles still seem to be capable of. Despite two years since the initial release of Returnal, our thoughts on the game haven’t really changed. Returnal is still an incredibly fun, gorgeous game that runs great on PCs.    … Expand
  11. Pmstz
    Feb 17, 2023
    7
    nice game
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
  12. Shiftcontrol
    Feb 19, 2023
    9
    Despite Returnal's cryptic story, the game's biggest paradox lies outside of the game - in it's price.
    For a game that's worth every penny, it's really hard to justify paying full price for it without knowing what you're getting into.
    It's extremely difficult to define Returnal and fit it into a single box, as the game borrows ideas and mechanics from a myriad of different genres. You    Despite Returnal's cryptic story, the game's biggest paradox lies outside of the game - in it's price.
    For a game that's worth every penny, it's really hard to justify paying full price for it without knowing what you're getting into.

    It's extremely difficult to define Returnal and fit it into a single box, as the game borrows ideas and mechanics from a myriad of different genres. You could say Returnal is a Roguelike, Bullet Hell, Third-Person Shooter and Horror game. While all the above would be correct, they still do not define the game well, and this is the game's paradox - You'll never know what Returnal feels like without playing it.

    Returnal has a lot of Hades in it - It tells you it's story in a fractured way and it's up to you, the player, to assemble the puzzle. Each cycle is the same, but also very different from the previous one and that's one of it's beauties.

    While it's not a Horror game, it has this disorienting, disconcerting feeling to it that makes you feel uneasy at every change in the biome, every comment from the main character and every bit of lore you discover. In a world full of creatures trying to kill you, it's amazing how the game makes you anxious at those who aren't.

    All in all, Returnal is an amalgam of multiple genres that fit very well together and make for an amazing experience. If you don't like it's Roguelike aspect, it's hard to recommend the game since it might get a bit too repetitive for your liking, but if you can stomach games like Hades, Furi or even Dark Souls/Elden Ring in their Trial-and-Error styles then Returnal is a nearly-perfect game that's worth every penny.    … Expand
  13. Vasot
    Feb 17, 2023
    4
    Don't listen to so-called professionals and Sony fanboys. This game is a monotonous and boring slog killing the same enemies again and again and again and starting from the start if you die. It's trying hard to be another Dark Souls wannabe with some rogue like elements. Typical new age garbage completely soulless tries hard to be "competitive" with overpowered enemies and giving you weakDon't listen to so-called professionals and Sony fanboys. This game is a monotonous and boring slog killing the same enemies again and again and again and starting from the start if you die. It's trying hard to be another Dark Souls wannabe with some rogue like elements. Typical new age garbage completely soulless tries hard to be "competitive" with overpowered enemies and giving you weak weaponry to fight them. The story is bare-bones and the main character is awful also from the technical perspective suffers from stutter issues… Expand
  14. TheDude222
    Feb 22, 2023
    10
    One of the best games ever. Super glad it's on PC now. The combat can be challenging but exploring the world and unlocking new gear makes each run feel great and like your making progress. Would love to see a sequel or even more dlc. Either way can't wait to see what's next from Housemarque.
  15. dziubaty
    Feb 19, 2023
    10
    Excellent title, the truth is that I was hooked on the game, recommended. Very good landscape, enemies, it has some jerks in the cinematics, which will surely be fixed with a patch
  16. Bitek
    May 27, 2023
    10
    Great game ported from Playstation. Returnal is a rouge like game comparable to popular titles Hades and Dead Cell. The game gas interesting story, exceptionally immersive gameplay and beautiful visuals. I play the game with headphones on, 3D audio enabled, HDR on, on an ultrawide monitor and I want to tell you that it is I easy to lose track of time in this game. I kept playing the gameGreat game ported from Playstation. Returnal is a rouge like game comparable to popular titles Hades and Dead Cell. The game gas interesting story, exceptionally immersive gameplay and beautiful visuals. I play the game with headphones on, 3D audio enabled, HDR on, on an ultrawide monitor and I want to tell you that it is I easy to lose track of time in this game. I kept playing the game and 3 hours have passed without me noticing it. The port runs well on PC and it looks great in ultra-wide. I have seen YouTube videos of the game recorded on 49” super ultrawide monitors in 32:9 aspect ratio and OMG that games looks stunning on those displays. The game is addictive because each time you die, a new world is generated so the game does not get boring. Please do not listen to those idiots who give the game zero because of Epic Online Services. Those morons don't understand that EOS is in the game only to enables cross-play between Steam and Epic Games Store players. It has zero effect on the actual game. The game also has a suspend mode so you don't need to worry that you will lose progress if you don't have time to complete entire cycle. Read PS5 reviews. Another great port from Sony.… Expand
  17. ONEEX
    Feb 22, 2023
    10
    Рад, что без повестки!
    -------------------------------------------
    I'm glad there's no subpoena!
  18. QAOSbringer
    Feb 25, 2023
    4
    The game looks interesting, but it has a lot of shortcomings. There is so much that has been done without thought. We know "Git Gud" types will defend this game, after all, that's their purpose.
    First of all, the game crashes on certain systems and becomes unplayable. It needs to be run in DX11 mode and set all graphics settings to the lowest. Despite this, you are constantly seeing the    The game looks interesting, but it has a lot of shortcomings. There is so much that has been done without thought. We know "Git Gud" types will defend this game, after all, that's their purpose.
    First of all, the game crashes on certain systems and becomes unplayable. It needs to be run in DX11 mode and set all graphics settings to the lowest. Despite this, you are constantly seeing the FPS go up and down, lots of stutters, and the game can have response problems.
    Some weapons are very ineffective, Tachyomatic Carbine makes the game playable, but if you can't reach this weapon, mobs turn into bulletsponges.
    Gameplay is designed to "take no damage". At the slightest touch, 25% of your health is gone and your attack bonuses get reset. The choices for different player styles are very limited, sometimes the game doesn't even provide health pickups for a long time, and then in some places it offers an unnecessary amount of health pickups.
    In order to reach the end of the game, it is necessary to maximize your protection, integrity, damage abilities, but in this condition, the end of the game becomes unnecessarily easy. The game you have been playing with pain and sweat suddenly turns into an action snack. They failed to strike that balance. Although, "balance" is easily overlooked in games now, in order to deceive "git gud" players.
    While the game's storytelling is interesting, they failed to tie the story anywhere. It's not worth playing all that hard. At the end of the game, we see that nothing is explained.

    4: Too bad - If you are not particularly enthusiastic about this genre, don't be curious and play.    … Expand
  19. Soracifer88
    Feb 22, 2023
    6
    With great regret I have to admit that I am dissatisfied with my experience with Returnal, my complaints are not about the performance (which I'm sure will be fixed) but the core of the gameplay... I'm a huge fan of Roguelikes I've completed a lot and I've been waiting so much for this sony exclusive to arrive on pc... i was promised a triple A roguelike experience with a high level ofWith great regret I have to admit that I am dissatisfied with my experience with Returnal, my complaints are not about the performance (which I'm sure will be fixed) but the core of the gameplay... I'm a huge fan of Roguelikes I've completed a lot and I've been waiting so much for this sony exclusive to arrive on pc... i was promised a triple A roguelike experience with a high level of challenge, instead i was presented with a very easy game... i finished the game on my second run in just 8 hours... the game is extremely generous in giving you weapons, objects, passive powerups but above all very generous with the heal item... all this combined with a practically always available dodge that makes you completely invincible, bring down the level of challenge very low.
    But the biggest problem with this game is the lack of what makes roguelikes replayable to death.... in this game you can't create any builds, this makes all runs identical, there are no abilities that change your dash, jump, meele or other things there is just some pretty straightfoward bonus and malus stat... the only different thing that changes the gameplay experience are the weapons, but the game itself is constantly throwing you so much that you can try almost all the weapons and variants in a couple of run and you'll just end up holding only the most powerful one momentarily... build creation and variety is the key to any good roguelike this kills replay value completely.
    Add in a rather cryptic story with a not particularly exciting protagonist and we end up with a disappointing experience.

    To recap:
    pros:
    +Visually satisfying
    +great audio
    +good controls and fast base gameplay

    with
    -very low level of difficulty
    -total lack of builds and therefore of any replayability typical of roguelikes
    -lack of balancement in the weapon (some are very strong and overpower some very bad and weak)
    - cryptic story

    In general enjoyable but not worth the 60 dollars it asks for. games like Enter the gungeon, risk of rain2 etc are definitely superior    … Expand
  20. Kramer96
    Feb 22, 2023
    9
    Bella grafica,bel sonoro,storia quasi inesistente e decisamente poco chiara almeno per me ma Gameplay meraviglioso,forse solo per gli amanti del genere visto la difficoltà
  21. Janui
    Apr 7, 2023
    0
    The graphic style is cool but for me this was not an enjoyable experience at all. I like a challenge but this game just takes all the worst aspects of rogue likes and throws them at your face:
    - zero feeling of progression
    - the levels feel really repetitive,
    - RNG feels really unfair, one mistake and a 1 hour run is wasted
    - the runs are way too long
    - everything feels like a waste of time
  22. objplayer
    Feb 16, 2023
    9
    One of the most exhilarating sci-fi shooters you will ever play. Its greatness starts by nailing the controls: moving, running, jumping, dashing, grappling, aiming, shooting and melee. They're all perfect! They feel so good and it's fun just navigating around the environment.

    Next you have the immersive RT Audio system with dark ambient tracks that dynamically match the action. Each gun    One of the most exhilarating sci-fi shooters you will ever play. Its greatness starts by nailing the controls: moving, running, jumping, dashing, grappling, aiming, shooting and melee. They're all perfect! They feel so good and it's fun just navigating around the environment.

    Next you have the immersive RT Audio system with dark ambient tracks that dynamically match the action. Each gun POPS with every shot, each with unique firing modes, ranges, projectile types, and elemental effects, and lots of mods. Focusing on a different weapon almost makes the game feel new again.

    The graphics. The developers Housemarque made their name as elite graphical wizards. I would even say their entire business starts with their amazing tech and built out from there. It's visually stunning animation wows you with the striking colors and unmatched particle effects. An incredible treat for the senses.

    So why a 9/10? Basically the rouge-like parts, the randomness of the map, the story, they're all kind of pointless and crappy. It stutters when Ray Tracing is enabled. It doesn't play well on the Steam Deck.

    In spite of these issues it's STILL one of the greatest 3D shooters ever made. It all comes together as this brilliant 3D shooter that plays like a SHUMP. It's almost like magical how well it plays.    … Expand
  23. Gurranq
    Feb 16, 2023
    10
    This game slaps. so. incredibly. hard. What did I just play? This Fast Kinetic shtuff is made for me.
  24. vladiSPIt
    Feb 16, 2023
    10
    amazing game what a shame this game have 5.2 and hogwarts legacy 9.2 poor gamers
  25. Kaijoshin
    Feb 17, 2023
    9
    As on the Playstaion, there are great graphics, first-class shooter gameplay, and an interesting loop. Recommended.
  26. SemmelMerlin
    Feb 21, 2023
    10
    people who give a 0 point rating here want to see gaming burn and don't care about it. unnecessary hate brings no joy to your sad lives.
  27. petriAND
    Feb 20, 2023
    7
    Gameplay - 8.5
    Visuals - 7.5
    Story - 5 Sound - 8.5 Fun - 7.5 ------------------- 7.4 The concept is spot on for a roguelike game, shame it has a cryptic story full of symbolism and the ending really disappointed me. The sound in this game is really good, and the visuals are good overall. Gameplay, as the sound, is the strong point of this game, animations are amazing, is fun and    Gameplay - 8.5
    Visuals - 7.5
    Story - 5
    Sound - 8.5
    Fun - 7.5
    -------------------
    7.4

    The concept is spot on for a roguelike game, shame it has a cryptic story full of symbolism and the ending really disappointed me. The sound in this game is really good, and the visuals are good overall. Gameplay, as the sound, is the strong point of this game, animations are amazing, is fun and the shooting feels pretty good. Another bad thing about this game is optimization, is full of stutters at launch.    … Expand
  28. PanteraHouse
    Feb 17, 2023
    10
    Game is a solid 9/10 but I'll give it 10/10 cuz of some of the babies who didn't look into what type of game it is before playing. "Waaahhh too hard 0/10"
  29. PMS_Jordan
    Feb 17, 2023
    10
    Super fun and challenging. Nothing better than finally beating something that’s been beating you up for awhile. Plus the port is very well optimized!
  30. infraRecon
    Feb 20, 2023
    8
    I heard terrible things about this game, but after playing for a few hours I am already satisfied, and I saw only a few story beats. For most Players that don't like Souls games, and die a lot I wouldn't recommend this game unless you are willing to suffer and Unlock your love for Difficult games, it is again like Elden Ring an Acquired Taste for difficulty.

    This game is Difficult and    I heard terrible things about this game, but after playing for a few hours I am already satisfied, and I saw only a few story beats. For most Players that don't like Souls games, and die a lot I wouldn't recommend this game unless you are willing to suffer and Unlock your love for Difficult games, it is again like Elden Ring an Acquired Taste for difficulty.

    This game is Difficult and is basically Space Souls the Video game, it reminds me a little about space Invaders and PT, surprisingly.

    I did not find any performance Issues like crashing or stuttering (If I do I will update this), and I rarely encountered FPS dips Playing on Ultra, 1080p (I will try 1440p and 4K) with or without DLSS with my 3060, and I'm running on a USB 3.1 with an HDD, not even an SDD, that is impressive work with the shader cache and the overall port.

    In terms of graphics, it looks like a PS4 going-to-PS5 game, meaning it looks great, it's a dark gritty planet, with glowing enemies and looter shooter mechanics.
    it's often that I'm afraid to fight the enemies in fear of death in a game, which is a good thing.

    While I can't rate this game fully because it might take a while to finish, I am enjoying it very much, Maybe I wish that it was a little forgiving, but I guess that is the purpose of Permanent skill unlocks.

    If I were to nitpick, the game doesn't have a mode for all players (It's meant to be difficult, understandable).
    I wish there was some variation of effects, visuals and animations, not that it lacks animation, it just needs to be presented with more visual appeal, it is meant to be a next-gen game, thankfully it's cheaper on PC than on PlayStation.

    And as always more spectacle, developers like FromSoftware and now HouseMarque that make these types of Soulsborne and Roguelike games should use cinematography to their advantage, it makes your game look even better.

    And finally, the enemies, are probably a little too aggressive, I feel that when I'm running away or about to dodge there is always an enemy in my path that's going to hit me. Again Understandable, pressure, but these enemies have projectiles so that makes it incredibly difficult to find a path of least resistance.

    So if you're looking for a difficult game to play before Armored Core or the next Souls game, Then Returnal is your best bet. Just be ready to die. I don't understand the hate for this game, It's probably some PC gamers that hate Sony or don't know how games are actually made, I get it Sony Exclusives blah blah blah its meant to be a game, not a movie, or it's a Souls rip-off.

    Look at the moment Sony is starting to do some weird business practices (I'm definitely not happy about that), but thankfully they are still attempting to make and publish well-made games, unlike XBOX, Ubisoft and Square Enix.

    We should all be happy that this game was ported to PC and that PlayStation realises that they can get in on the PC market with Quality games, If Ratchet and Clank, and Demon Souls get ported, that is gonna sell a lot.

    I will continue to support and Enjoy playing these games, but I'll always remember to actually hate games that deserve it *cough: Forspoken.    … Expand
  31. Exlee3000
    Feb 17, 2023
    10
    Everything about this game is top notch. The graphics, 3D sound, music but most importantly the gameplay. The risk reward mechanic of deciding which items to take a chance on is executed flawlessly. The story is mysterious and compelling and giving just enough story to keep you pushing forward and feeling satisfied. It's hard at first but very fair in my opinion. By the end you willEverything about this game is top notch. The graphics, 3D sound, music but most importantly the gameplay. The risk reward mechanic of deciding which items to take a chance on is executed flawlessly. The story is mysterious and compelling and giving just enough story to keep you pushing forward and feeling satisfied. It's hard at first but very fair in my opinion. By the end you will be a badass. This game is in my top 20 all time games easily. And with the Tower of Ascention dlc is infinitely playable. Don't sleep on this masterpiece.… Expand
  32. metacriticLOL
    Feb 22, 2023
    0
    It's mid and very repetitive, feels like a tech demo more than a game. If you have to get it, I would wait for a sale, around $10-$15 is the appropriate price I definitely wouldn't recommend paying more than that.
  33. Foonky
    Feb 22, 2023
    0
    Un jeu avec un bon scénario, un atmosphère incroyable on s'y croiraient vraiment, une bonne mécanique d'arme, de loot, de zone... MAIS BORDEL arrêter avec vos rogue like de merde!!! Qui aime ce genre de jeu sérieux? C'est vraiment pourris vous êtes des sadomaso ce qui aime ça comment tu peux prendre plaisir a jouer ce genre de jeu.
  34. odysseuscm
    Feb 22, 2023
    10
    Fantastic game that runs great on PC (despite a few crashes which might be related to the online functions) while looking very good. It's been a long time since a game felt so intense and exciting to me. The controls (a DualSense controller is highly recommended) are pitch perfect and the sensual feedback provides a whole new layer to the game. I also love the music which has a certainFantastic game that runs great on PC (despite a few crashes which might be related to the online functions) while looking very good. It's been a long time since a game felt so intense and exciting to me. The controls (a DualSense controller is highly recommended) are pitch perfect and the sensual feedback provides a whole new layer to the game. I also love the music which has a certain Nolan/Zimmer vibe to it. A great and quite unique mix of sci-fi, rogue like, metroidvania, exploration and bullet hell. Don't miss it!… Expand
  35. p2ska
    Feb 24, 2023
    9
    cool setting and beautiful graphics, interesting lore + good mechanics = hooked.
  36. jackinvestor
    Feb 22, 2023
    10
    I played over 100 hours on PS5 and it was my GOY 2021. Now I have played fir 20 hours on PC. Its a fantastic PC port. Play it without RT if you have any stutters, Its a smooth experience on my PC at native 4K, ultra settings and 120 fps (without RT. It looks and runs much better than on PS5.
  37. SchnozBott
    Jul 2, 2023
    10
    A brilliant mashup of games like Risk of Rain 2 and Metroid Prime, Returnal brings the wild bullet hell action while telling a story of futility, guilt, pain, loss, horror, and trauma. It's a gorgeous ruined world to explore, filled with creatively designed monsters and robots that like to fill your screen with glowy stuff. The progression is all about risk/reward mechanics, but once youA brilliant mashup of games like Risk of Rain 2 and Metroid Prime, Returnal brings the wild bullet hell action while telling a story of futility, guilt, pain, loss, horror, and trauma. It's a gorgeous ruined world to explore, filled with creatively designed monsters and robots that like to fill your screen with glowy stuff. The progression is all about risk/reward mechanics, but once you master the gameplay, you'll find the occasional handicap a refreshing challenge that may pay off in the long run.

    The house/hospital segments can be a little slow and the interface doesn't always communicate the nuances of certain things perfectly (such as how the health pickups can work to increase your maximum if you're already full), but such minor issues don't detract much from this very replayable (Returnable? Eternaplayability? Okay no more puns) action/adventure roguelite.    … Expand
  38. Mog_3825
    Feb 21, 2023
    10
    Awesome Game. I'm so glad is doesn't offer POC, anyone from the LG TV+ community and I get to watch a woman get abused. 10/10 will reccomend to everyone
  39. KatanaJoe89
    Feb 21, 2023
    10
    Intense fast action, great spooky atmosphere and crisp graphics with a surreal storyline
  40. pheonixx74
    Feb 21, 2023
    10
    great game gameplay extra pure pleasure the feeling is crazy when you master the title and the coop mode a real treat graphically superb the keyboard/mouse controls well managed the sound is top notch.
  41. george_bondo
    Mar 1, 2023
    8
    the game is very good, shooting, dynamics, visuals and graphics are all on the level, but everything is spoiled by a bad reward for your good game
  42. Phpower
    Mar 31, 2023
    5
    Chato,repetitvo, sem noçao o que a sony fez, morreu começa tudo denovo muito sem graça,nao recomendo!
  43. SiegwardZwiebel
    Jul 24, 2023
    9
    Edit:
    After the last Update i had no more crashes and its a thoroughly enjoyable game
    I ts still buggy on PC Edit: After a couple of patches, everything is great now So first of all, its a good game and i enjoy playing it. There are some mechanics i don´t enjoy, like a level reset, if you play a daily challenge, or that you are stuck with artifacts and can´t switch them up once    Edit:
    After the last Update i had no more crashes and its a thoroughly enjoyable game
    I

    ts still buggy on PC

    Edit: After a couple of patches, everything is great now

    So first of all, its a good game and i enjoy playing it. There are some mechanics i don´t enjoy, like a level reset, if you play a daily challenge, or that you are stuck with artifacts and can´t switch them up once you met the limit, but i could live with that.

    The bugs make it unplayable though.

    If you didn´t install VP9 codec manually on some windows versions, the game could not be started (i mean who does not provide all codecs for their own game in the installation?)

    Game crashes with a fatal error notification in DX12, runs terribly if you force dx11 in Steam, but at least doesn´t crash

    Multiplayer sessions work as often as they don´t

    Game starts with the wrong resolution ( i use an uw monitor)

    some rooms have dramatic fps drops, down to 5 fps (1660 super)

    Thats just a selection, but like this the game is no fun at all. Will avoid developer and the guys responsible for the port    … Expand
  44. Striker007
    Feb 22, 2023
    10
    Returnal is a technical showpiece on the PS5, with remarkably rich art direction making each of the six distinct biomes a pleasure to explore. Its bright, neon particles and large, deadly projectiles flood environments and bathe them in a variety of colors, accentuating the exhilarating, fast-paced gunplay. On PC, it's action that's still best enjoyed with the controller it was ultimatelyReturnal is a technical showpiece on the PS5, with remarkably rich art direction making each of the six distinct biomes a pleasure to explore. Its bright, neon particles and large, deadly projectiles flood environments and bathe them in a variety of colors, accentuating the exhilarating, fast-paced gunplay. On PC, it's action that's still best enjoyed with the controller it was ultimately designed for, the DualSense.… Expand
  45. Jaidenbrkl1
    May 4, 2023
    9
    If Returnal is already a great game, the PC version is just as good as the PS5 version. With great hardware and gameplay, the difficulty, the quality, and overall, a great game that great for a PC port.
  46. Sole13
    Apr 11, 2023
    9
    Great game, really enjoyed it altho not very hard. I died 5 times on the first boss but after that 0 deaths on bosses whatsoever. Reviews say it has good story but i didnt understand it at all. Gonna have to google some summary. But ill be going it through again in a few years definetely again!
  47. krzr
    May 6, 2023
    10
    Unfortunately (since it's a port) it's GOTY for me. I love rogue-lites, action and deep, complex story/lore. Also, this game is very well optimised, has dualsense support, very nice controls and movement. I was entertained all the way through. The only thing I didn't like were the unbalanced weapons.
  48. TurboCotton
    May 31, 2023
    9
    I wish the game was harder though. I can see how it can be hard using a controller, but with keyboard and mouse, enemies can be easily dispatched quickly. The sound design is amazing, especially with 3D raytraced audio enabled. Good sound design is very underappreciated in most games.

    Selene is soo fine. I wouldn't let her leave either
  49. UnKidreal
    Aug 28, 2023
    8
    Игра пройдена на уровне сложности – Нет уровня сложности.

    На удивление неплохой roguelike шутер, да, далеко не шедевр, но, садясь играть совсем не думал, что получу столько удовольствия. Вызов, который предоставила игра, особенно во второй главе …… разработчикам RESPECT, погибая в очередной и рассуждая мысленно, что из экипировки подобрал не правильно, в этот раз, ловил себя на мысли,    Игра пройдена на уровне сложности – Нет уровня сложности.

    На удивление неплохой roguelike шутер, да, далеко не шедевр, но, садясь играть совсем не думал, что получу столько удовольствия. Вызов, который предоставила игра, особенно во второй главе …… разработчикам RESPECT, погибая в очередной и рассуждая мысленно, что из экипировки подобрал не правильно, в этот раз, ловил себя на мысли, что возможно это путешествие мне не по зубам, но, читая финальные титры …., вердикт, но того стоило, приятная, в меру технологичная графика и история, хоть и предсказуемая, но всё же порождающая сомнения до определённого момента времени, к чему всё идет, лишь добавили приятных ощущений от игры.
    p.s. Одно, но, зачем было делать такой страшной главную героиню? Порой возникало ощущение, что играешь за саму смерть, а это не очень приятно если честно.

    Оценка: 8/10
    Оценка: с RTX 9/10    … Expand
  50. fabi0pereira
    Aug 6, 2023
    5
    Well this could be great game, but some dev choices ruined.
    And I'm not talking about the rogue thing but the randomization of everything.
    Your run/experience depending on lucky is terrible.
  51. watchm824
    Sep 8, 2023
    7
    Not a bad game. But I couldn't finish game. At some point I ran out of patience. The inability to fully save game progress finally broke my desire to play more.
  52. piglordofallham
    Sep 2, 2023
    6
    A perfectly good third-person action game dragged down by the current fads of rogue-lite and randomized level generation. Returnal is certainly a good enough arcade game made by developer veterans of such titles in the genre, but what they've done here is most assuredly a misguided attempt at adding complexity for no actual reason. Don't get me wrong, the main gameplay loop for ReturnalA perfectly good third-person action game dragged down by the current fads of rogue-lite and randomized level generation. Returnal is certainly a good enough arcade game made by developer veterans of such titles in the genre, but what they've done here is most assuredly a misguided attempt at adding complexity for no actual reason. Don't get me wrong, the main gameplay loop for Returnal is quite good, quite good indeed. Combined with the absolutely mesmerizingly smooth controls, you'd be mistaken for thinking its a stellar title, but the cracks do begin to become more visible the longer you play.

    The game is padded left and right with recycled areas, recycled weapons, as well as recycled enemies. Its actually very frustrating that for all the unique items or equipment you'll find, you need a wiki page in order to understand what all of them actually do. While the first boss isn't too ridiculous, the difficulty curve quickly ramps up to the point where the enjoyability on offer is seemingly more catered to a niche crowd that frankly doesn't exist on the Sony Playstation platform. This can easily be ascertained by looking into the embarrassingly low amount of individuals that ever even speed-ran Returnal.

    Now lets talk story. The story is hogwash. A silly, sub-optimal droning, overtly emotional, and insultingly vapid story about child abuse or trauma or a bad relationship with a parental figure, or whatever, its not important at all. It should've been swept aside entirely and was an utter waste of time for the voice-actress, writing team, and whoever approved such a stupid premise for the entire backdrop for the game. What would've been wrong with a science-fiction oriented action shooter with arcade-like as well as rogue-lite elements? I don't know, I guess it might've sold less perhaps?
    Every moment where the game has to re-show you the same cinematic for the crash playing out after death, every time you interact with a fabricator, every time you encounter a boss only serve to drag out what is ostensibly a extremely short game padded out with stupidly large health bars, bad luck rng meant to frustrate you and a very strange attempt at incentivizing gambling for some reason.

    Lets talk about.. parasites. One of the moronic concepts is a system where parasites, some items and even stuff you can gather in the environment cause both good or bad effects or conditions that have to be overcome in order to remove a de-buff or whatever. Guess what, if something is basically useless or has too many negative effects or isn't even worth using for its positive potential- do you know what players are going to do? They'll just- skip- it. I don't care if some parasite does something good for thirty seconds only to cause me to lose health when I pick up anything else. That's inane and positively not worth the time to use or engage with a system that is actively screwing you over while pretending its helping you. Watch a speedrun because you'll find that they also skip all of the worthless bad stuff masquerading as something slightly good too.

    Personally, I got past the second boss and got really bored, even with the fantastic control scheme. It just wasn't offering me a good enough plot to really engage with the title. Plus the character design is so awful Sony gave players two free suits that cover up her face! Ouch Sony that's pretty harsh. The soundtrack is decent, but a bit too repetitive, and the game is pretty repetitive too now that I think about it. Its a real shame that the shockwave generated by content like FromSoft's Dark Souls still hasn't worn off. If it had by now, maybe Returnal could've stood on its own two feet as a unique sci-fi shooter as opposed to a weird blur as its swallowed up by the cycle of time itself.

    Regarding performance, not much has changed since the February release. Ray-tracing performance is really still too demanding on 2000 series even the higher end GPU's. The other issues are the odd framerate fluttering, micro-stutter regardless of high or epic graphics settings, which in such a demanding game where reactions count for everything is absolutely not acceptable in this day and age. To my knowledge the original Playstation 5 release also had terrible performance problems, but the fact that cycle suspending wasn't even an option when it first came out is pretty egregious. I guess ultimately I wouldn't spend 70 USD on a broken port that barely improves over the original PS5 release.    … Expand
  53. bokarsh-z
    Feb 27, 2023
    5
    =========
    only worth 40 dollar
    =========
    - 10 - 20 hour long.

    -very repetitive rogue-like fun fast arcady 3rd person shooter.

    -bad pc port game have alot of errors spacialy when u use ray-tracing.

    -bad disappointment true ending, little enemies type and rare strong enemy kills u only 1-2 hit harder than main bosses.

    -good atmosphere, good main bosses and tower.

Awards & Rankings

26
#26 Best PC Game of 2023
28
#28 Most Discussed PC Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 45
  3. Negative: 0 out of 45
  1. GameSpace
    Apr 14, 2026
    80
    Returnal is the first game in a long time to bring back that sense of excitement for gaming for me. When you wake up in the morning, you can't wait to jump into the game for a couple of hours. The ability to pause a run and save your progress at any moment intensifies that feeling threefold. After all, whenever you get the chance, you can fire up Returnal again and enjoy the shooting and exploring the world for an hour, two hours, or even the whole evening, all while burning with frustration over yet another ridiculous defeat. I’m even a little upset that I didn’t play it sooner.
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  2. XGN
    May 1, 2023
    95
    The PC-port of Returnal fixes one of the biggest issues of the Playstation-version; not being able to safely quit the game without losing progress. In keeps its smooth combat, even with a mouse and keyboard and allows the graphics too be even better on modern hardware. An amazing roguelike with just a few minor complaints.
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  3. Movies Games and Tech
    Mar 27, 2023
    80
    Returnal is an interesting game and for those who want a roguelike that keeps the story hidden behind a challenging gameplay loop, this is a wonderful place to start. Astropos is full of mystery and danger but with enough runs, any player has the ability to master the tight combat offered up here.
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