Returnal

 PlayStation 5
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 3997 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,738 out of 3997
  2. Mixed: 333 out of 3997
  3. Negative: 926 out of 3997
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Kenmei
    May 6, 2021
    7
    While I really enjoyed the combat and action focused gameplay this game offers, a few issues keep this game from reaching a higher level here. While I love the gameplay and the shooting is fun and frantic, it really feels like a bullet hell shooter at times with all the colorful orbs flying all over the screen at all times. The biggest issue stems from the fact that since this is a rogueWhile I really enjoyed the combat and action focused gameplay this game offers, a few issues keep this game from reaching a higher level here. While I love the gameplay and the shooting is fun and frantic, it really feels like a bullet hell shooter at times with all the colorful orbs flying all over the screen at all times. The biggest issue stems from the fact that since this is a rogue style game, you really have to be able to stand the overall lack of progress that can happen from dying to some, frankly, very cheap enemies toward the end of the game. Also, with no save system in place, if you cant do it all in one go, or if you get an update that completely destroys your best run, its very easy to lose all motivation to continue when you lose a 5+ hour run and have to start from the beginning. Doesnt help that the game is very buggy as well here and, as has happened to me as well, you might run into a door that just wont open for no reason that is vital to progress. I already dont really like Rogue style games personally and having all these barriers to keep me from continuing a run doesnt help things at all. It's a shame too because I really like this game and want to continue playing it. Its a testament to how good the gameplay is that I want to continue banging my head against the wall and the story is no slouch either. Its just, as of this writing, there's way too many things technically that can go wrong that could easily ruin a long run that takes me out of the experience completely. I'd recommend holding off on this for a few months for the devs to fix all the bugs holding it back. But I would highly recommend it once that happens. I will definitely be returning to the game as soon as that happens. I really feel like this could be the best post-launch PS5 exclusive this year with how good the combat and story are here. For now, though, I've lost any interest in continuing till that occurs.… Expand
  2. Moomaw57
    Jun 24, 2021
    6
    As a huge fan of roguelites, I found this to be a bit diasapointing. The roguelite elements seem like a half baked excuse to charge full price for what would otherwise be a good 8 hour indie game. Combat, graphics, and effects are all so good. But after beating the game on my 4th or 5th loop, I'm a little dissapointed with the lack of content or variation for future playthroughs. The gunAs a huge fan of roguelites, I found this to be a bit diasapointing. The roguelite elements seem like a half baked excuse to charge full price for what would otherwise be a good 8 hour indie game. Combat, graphics, and effects are all so good. But after beating the game on my 4th or 5th loop, I'm a little dissapointed with the lack of content or variation for future playthroughs. The gun selection is minimal and the artifact/parasite selection is fairly barebones with minimal prospects for any broken builds or major synchronizations of items. With only 6 biomes and a roguelite with very low replayability, I'd have a hard time recommending this game at it's current price point. Wait for a sale, it's a beautiful game if it were 30-40 dollars.… Expand
  3. Beast979
    May 17, 2021
    7
    So first off, I gotta say the game is fun, graphics are great, it genuinely is good game at its base. I guess the part that bugs me the most is the lack of saving, and the fact that you lose pretty much everything when you die or have to turn off the game. I understand that this part of the rogue-like gameplay, but I guess this being my first one, I am not overly fond of that wholeSo first off, I gotta say the game is fun, graphics are great, it genuinely is good game at its base. I guess the part that bugs me the most is the lack of saving, and the fact that you lose pretty much everything when you die or have to turn off the game. I understand that this part of the rogue-like gameplay, but I guess this being my first one, I am not overly fond of that whole mechanic...especially on a game as tough as this....overall this is still a fun game, but for the reasons I mentioned above, FOR ME, it is a 7.… Expand
  4. lnkkn
    May 7, 2021
    5
    Атмосфера в игре отличная, геймплей первое время затягивает. Но в целом это недо-рогалик и надо-метроидвания. Брать только по гигантской скидке или ждать в пс плюс.
  5. Nataraja
    Jun 7, 2021
    6
    I caught a few streams of portions of this game and I really enjoy it to a point. At 55, my reflexes are not what they once were and that will make this game overly difficult. It truly relies on twitch reflexes. It is, however, a beautiful game with very compelling atmosphere and an intriguing story. The game play is solid, but the decision to make it a full rogue-lite was, in myI caught a few streams of portions of this game and I really enjoy it to a point. At 55, my reflexes are not what they once were and that will make this game overly difficult. It truly relies on twitch reflexes. It is, however, a beautiful game with very compelling atmosphere and an intriguing story. The game play is solid, but the decision to make it a full rogue-lite was, in my opinion, a mistake. The RNG factors in so heavily that it is hard to want to run the game over and over. I have played over 20 hours and come close to defeating the first boss but have yet to. This is a game that I may dabble in, but it's absurd decisions in design make it something very less appealing to keep trying. I have enjoyed other difficult games and slowly struggled through because there was always a way to figure it out (ie Sekiro, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, etc.) and progress and eventually complete.

    If you love this game, that is wonderful and I am envious. I want to love this game, but it truly feels insurmountable for me and that is a shame. Thankfully I have it in physical format and can trade it in once I finally give up all hope of beating the game and seeing the story play out.

    If you are not a twitch reflex player and don't like a game that you have to replay, do yourself a favor and pass this up. If you are great at bullet hells and like rogue-lites then this may be a good purchase for you.    … Expand
  6. mrwarcriminal
    Dec 10, 2021
    6
    A beautiful game, kool guns & alt-fire (best part), some really original enemies that are sometimes cute but extremely deadly. After 10 hours & into the second biome I’m just not motivated to play any more of the game. There’s no story that’s pulling me forward & keeping me involved. Play, die & reset is just the same a putting a quarter in an arcade game like space invaders & that justA beautiful game, kool guns & alt-fire (best part), some really original enemies that are sometimes cute but extremely deadly. After 10 hours & into the second biome I’m just not motivated to play any more of the game. There’s no story that’s pulling me forward & keeping me involved. Play, die & reset is just the same a putting a quarter in an arcade game like space invaders & that just doesn’t work for me these days. I’m 50 & played the hell out of my Atari 2600 & many systems later. Now I need a good story along w/great gameplay to keep me going. Alan Wake, God of War, Hellblade Senua’s Sacrifice (an excellent game you should buy before Returnal). If you do enjoy rogue-like games I’m guessing this will be one of if not the best game made. There’s just little story I could find except the glyphs & why she keeps returning. It’s a gorgeous game, fast & responsive. Controls use the hepatic feedback properly but I can’t find the story to keep me motivated enough to continue dying & resetting. After passing the first biome it seemed to get easier & im guessing the game keeps feeling the same after passing each biome…the last one naturally becomes easier. It’s frustrating that I can’t get hooked because it is such a fun game but only for a few quarters worth of time. I need my story to be engaging & give me a question or mystery I have to answer. Glad I only paid $24 for it used; $70 is outrageous.… Expand
  7. Trippi
    May 13, 2021
    6
    its just amazing game! Mb little bit overprized but its still good! irealy wish this game get some dlc!
  8. HaloFever
    Jun 25, 2022
    7
    Honestly, I would prefer a proper save system over the die and release “rogue like” mechanic. At one time, all games were like Returnal. It was all we knew until games introduced save states. Save games were better and for the most part we never looked back.

    The shooting in Returnal does feel good and for any long time shooter veteran, the game is not that hard. The difficulty is in time.    Honestly, I would prefer a proper save system over the die and release “rogue like” mechanic. At one time, all games were like Returnal. It was all we knew until games introduced save states. Save games were better and for the most part we never looked back.

    The shooting in Returnal does feel good and for any long time shooter veteran, the game is not that hard. The difficulty is in time. Make a mistake and restart and you could lose hours of progress. I am not made of time so O started save scumming using the PS+ cloud saves. I am not sure I needed to. On a second play through to unlock the secret ending, I blazed through the first 3 worlds with 0 deaths. But I get I had too because I didn’t want to spend hours and hours in the same starting area, fighting the same enemies. The secret of Returnal is that the game gets boring.

    Returnal added an additional game mode that has you fight for as long as you can in an infinite tower. This fulfills the promise of the game more than the “story” mode, and reminds me of replaying the Lone Wolf level of Halo Reach. In many ways it is like playing Tetris. You just go as long as you can or want to for fun. Again, this will be no problem for veteran shooter fans, and I cleared all 3 bosses in my second run. All in all, Returnal feels like a great AA game but a game of the year. This was a nice title for PS+ Extra.

    The story mode needed some limit on how long it will waste a player’s time. I’ve got other things to do and other games to play. Some runs will be blessed with gimme’ pickups and avoidable mini bosses and other runs will be cursed with the worst of everything. The rearangable dungeon is supposed to feel different every time, but aesthetically it does not and the pieces are so limited, all levels look the same. The story mode needs some actual save points, shorter runs, or consistent difficulty between runs. All-in-all, I feel like the industry praise for this game is meant to push the “rogue like” genre and the general sense that playing games is supposed to mean something. Like, if you can beat games like Dark Souls and Returnal, you have really done something. But I am too old and too practical to buy into that fantasy. Games should be fun from start to finish and Returnal is not. Worse, when Returnal is not fun, it is not fun by design.    … Expand
  9. nikh
    Aug 1, 2021
    7
    I really liked the game the graphics the music the environment bosses however I still can't give it more then 7 cause of no saves Or checkpoints this game demands time and then gives you nothing in return still would say great game but not for me Or people who have jobs
  10. johanBjorn
    May 11, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was disappointed by the ending (of act 2, I googled the remainder). The combat is engaging and challenging to a point, but there is a distinct lack of variety in play styles that ultimately boils down to strafing and shooting for every monster. I think it's the $70 price tag that makes this worse. If this were a $40 title I think it'd be a 10/10. But I expected more content for a full priced title like this.

    Spoiler:
    Also it was pretty disappointing to learn that the entire game took place in Selene's head and it made me not really care about exploring and uncovering more about the alien world.    … Expand
  11. KayVen17
    May 20, 2021
    7
    Ein gutes Spiel, dass noch mit Problemen zu kämpfen hat. Grafik ist super. Performance ebenfalls. Allerdings gab es auch mal das Gegenteil. Sound Bugs hatte ich besonders in der zweiten Spielhälfte. So ist der Sound im letzten Biom einmal komplett weggegangen. Nach Recherche auf Reddit stellte ich auch fest, dass dies kein seltener Fall war.

    Noch ein Punkt ist eine simple Quit and Save    Ein gutes Spiel, dass noch mit Problemen zu kämpfen hat. Grafik ist super. Performance ebenfalls. Allerdings gab es auch mal das Gegenteil. Sound Bugs hatte ich besonders in der zweiten Spielhälfte. So ist der Sound im letzten Biom einmal komplett weggegangen. Nach Recherche auf Reddit stellte ich auch fest, dass dies kein seltener Fall war.

    Noch ein Punkt ist eine simple Quit and Save Funktion. Ich meine, dass man nicht speichern kann ist ja soweit klar. Aber sich einzig allein auf das Feature des Ruhemodus zu beziehen ist trotz der modernen Ruhefunktion eine veraltete Funktion für ein Rogue-Like/Lite.

    Zum Spiel selbst kann ich sagen, dass mir das Gameplay sehr gefallen hat. Ich spürte wie mein persönlicher Skill gewachsen ist. Ich bekam das selbe Gefühl wie zum Beispiel bei einem Sekiro.
    Die Entwickler bekommen es wirklich hin, dass ich jederzeit die vollste Kontrolle von Selene hatte.

    Auch ich wurde dank der sehr freundlichen Entgegenkommen (deswegen auch Rogue-Lite) der Entwickler nie komplett gefrustet.

    Zur Story bin ich leider am meisten enttäuscht. Sie wird kryptisch erzählt wie ein Dark Souls kommt aber kaum bis gar nicht an die Mystik der From Software Games ran. Zwar werden am Ende Fragen beantwortet, allerdings viel zu sehr im Spekulationsrahmen, sodass ich mir trotz des "True Endings" eine Erklärung im Internet raussuchen musste. Leider konnten mich selbst die Plot-Theorien nicht zufriedenstellen.

    Zusammengefasst ist Returnal ein Spiel mit sehr guten Gameplay, aber mit einer zu kryptischen Story, technischen Problemen und fehlenden Komfort-Optionen beim heutigen Rogue-Lite Standard.    … Expand
  12. Zmetekk
    May 18, 2021
    7
    I really want to love this game. But the difficulty makes it Hard for me. I mean it is not that the enemies are to Hard, it is just that after you build your character for 3 hours and you die to one mistake, it is really Hard to keep going again from zero. Fun but non rewarding game... Shame, it could be a masterpiece
  13. RowanBlack
    Jun 9, 2021
    6
    If you are down for the experience of a rogue game you will enjoy this game more than I. My score of 6 is from the perspective of someone who does not like the need to start over and repeat material. I rarely replay games I love and in this game you will be replaying areas several times. It's beautiful and has some excellent mechanics and probably worth the effort. Sadly for me it wasIf you are down for the experience of a rogue game you will enjoy this game more than I. My score of 6 is from the perspective of someone who does not like the need to start over and repeat material. I rarely replay games I love and in this game you will be replaying areas several times. It's beautiful and has some excellent mechanics and probably worth the effort. Sadly for me it was not what I wanted in a game.… Expand
  14. MadBert91
    May 9, 2021
    5
    sinceramente es un juego que no me está llamando nada la atención no me ha vuelto apetecer volver a jugarlo me parece que penaliza de una forma exagerada al usuario y por supuesto se ha alargado una forma totalmente artificial así que al final opte por mirar el final de la historia en YouTube sin terminarlo de mi propia mano a pesar de haber comprado el juego día uno (pobres mis 80 pavos)sinceramente es un juego que no me está llamando nada la atención no me ha vuelto apetecer volver a jugarlo me parece que penaliza de una forma exagerada al usuario y por supuesto se ha alargado una forma totalmente artificial así que al final opte por mirar el final de la historia en YouTube sin terminarlo de mi propia mano a pesar de haber comprado el juego día uno (pobres mis 80 pavos) aunque al menos me encanta coleccionar los juegos así que no me duele tanto y la historia es muy mala al final es bastante raro en definitiva no es un juego que merezca la pena el precio que pagas… Expand
  15. GutiCR
    May 1, 2021
    6
    No es mal juego pero hay ideas que me parecen mal implementadas, a veces siento desaprovechado el juego.
  16. kedireturns
    May 16, 2021
    7
    Great game with underwhelming ending. The story was so intriguing only to fall apart in the end. I’d not be so disappointed if this was a normal game, but the fact that we have to slog so so SO HARD to get here and this is what you end up with? It feels all that time is wasted somehow. If it was a regular game with the same story I’d give it a 4/5. But this is unforgivable. But ReturnalGreat game with underwhelming ending. The story was so intriguing only to fall apart in the end. I’d not be so disappointed if this was a normal game, but the fact that we have to slog so so SO HARD to get here and this is what you end up with? It feels all that time is wasted somehow. If it was a regular game with the same story I’d give it a 4/5. But this is unforgivable. But Returnal did change my life in one way, in that i finally understood playing games is about having fun not stressing out & being nervous. I legit never felt so nervous and scared playing a game and you’ll see this sentiment mirrored with your fav YouTube creators too, if you don’t believe me checkout their walkthroughs. Anyway all the nerves and scares have come undone because of the story and finale. I cannot tell you in words how frustrating it is. Only people who have played this game and died repeatedly will understand my angst lol

    So in conclusion after platinuming Sekiro years ago and Returnal being my First hard game since,i finally understood, games are about fun and relief not brutality and unforgiving challenging. Life is difficult enough, maybe I’m just getting old and i don’t enjoy this kind of games anymore. In conclusion, Returnal is like a salty ex who I hate but Appreciate at the same time because it showed me what I should look for (in games) in the future. Thanks Returnal and Goodbye :)    … Expand
  17. Xplocion
    Jun 7, 2021
    5
    The good:
    A brand new game for PS5. A new IP. Alien movie-like atmosphere
    The bad: Very dark. Regular graphics. Orthopedic control. Irregular texture loading. Impossibility of recording in large sections even when great challenges have been overcome. Alien-like atmosphere filled with fog, darkness and visual tricks that denigrate the game. Enemy AI is poor. The enemies are the same.    The good:
    A brand new game for PS5. A new IP. Alien movie-like atmosphere

    The bad:
    Very dark. Regular graphics. Orthopedic control. Irregular texture loading. Impossibility of recording in large sections even when great challenges have been overcome. Alien-like atmosphere filled with fog, darkness and visual tricks that denigrate the game. Enemy AI is poor. The enemies are the same. Obstacles are not always well marked as avoidable or not avoidable.

    Lo Meh !:
    This game is not a joke or a new generation and could well enter PS4. I did see the movie Alien and although this game borrows its atmosphere (it does it in a bad way), that does not make it good, the game is still bad. Remember ReCore in its attack format, weapons, mobility, camera use / movement, targeting.    … Expand
  18. gameking2499
    May 6, 2021
    6
    I am never into roguelike game because I have too many games to play on queue. And roguelike game is the design for player to spend lot of time in it to mastered foe's pattern. It's the kind of game I would play If I ended up on desert island or in prison and has but one game to play. Anyway. Bought it, finished it yesterday and sold it.
    I got you, same here play games since 4 yrs old and    I am never into roguelike game because I have too many games to play on queue. And roguelike game is the design for player to spend lot of time in it to mastered foe's pattern. It's the kind of game I would play If I ended up on desert island or in prison and has but one game to play. Anyway. Bought it, finished it yesterday and sold it.
    I got you, same here play games since 4 yrs old and now goin 40. On my first run I got up to the 5th boss. Yup, just my first run. Then another run again to finish the game. Stick to the doorway, keep the distance, dash when close encounter, upgrade all about protection %. Don't risk with the malfunction and challenge doors. Just watch boss's guide before the fight. And I finished this game with 2 runs, not count the prologue run. Man... sorry to say this to fanboys, But I did enjoyed anthem far more longer than this game.
    The game is alright, got bored fast. Many people compare to dark soul or sekiro only to made me laugh. It's a 6/10 okay game. The score come with the PS5's exclusive hyped and a long lost horror sci-fi like Dead Space.
    I bought this game without knowing it is roguelike. Did expected it to be the next Dead Space. Shame..., got off the hyped train too fast.    … Expand
  19. LunarBeamOfSun
    May 16, 2021
    5
    Далеко не лучший рогалик, заслуживший какое-то чрезмерно большое внимание (хотя тут понятно, из-за чего - игра просто жутким образом хайпилась разными, в том числе и неигровыми, блогерами, ну за спасибо конечно). Контента откровенна мало, зато цена как за полноценную игру.Далеко не лучший рогалик, заслуживший какое-то чрезмерно большое внимание (хотя тут понятно, из-за чего - игра просто жутким образом хайпилась разными, в том числе и неигровыми, блогерами, ну за спасибо конечно). Контента откровенна мало, зато цена как за полноценную игру.
  20. 1manLeft
    May 9, 2021
    6
    It saddens me to give this game a 6 because there is so much that I loved about the game. The visuals, the gameplay, the story, and the overall design is stellar. The story itself is a captivating mystery that keeps you hooked into unraveling it and the combat is just so engaging and fun. The problem arises with the "no save or exit" option. This is supposed to be a rougelite yet it missesIt saddens me to give this game a 6 because there is so much that I loved about the game. The visuals, the gameplay, the story, and the overall design is stellar. The story itself is a captivating mystery that keeps you hooked into unraveling it and the combat is just so engaging and fun. The problem arises with the "no save or exit" option. This is supposed to be a rougelite yet it misses mark by forgetting to add the element that makes gameplay rewarding.

    While you do start over upon death you keep a lot of the gains you've made in terms of character leveling. Even in modern roguelites there are "save-states" that allow you to freeze your progress. Not here. You have to literally start as if just loaded up the game minor six tools you eventually come across. Many very late in the game.

    Not only have I lost precious time in leveling up my character for a boss encounter to a bug that locked all doors, but to a random update, game crash, even a mistake in accidentally starting up another game. When you have to put out a press release warning people that an update was coming and to turn off auto update so you won't lose progress, you've failed as a game developer. This is not how we should play games in 2021.    … Expand
  21. elolugo
    Jun 19, 2021
    7
    Great IP. Rewards to the people that are aggressive and have good reflexes. Doesn't require much thinking when playing.

    As a busy adult, I didn't like the "Cannot save" feature.

    Overall it's a good game and i can't wait the sequel for this game. Hopefully the developers will address the issues with this game
  22. Jimena
    Mar 18, 2022
    5
    Interesante la propuesta pero le faltan muchas cosas para ser un gran juego o exclusivo de sony!
  23. ExquisiteDust6
    Jul 22, 2021
    7
    Returnal has one of the best uses for vibration and adaptive triggers of DualSense controller(Resistance of triggers when using various weapons, vibration when firing, when entering a teleport, when it rains, where every drop is transmitted by vibration and much more, confirm my words).

    Quite a good story, throwing food for thought, as well as the atmosphere of the unknown planet are    Returnal has one of the best uses for vibration and adaptive triggers of DualSense controller(Resistance of triggers when using various weapons, vibration when firing, when entering a teleport, when it rains, where every drop is transmitted by vibration and much more, confirm my words).

    Quite a good story, throwing food for thought, as well as the atmosphere of the unknown planet are also advantages of this game.

    However, there are also disadvantages:
    - broken save system during the run (Putting the console to sleep so as not to lose progress is a bad decision)
    - Cost - Despite the benefits listed above, this game does not cost $70. The game was developed by a small studio, and what they did is a great AA product, but the problem is that Sony decided to sell it for the AAA price of the product, and with that price for many players, the benefits of Returnal become less expressive.    … Expand
  24. Nekoshou
    May 10, 2021
    6
    Its Ok not the best Game just Ok. Returnal looks nice but I cant really enjoy the game because it reminds me of dead space and I want a propper dead space form visceral and I know this will never happen but returnal is too much like dead space to be seen as a different game so its a better dead space 3 with some good new stuff
  25. Wweald
    May 13, 2021
    7
    Beat the game with 13 deaths, and no boss took me more than 2 attempts. it's kind of hard but no where near as hard as people are saying imo. I really like the gameplay but it doesn't go hard enough into the roguelike genre as I would like. The different loot you can get doesn't make enough of a difference for me. I love Risk of Rain 2 and Hades because there's so many items withBeat the game with 13 deaths, and no boss took me more than 2 attempts. it's kind of hard but no where near as hard as people are saying imo. I really like the gameplay but it doesn't go hard enough into the roguelike genre as I would like. The different loot you can get doesn't make enough of a difference for me. I love Risk of Rain 2 and Hades because there's so many items with interesting effects you can replay the game a thousand times and it's always interesting. There aren't any game changing items like that in this game, and there aren't many items or weapons in general so most of your runs are gonna feel the same. I think a save feature would be nice, but I don't think it would have mattered for me personally. I only had one crash and one reset due to an update, and I just don't care in general since it's a roguelike and I was expecting to reset at some point anyways. But for most people it would have been a nice feature and it's kind of dumb to just refuse to add it. The story is alright, I was interested at first but as it unravels I lost interest pretty quick. The design of all the enemies is amazing, and the game looks pretty good in general.… Expand
  26. PokeBluedude
    Jul 26, 2021
    6
    The graphics are amazing and the gameplay loop is super fun and addictive. The story has been keeping me gripped and eager to play more. They are the positives of the game. The most negative aspect of the game is constant 'something went wrong messages appearing very often when an item is picked up. Also the difficulty. Can be a little all over the place but if you keep on playing you willThe graphics are amazing and the gameplay loop is super fun and addictive. The story has been keeping me gripped and eager to play more. They are the positives of the game. The most negative aspect of the game is constant 'something went wrong messages appearing very often when an item is picked up. Also the difficulty. Can be a little all over the place but if you keep on playing you will eventually make progress..... However the game is likely to crash in the middle of a new boss which erases all your progress from that run. Buy second hand, don't pay full price for a broken game… Expand
  27. Ahmedsami
    Jul 2, 2021
    7
    I loved their 2d rougelike games nex machina but I can’t stand the frustration playing rougelike in 3d as it is very difficult for me to dodge the rain of aliens shot
  28. Nathaniel224
    Aug 10, 2022
    5
    Returnal is okay, for me i cant play it long term, after 6 hours of playing this it gets tiring. Dont get me wrong starting out its one of the most addicting games ive ever played, the mechanics are so good, enemy designs, challenges keeps me immersed, with lots of suspense. i wanted to keep going, However after 6 hours i just couldn't play much more. The roguelike checkpoint systemReturnal is okay, for me i cant play it long term, after 6 hours of playing this it gets tiring. Dont get me wrong starting out its one of the most addicting games ive ever played, the mechanics are so good, enemy designs, challenges keeps me immersed, with lots of suspense. i wanted to keep going, However after 6 hours i just couldn't play much more. The roguelike checkpoint system will drive you crazy, ( a fixed checkpoint to the beginning of the game) its feels like a time waster. The endless cycle of die and go back to the beginning will get make the game stale overtime. A unpopular opinion. Because of this staleness I only play it for 2 hours intervals then i go to another game then i come back to it and so on.

    Now this isn't all bad as you get shortcuts to bosses and areas the farther you progress in the game. This helps to keep you going. For me i play games to have fun, if a game feels stale early on in my opinion its medicore at best. if you want a good ps5 experience play ratchet and clank, horizon forbidden west or deathloop. Games that can be played for longer periods of time.    … Expand
  29. AndrewMcDuck
    May 25, 2021
    6
    A hard game to review, because it does a lot of things brilliantly, and some things can be so frustrating that it will be hard for a lot of players to overlook.
    First of, the moment-to-moment gameplay is the best part of the game. The shooting and movement is absolutely great. The fights strike a great balance between being challenging and fun. The story is decent. It is told in a very    A hard game to review, because it does a lot of things brilliantly, and some things can be so frustrating that it will be hard for a lot of players to overlook.
    First of, the moment-to-moment gameplay is the best part of the game. The shooting and movement is absolutely great. The fights strike a great balance between being challenging and fun. The story is decent. It is told in a very confusing and fracture way (intentionally), which both makes it intriguing and difficult to get properly invested in. In the end, the story doesn't really deliver, and the ending is so vague, that is ends almost as confusing as it starts.
    However, it's in some of the overarching systems of the game, where it starts to lose it's appeal to me. A big part og the game is its roguelike setup, where you start from the beginning everytime you die, and almost everything is randomized, from levels, to weapons, power up etc. Parts of the system is certainly appealing, and it is actually quite well balanced in terms of the increasing you power, while forcing you to take risks. But to me it simply begins to fall apart after certain number of deaths. Playing the same section from the start, over and over for hours with absolutely no progressions just makes the game feel like a chore, and really drains a lot of the fun. Managing to progress to next level ends up feeling more like a relief of not replaying the same level, rather than a great feeling of accomplishment. And with no save system, you a forced to set off at least an hour an a half to play, if you want to make sure to at least of a chance to progress.
    I get that it plays with the typical tropes of video games, and some people may like it. But if you like games that makes you forget that you are playing a game and just draws you in, this is to not a game for you. It constantly reminds you that this is a game, due to lack of of progression and trying to do the same objective over and over. But if progression and story isn't a big appeal to you anyway, there is a great third person roguelike shooter here :)    … Expand
  30. Zoubakin
    May 12, 2021
    7
    Returnal really does do alot right with its tight controls, fun gameplay loop and great environmental and enemy sound design however I found the games points between each loop/checkpoint too long leaving you to feel frustrated after every death on a run that is more than 45 minutes long. The soundtrack is almost non existent which is a shame given the rest of the sound design is fantastic.Returnal really does do alot right with its tight controls, fun gameplay loop and great environmental and enemy sound design however I found the games points between each loop/checkpoint too long leaving you to feel frustrated after every death on a run that is more than 45 minutes long. The soundtrack is almost non existent which is a shame given the rest of the sound design is fantastic. Some might click with the story but I personally felt as it was rather weak given all of they build up the game has leading up to the ending. The gameplay is the real star of the show and if that's why your picking it up you will not be disappointed however given the price tag of this game at launch I would even consider scoring this game lower as it is currently the equivalent of$100 USD in Australia and no game is worth that price.… Expand
  31. Szntax
    May 22, 2021
    7
    Wow, this one is unique and special, nice Graphics, cool story , and experiencing the Controller on the PS5 is really fun. The Alien like World is awesome and the groundhog day effect is great. The fierce difficulty can be intimidating, but there is always progress to be made. Maybe looter shooter per se have a little bit of redundancy to complain about. IMO, more storyline could have helped here.
  32. starxbein
    May 6, 2021
    7
    The roguelike elements are good enough and while I'd like there to be more variety of artifacts, the amount provided is enough for at least one completion. Unfortunately though, It's crashed on me more than once.

    There are more dishonest review scores than honest ones on this board, as usual... so... why even provide an average user score. Let the 10s and the 0s derp all they want, but    The roguelike elements are good enough and while I'd like there to be more variety of artifacts, the amount provided is enough for at least one completion. Unfortunately though, It's crashed on me more than once.

    There are more dishonest review scores than honest ones on this board, as usual... so... why even provide an average user score. Let the 10s and the 0s derp all they want, but don't shove their dirty minds in my face by placing a review score in large font on my screen, it hurts my eyes    … Expand
  33. lucaskta
    Nov 5, 2021
    6
    Nice graphics, good use of new features from PS5. But its too hard and unbalanced. Progression is very slow since you'll need to repeat and repeat again several times to get skilled to face some enemies. This lack of evolution in progression is simple annoying.
  34. Funk21
    Jul 7, 2021
    7
    Having never played a Rogue Lite game I purchased this last week. I have gotten to the second Biome and yet to complete it. I am done. It’s just too hard for me and as many have stated when you need to spend an hour per run on to have it blow up in your face it just gets too frustrating.

    That being said this game is gorgeous, the controls are great and gameplay is hard, very hard. I    Having never played a Rogue Lite game I purchased this last week. I have gotten to the second Biome and yet to complete it. I am done. It’s just too hard for me and as many have stated when you need to spend an hour per run on to have it blow up in your face it just gets too frustrating.

    That being said this game is gorgeous, the controls are great and gameplay is hard, very hard. I think Housemarque would be wise to offer to gameplay options. Original and the ability to save once you complete a boss and level. That way you could start fully stated out on the new level with your saved artifacts and favourite parasites. You could likely experiment a bit more too.

    Much of the criticism based on the Parasites is warranted. Most of the time I wasn’t really willing to take hits for some of the slight enhancements. Furthermore it seems that the only import treasure is the medical resin and maxing it out. Sure artifacts are great but the parasites and opening chests or breaking Malignant resin for Obelisk (in game currency) was a waste of time because of the negative effects. Mind you most could be dispatched by something as simple as killing a few enemies with Melee attacks or something else but it just seemed more of a hindrance than something worth taking a chance.

    The game is fun to play but way to challenging for most casual gamers IMO. Perhaps we have gotten soft with saved games and forget why Donkey Kong was still is considered one of the hardest games to finish. If you like this sort of game my guess is you’ll love it. If Roque Lite games aren’t your thing stay clear away!    … Expand
  35. Mitchewix
    May 29, 2021
    7
    Such great gameplay! The lack of a save option is a huge bummer because you are forced to play until you die. The story was too open and confusing. Overall, the gameplay and challenge made up for most flaws!
  36. RafaelMacedo
    May 3, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bom mas não vale o preço. Não entendo a lógica de estar tão caro, sendo que rodaria fácil no ps4.… Expand
  37. Centrifikal
    Jun 7, 2021
    7
    The game is good in what content it displays. Smooth controls and nice visuals. The runtime is kinda short as I beat the game in around 12 hours. The boss fights are awesome. Felt like an energy dance as I was always dodging orb blasts and lasers. The reason I give the game a 7 is it is totally not worth the 70 dollar price tag. The game also can give you total crap rng with weapons andThe game is good in what content it displays. Smooth controls and nice visuals. The runtime is kinda short as I beat the game in around 12 hours. The boss fights are awesome. Felt like an energy dance as I was always dodging orb blasts and lasers. The reason I give the game a 7 is it is totally not worth the 70 dollar price tag. The game also can give you total crap rng with weapons and traits at times and what you get is lackluster to combat the content. You also do not have a save feature of any kind. I had two crashes and lost really good runs. I understand dying and starting from the start. I can see why some people do not like this but I knew that going into this game. I love challenges. It just fell a little short with me in length, rng, save features and the overall price.… Expand
  38. SergeantDan
    Aug 18, 2021
    6
    The game felt like it over promised and under delivered. On top of issues with my PS5 this game did not answer to the hype that everyone was trying to feed into it. I beat the 6 bosses in about 12 hour which did not look good for a game that had a price tag of 70 dollars. Then finished the secret ending in just about 16. The way they try to keep you in the game which feels like forcedThe game felt like it over promised and under delivered. On top of issues with my PS5 this game did not answer to the hype that everyone was trying to feed into it. I beat the 6 bosses in about 12 hour which did not look good for a game that had a price tag of 70 dollars. Then finished the secret ending in just about 16. The way they try to keep you in the game which feels like forced achievements to pick up or level everything.

    Honestly the game looked alright for what it was. There were some noticeable pop I got when playing along with when transitions large areas. The image took a dark tone for a bit because everything still did not load in. The color pallet for some bosses felt overwhelming which seemed to just distort or just make seeing anything harder then it needed to be.

    I felt the games overall presentation was so so and the story came to an ending where you mostly have to come up with your own story. But still your character is stuck. More like hell then it was being space exploration. Its mostly a 6.5 hopefully they give it some DLC because the re-playability since its the same ending with no changes really doesn't have you wanting to replace it again.    … Expand
  39. xjecox
    Dec 14, 2021
    7
    I can't take it anymore, I lost almost 3/4 of my advance due to a bug. I'm not going to start it again.
  40. EnriqueAriasT
    May 5, 2021
    7
    Es buen juego, buenos. Buenos Gráficos, buen Sonido, el mando es lo mejor de todo, pero esperaba más no me atrapa quizá por q este género no es de mi tipo, le di una oportunidad pero creo q no es lo Mio.. Recomendado para el que le guste y ha probado este tipo de género.. Saludos
  41. CoverFire78
    May 13, 2021
    6
    ”Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different result”.

    Roge Like, this is a game genre that was completely new to me, had I known what it was I would never have bought Returnal and I now feel that a warning must be issued. This game requires many hours of play to be appreciated. It's frustrating but when you learn the mechanics of the game it gets better.    ”Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different result”.

    Roge Like, this is a game genre that was completely new to me, had I known what it was I would never have bought Returnal and I now feel that a warning must be issued. This game requires many hours of play to be appreciated. It's frustrating but when you learn the mechanics of the game it gets better. But when, after more than 30 hours, I have only come to the second boss, only to die again and have to start all over again. I ask myself again the question of whether it is really worth continuing. But if you play video games to play video games, it should not matter that you may never see the end of the story. But maybe you should demand it from a game that you have on your game console. To play all levels of the game and see the end of the story. After all you paid for the game and did not put a coin in an arcade machine. If you are not good at video games you may want to avoid picking up this one. But on the other hand, it's a good video game to meaby be come a better player along the way. You have been warned.    … Expand
  42. Nanashi95
    Aug 20, 2021
    7
    Basically this game could be a masterpiece, without a doubt. It has a great atmosphere, superb sound design, it looks and runs really good and the design is also great. The story is in its core interesting, but you don't get very much of it. Most of the time a dialogue here and there.
    And the most important: it is fun as hell. It's really fast and can get addictive. Due to its rogue-like    Basically this game could be a masterpiece, without a doubt. It has a great atmosphere, superb sound design, it looks and runs really good and the design is also great. The story is in its core interesting, but you don't get very much of it. Most of the time a dialogue here and there.
    And the most important: it is fun as hell. It's really fast and can get addictive. Due to its rogue-like nature, the game is hard, but when you finally beat a boss, it is one of the most satisfying feelings.

    But there are problems. Yes, the game is fun and addicitive...for the first couple of hours. Until you realize that the gameplay consists of nothing more, then running from room to room, shooting the same enemies over and over again and collect items. And this is not a short game, which means that it certainly becomes monotonous at some point. After 20 hours I'm still far away from the ending, but I have the feeling I have seen and played enough.
    The hard difficulty brings another problem: it's not only frustrating, but it also gets really unfair all the time. A lot of death don't feel like they were your fault, more that the randomizer gave you useless items and spawned enemies in the worst way possible. Especially later, there will be enemies that are just infuriating and a chore to fight.

    These are at least for me points that prevent that I give Returnal a higher score. It is sill a great game, but these great aspects come with drawbacks.    … Expand
  43. loadedryer
    May 4, 2021
    7
    Overall, a very solid experience. Fantastic graphics and gunplay, an intriguing (if somewhat shallow) story, and an immersive procedurally generated world that never really gets old make this worth the incredible time and effort commitment.

    That said, there is are two major negatives holding this game back in comparison to others in the "rogue-like" genre (i.e. Hades, Binding of Issac,    Overall, a very solid experience. Fantastic graphics and gunplay, an intriguing (if somewhat shallow) story, and an immersive procedurally generated world that never really gets old make this worth the incredible time and effort commitment.

    That said, there is are two major negatives holding this game back in comparison to others in the "rogue-like" genre (i.e. Hades, Binding of Issac, etc.) and that is the exceptionally long amount of time you must dedicate to each run to have even a semblance of a chance of defeating a boss, and the lack of any save and suspend feature allowing you to save your progress on a run and close the game to play something else, or to simply turn the console off. As of now, the only way to take a break during a run is to put the PS5 into rest mode, which is a risky proposition for a number of reasons. These two issues work in tandem to hold your PS5 hostage while playing the game and severely hamper an otherwise excellent experience .    … Expand
  44. Doril
    May 5, 2021
    7
    This game is meant to be hard, so please don't buy it without doing your homework first and watching some gameplay to see if it's your cup of tea.

    Overall, the game is pretty good. The combat feels fluid and fair. The story and setting are intrguing at first but personally I found the ending unsatisfying. Additionally, unfortunately the rest of the content is a also little lacking. I    This game is meant to be hard, so please don't buy it without doing your homework first and watching some gameplay to see if it's your cup of tea.

    Overall, the game is pretty good. The combat feels fluid and fair. The story and setting are intrguing at first but personally I found the ending unsatisfying. Additionally, unfortunately the rest of the content is a also little lacking. I finished an entire playthrough clocking in 20 hours. The balance isn't great: some weapons/traits feel way overpowered while others feel useless. Some of the later environments seem like lazy copies of the prior one and enemy density starts to decrease greatly, we especially on the last biome. The main complaint that most people have is that there is absolutely no manual saving, not even a way to suspend and quit, meaning you have to put your ps5 in rest mode to "pause" your run, locking you out of playing any other games. Furthermore, if the game gets patched and you have autoupdates on, it'll force close your app after the patch. Not the best design.

    I think the game is worth playing if you like ultra challenging games, but I don't think the price is justified at 70 usd (or your local equivalent) - wait for a sale unless you are a megafan and want to support the developer.    … Expand
  45. dhananjaybawa19
    May 7, 2021
    6
    too hard.. too many bugs. might not be my type of game so i leave a 6, just wish developers would improve the issues players are having
  46. cdy2847
    May 7, 2021
    7
    the game is fun for a few days but no save points and ver y long run attempts with 0 reward is what makes the game longer that should be. its basically one of the 1980's 2D space shooters like galaga but updated to modern specs and 3D. this is an Arcade game in the year 2021 which is ok if your into that thing. does a great job with the ps5 duel sense controller. the landscapes are not asthe game is fun for a few days but no save points and ver y long run attempts with 0 reward is what makes the game longer that should be. its basically one of the 1980's 2D space shooters like galaga but updated to modern specs and 3D. this is an Arcade game in the year 2021 which is ok if your into that thing. does a great job with the ps5 duel sense controller. the landscapes are not as random as the game devs made it seem, they just recycle arenas in different orders. i beat the first 2 bosses. the story seems Meh cant really grasp whats going on unless your good enough to get that far. after awhile you realize it was an attempt to get something out just for the ps5 no more no less. its not a good reason to buy a ps5 yet so save your money for demons souls. definitely a waste of 70$ this is a 30-40$ game at most .… Expand
  47. Ricky050884
    May 13, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I took it upon myself to create an account to review this game, because frankly, I’m exhausted and frustrated by the trend regarding new games launching with more then just a few glitches and bugs. Especially considering that this game costs 90$ new and still suffers (1 week after launch) from hard crashes. I wish I could give it top score, but for the sake of the gaming community, I’ll be as impartial and simple as I can. I’ll spoil as little as I can.
    PRO:
    - Graphics and atmosphere are gorgeous.
    - Combat is fluid and very responsive.
    - Enemies art work and movement is beautifully executed.
    - Biome structure is interesting to explore and a run for each Biome can take as little as 45min or up to 2+ hours depending on play style. - It’s a rougelike game, therefor dying and respawning are part of the game itself. It’s well executed given that with each death and new run, you’ll be presented with new fragments of the story.
    - the story is well crafted and good enough for most to find it intriguing and genuinely care for the main character.
    - the dual sense shines bright with tons of feedback. Be it from rain drops to the alternative fire mode. holding down the left trigger half way for aiming down the sight and full press for alt fire activation.
    - consumable items, resources and artifacts are various and each new run spawns them randomly scattered around the biomes. Making each run exiting and addictive.
    - the difficulty (1 standard difficulty) is more then manageable. Once you learn enemy behavior and attack patterns. You’ll be going Rambo style on them in no time. It’s by no means a souls style game difficulty. But don’t be fooled to think it’s easy either. It’s a well balanced difficulty for most. Perhaps easier for those who are more familiar with the shooter genre.
    - the 3d audio (headphones only) combined with the dual sense feedback make it a smile inducing experience. Hearing and feeling a enemy breaching the ground right next to you and you reacting immediately with a light saber melee attack not only feels badass, but is also extremely satisfying.
    - the game has some mild save features. Either(resource), equipment such as (sword, grappling hook,etc.), weapon alt fire mod and some other few things are kept upon death and transition to subsequent runs. Consumable, artifacts and main currency does not. There is also one hard save when you beat biome 3. So each subsequent run afterwards will start you in biome 4 upon death.

    Cons:
    - despite the latest update that supposedly fixed unresponsive doors and bugged alternative suits. Hard crashes are still happening. And by hard crashes I mean complete a app shutdown.
    - no midway save option! Many have voiced,who are well within their right as a consumer, that paid full price for a defective product, that a save option should be made available for those who wish to use it. Instead we get instructions to use a console feature(rest mode) in order to suspend the game for later use. Problem is our should I say are: - if the game crashes: you’ll lose your run.
    - if you receive an update while the console is in rest mode: you’ll lose your run.
    - if there’s a power outage where you live: you’ll lose your run.
    - if you feel like playing something else after a 2 hour session: nope, you can’t do it because...you’ll lose your run. I had to manually close a run on multiple occasions because I simply don’t have the time to play for 2-4 straight to reach biome 4 for a the only hard save. Nor do I feel compelled that a game developer dictates on how I should use my hardware. I’m aware that the lack of save option is to deter cheating in form of save backups. But considering that it’s a single player experience, I can’t grasp the stubborn decision to withhold that option from those who payed full price day one and therefor support the developers. Not everyone has unlimited time for gaming. Wether it’s work, family or trivial things. The fact that other rouge type games feature some sort of a save option leaves me baffled and disappointed as to why developers or whoever, choose not to include it.

    Resume: I can’t praise the developers enough, given that I played and throughly enjoyed previous games from them. Returnal is a huge leap for them and a fresh and exciting experience for us. But the fact remains that the game should had not been launched yet and still needed some fine tuning. And the lack of a normal feature (save option) is beyond my understanding and really leaves a bad taste. I wish I could recommend it to others. But as it stands right now. Don’t spend your hard earned money on a defective product that doesn’t allow you to control when and how long you should play    … Expand
  48. Byewig
    May 20, 2021
    6
    Honestly, this game is *fine*. The controls are responsive, and it uses the dualsense really well, and the scope and graphics are lovely. But it almost feels like it doesn’t want you to play it. The lack of any sort of save and return feature is truly baffling and seems to serve no purpose beyond making the game less accessible. The balance of risk and reward are intolerablyHonestly, this game is *fine*. The controls are responsive, and it uses the dualsense really well, and the scope and graphics are lovely. But it almost feels like it doesn’t want you to play it. The lack of any sort of save and return feature is truly baffling and seems to serve no purpose beyond making the game less accessible. The balance of risk and reward are intolerably skewed—there’s essentially no justification for taking on any malfunctions or parasites. I’m not *mad* I bought this game, but I am kicking myself for buying it at full price.… Expand
  49. PabsM
    Jun 7, 2021
    7
    It is a solid 7. Don’t believe the hype. Great graphics, great controls, fun bosses, no re playability, the story is pretty bad and campaign is too short for a AAA game. At the end tend to be quite repetitive due to the uninspiring levels and enemies.

    There are good ideas here, but overall the executions never reach games potential. Because there are not many next gen games you    It is a solid 7. Don’t believe the hype. Great graphics, great controls, fun bosses, no re playability, the story is pretty bad and campaign is too short for a AAA game. At the end tend to be quite repetitive due to the uninspiring levels and enemies.

    There are good ideas here, but overall the executions never reach games potential.

    Because there are not many next gen games you should buy it, but by no means it is a AAA game or worth 70.00 US dls.

    Beat the game after 30 deaths.    … Expand
  50. Felix603
    Jun 10, 2021
    6
    Nice looking Game but too hard and repetiv. I might never play it through because it gets boring after time
  51. AmarAli
    Jun 29, 2021
    5
    The gameplay is very good but the super shallow story with many plotholes and the dev studio refusing to introduce a game saving mode as an option made come to the conclusion that this game is not worth the asking price but rather worth a few bucks if you want to try the roguelike games.
  52. Tango-Dust
    Jul 1, 2021
    7
    I want to make it clear this is not a bad game. There are some seriously impressive and fun features to the game. However, there are some issues to the core of the game that makes me reluctant to pick it back up after having best the 1st ending. Some below seem to think it is more difficult than soulsgames (which I vehemently disagree with and found it not too difficult as I only died onceI want to make it clear this is not a bad game. There are some seriously impressive and fun features to the game. However, there are some issues to the core of the game that makes me reluctant to pick it back up after having best the 1st ending. Some below seem to think it is more difficult than soulsgames (which I vehemently disagree with and found it not too difficult as I only died once before beating the game) the difficulty seems just right to me if not a little easier than I was expecting/hoping. The true difficulty comes from finding the time to beat it in one play though without turning your game off. Initially I had thought this was a cool concept, however I learned quickly that it was more annoying than truly challenging. Overall, I think my biggest gripe with the game was that (unlike binding of Isaac) the items you could get were not carried enough and did not have nearly enough synergy to them. For example, think of the thousands of combos you can make in binding of Isaac. One good example is brimstone and that other ability that makes your tears go in a circle around you and away. This turns you into a spinning laser wheel of doom. There is nothing quite so fun like that in returnal. I think that was the part I missed/hoped for most. Again, I do want to stress that, in spit of these things, Returnal is a good game. The atmosphere is breathtaking and the controls are wonderful and responsive as is the movement. The story was also very intriguing and kept be going through the (way too long and checkpoint free) 10ish hours. In short, there is a lot of fun to be had here but I can't help but compare it to other games that don't force you to best them in one sitting or games that have far more synergy or fun items.… Expand
  53. Ng99
    Jul 5, 2021
    5
    I had very conflicting thoughts while playing this game... The core combat itself is very fun. However, it's bogged down by a myriad of confusing design decisions. I'm a fan of rougelikes, which is part of what got me interested in this game in the first place, but so much of this game feels like it's in the wrong genre. The runs can be incredibly long. Item balance can be woefully bad, soI had very conflicting thoughts while playing this game... The core combat itself is very fun. However, it's bogged down by a myriad of confusing design decisions. I'm a fan of rougelikes, which is part of what got me interested in this game in the first place, but so much of this game feels like it's in the wrong genre. The runs can be incredibly long. Item balance can be woefully bad, so you feel punished for experimenting or taking any risks at all, as they generally aren't worth it. Unlike just about any other rougelike/rougelite I've played, when I die in returnal, I have no desire to continue playing. The runs blend together as the environments start to grow bland and there's not nearly enough variety in your builds to shake things up. There are some artefacts that are basically a necessity, so much better than the others that if you don't get them, your run might as well be doomed. Buried beneath all the frustration is some tight, adrenaline pumping gameplay with varied enemies and exciting bosses, but the game is constantly getting in your way of enjoying it. It really feels like a game that could've been a well crafted 8 hour adventure but was turned into a rougelike to stretch out its duration.… Expand
  54. altair74
    Jul 12, 2021
    7
    Returnal è un gioco con tante buone idee, una ottima ambientazione e anche una discreta realizzazione, ma porta con se anche diversi problemi legati ad alcune scelte dei programmatori e qualche difetto. credo sia il primo roguelike che ho giocato e trovarsi in un mondo che cambia ad ogni ciclo non mi aggrada molto, ma le regole sono queste e una volta capito i meccanismi di gioco diventatoReturnal è un gioco con tante buone idee, una ottima ambientazione e anche una discreta realizzazione, ma porta con se anche diversi problemi legati ad alcune scelte dei programmatori e qualche difetto. credo sia il primo roguelike che ho giocato e trovarsi in un mondo che cambia ad ogni ciclo non mi aggrada molto, ma le regole sono queste e una volta capito i meccanismi di gioco diventato tutto più agevole. forse anche un po' troppo in quanto è la prima volta che in un gioco riesco ad eliminare i boss al primo tentativo. Atropo comunque è bello da vedersi e l'atmosfera di abbandono a se stessi è molto immersiva, ma è anche dicretamente cattivo da punire ogni errore del giocatore. il divertimento però è assicurato e la caratteristica procedurale delle mappe e degli upgrade rende ogni partita diversa. fin qui tutto bene, ma giocandoci abbastanza ecco che vengono fuori i problemi. il gioco è ambizioso, ma crash e bug non sono rari e questo unito alla mancanza del salvataggio è un grosso problema. se in un gioco con checkpoint o salvataggi manuali un crash del gioco ti può far perdere poco, qui ti porta a dover rifare tutto daccapo... comprendo che l'essenza dei roguelike non comporta i save game e le consolle adesso permettono di mettere il gioco in stand-by, ma perchè non permettere di poter salvare il gioco per spegnere la consolle o cambiare gioco?
    anche la trama lascia un po' a desiderare perchè se il viaggio interiore della protagonista è profondo tutto il resto che ruota attorno a lei è alquanto nebuloso...
    inrfine una critica per quanto riguarda i collezionabili. alcuni di questi sono collocati in alcune stanze che hanno un basso rateo di comparsa e questo complica molto la loro raccolta e di conseguenza la possibilità di completare il gioco al 100%. completare il gioco e non poter cogliere tutte le sfumature di questo perchè si fa in modo che i collezionabili ( registri e glifi) siano priaticamente introvabili, è frustrante.    … Expand
  55. AdamNowak
    Jul 19, 2021
    7
    Podzielam opinię graczy. Miałem duże oczekiwania co do tej gry ale gdzieś coś nie poszło. Można kupić i zagrać ale nie za taką cenę.
  56. 5thavenuecrazy
    Aug 17, 2021
    5
    I'd normally give this game an 8 or 8.5 out of 10 but the fact that you can't save makes me downgrade to a 5. It is pretty terrible that the devs were too lazy to add in a save function. Overall I really liked the game and it took me right at 19 hours to beat the last boss. It definitely could have had more permanent upgrades and could have had easier settings or something but it was doable.
  57. HrGjerdingSmith
    Jan 15, 2022
    5
    Kule monstre og fiender. Våpnene var kule også. Historien var spennende så langt jeg kom. Dessverre var det et for uforståelig spill som ikke passet til sjangeren sin. Et ordentlig story spill burde ikke være som Souls serien. Det går heller ikke ann å bruke særlig mange av tilbudene for å ikke måtte starte på nytt. Veldig skuffet over spillet!
  58. ihearthawthats
    Oct 24, 2022
    7
    Hours Played: 65 Hours
    Trophy Completion: 34/34 PLATINUM
    Worth My Time: Yes, even if you don't beat it. Worth My Money: Yes, it's included with PS+ Extra. What I Like: Great utilization of the DualSense. Gunplay is satisfying. Story is interesting enough. What I Dislike: It's a long ass game. I had to finish runs in multiple sittings, which thankfully, I played post-patch which    Hours Played: 65 Hours
    Trophy Completion: 34/34 PLATINUM

    Worth My Time: Yes, even if you don't beat it.
    Worth My Money: Yes, it's included with PS+ Extra.

    What I Like: Great utilization of the DualSense. Gunplay is satisfying. Story is interesting enough.

    What I Dislike: It's a long ass game. I had to finish runs in multiple sittings, which thankfully, I played post-patch which allows one to save and resume a run. RNG is terrible, especially if you are a completionist. I didn't get all the weapons until 60+ hours in, well after I have already beaten it multiple times. Also, the game has quite a few bugs and issues, including crashes.

    How It Stacks Up: As a 3rd person shooter, it's a great action game; as a roguelike, it's oversaturated with RNG. Everyone's experience will vary greatly depending on what items and weapons they unlock. Compared to Hades, which is a streamlined experience everyone can enjoy, I think Returnal is more layered with complexities to a point that is borderline bloated. As a PS5 game, it has excellent utilization of current gen features in a market filled with cross-gen games that are mostly hi-res ports.    … Expand
  59. CnPx98
    Jul 21, 2022
    7
    Returnal has a great concept which is nothing like we have ever seen before. With a map that constantly changes and how you reset each time you die. You can team up with other people and see how far you make it. The down sides are that everything just starts to feel the same. It's just basically run round and shoot. Even after an hour I just felt like I had experienced everything the gameReturnal has a great concept which is nothing like we have ever seen before. With a map that constantly changes and how you reset each time you die. You can team up with other people and see how far you make it. The down sides are that everything just starts to feel the same. It's just basically run round and shoot. Even after an hour I just felt like I had experienced everything the game has to offer.… Expand
  60. Emikaiser
    Dec 13, 2021
    5
    Olha, eu não consigo entender como as pessoas dizem que esse é o verdadeiro GOTY de 2021, a movimentação do game é toda bugada, fps caindo no ps5, narrativa não tão bem elaborada, a gameplay que é bom porém não é aquela coisa da nova geração. Sendo bem sincero, esse é um dos dos jogos mais decepcionantes da Playstation Studios.
  61. fortyonfortyon
    Feb 16, 2023
    5
    It’s beautiful with great controls and starts off fun. But after thirty minutes it all kind of looks the same and you don’t want to play any more. Super repetitive. Hades is more fun than this.
  62. joaopoc1998
    Oct 30, 2022
    7
    Very good gameplay.
    Good looking game.
    Amazing use of the controler.
    Poor story that disappointed me.
  63. TheVezyrQ
    Mar 17, 2022
    7
    Game was great but if you are aggresive don't even try to play this game. It was a real challange to finish this. One of the best roguelike games i have ever played and finished :D When i finish the game i was like holy moly i did that
  64. Thegamesup
    Dec 16, 2022
    7
    اللعبه جميله بس انك اذا خسرت تعيد لبدايه مرحله تقيمي 7.5
  65. Montag100
    Mar 13, 2022
    7
    Would be an 8/10 if it was priced at what it is, a AA, not a AAA game. The shooting mechanics and moment to moment gameplay is incredible, but the game was made artificially long to justify the full price and added Sony tax. Brilliant, but bloated. Wonderful and disappointing in the same breath. 7/10
  66. Napolaen
    Aug 9, 2022
    5
    the game itself is pretty fun and fine tuned but I hate how they basically act like they invented the concept of a rouge like
  67. Teddy_Ruxpin
    Jul 2, 2022
    7
    Got the game on PS+ for free, that being said I’m not disappointed with it. The game has great visuals, responsive gunplay and music fits the mood it’s going for. A lot of people seem to give it negative reviews stating there is no saves, check points etc but, it’s a roguelike game, kinda comes with the territory, I just left my PS running which ya probably not a great idea but whatever.Got the game on PS+ for free, that being said I’m not disappointed with it. The game has great visuals, responsive gunplay and music fits the mood it’s going for. A lot of people seem to give it negative reviews stating there is no saves, check points etc but, it’s a roguelike game, kinda comes with the territory, I just left my PS running which ya probably not a great idea but whatever.

    I also see people calling the game super woke and the protagonist a Karen, honestly just ignore those, not too sure how the game is woke other than it’s a female lead?

    That story is meh, you kinda can see it coming at the start, it tries to be a lot deeper then it ray is.

    In the end for me it was free, solid 7/10. Full price I’d say 6/10.    … Expand
  68. Madbert
    Jul 9, 2022
    5
    May 9, 2021

    Sinceramente es un juego que no me está llamando nada la atención no me ha vuelto apetecer volver a jugarlo me parece que penaliza de una forma exagerada al usuario y por supuesto se ha alargado una forma totalmente artificial así que al final opte por mirar el final de la historia en YouTube sin terminarlo de mi propia mano a pesar de haber comprado el juego día uno (pobres    May 9, 2021

    Sinceramente es un juego que no me está llamando nada la atención no me ha vuelto apetecer volver a jugarlo me parece que penaliza de una forma exagerada al usuario y por supuesto se ha alargado una forma totalmente artificial así que al final opte por mirar el final de la historia en YouTube sin terminarlo de mi propia mano a pesar de haber comprado el juego día uno (pobres mis 80 pavos) aunque al menos me encanta coleccionar los juegos así que no me duele tanto y la historia es muy mala al final es bastante raro en definitiva no es un juego que merezca la pena el precio que pagas    … Expand
  69. Mychaelwo
    Jul 16, 2022
    5
    Jogo absolutamente mediano, repetitivo, gráficos da época do PS2, tão escuro que mal dá pra ver os inimigos, personagem principal sem carisma nenhum, preço absurdo para um jogo que parece indie, nota 5.
  70. alirezamomeni
    Jul 28, 2022
    7
    I didnt write review till now but for this game its good start. returnal could be great game for every one but in my opinion some bad choices ruin the game and it is great for just some specific ones.
    believe me its not a game worth the price and space 85 GB. first if dont like dark souls,nioh ect. dont come near this game you know why? because i love souls like game and here i am. second    I didnt write review till now but for this game its good start. returnal could be great game for every one but in my opinion some bad choices ruin the game and it is great for just some specific ones.
    believe me its not a game worth the price and space 85 GB. first if dont like dark souls,nioh ect. dont come near this game you know why? because i love souls like game and here i am. second if dont like repeat some area in game over and over again forget this game.
    for those who want try have some advise dont pay for this game i get it free in my ps plus extra and im not satisfied.
    you think its a hard game, no its not hard its unfair i tell you why? i spent about 20 hours playing returnal and then i decide that it , its enough wasting my time. when i first time encounter the first boss i decide to grind make my self powerfull enough and after 3 hour i beat the first boss and guess what i kill every enemy in my way to the second boss, in game like dark souls you can go to boss watch their move, reaction attack and just die nothing to lose just few soul. but in returnal i try realy hard to beat second boss and i couldnt and died.........return to zero hehehehe its not funny at all then i quit the game.
    by the way the creatures not interesting for me and enemy fire something at you remind me of contra game in old consul.
    my true score for this game is 5 but i love ps exclusive game.
    i hope these review be useful for you.    … Expand
  71. Gipsojo
    Aug 18, 2022
    7
    The moment to moment gameplay in Returnal is top notch, which is why it's such a shame that progression is so broken that most players will quit before beating it. You can lose hours on a run when you die, and gain nothing from each successive death. The developers didn't learn a single trick from looking at other successful roguelikes.

    On top of that, there are major balance issues    The moment to moment gameplay in Returnal is top notch, which is why it's such a shame that progression is so broken that most players will quit before beating it. You can lose hours on a run when you die, and gain nothing from each successive death. The developers didn't learn a single trick from looking at other successful roguelikes.

    On top of that, there are major balance issues regarding weapons and items, making it so that you'll find yourself ignoring a huge portion of what you discover in each run and looking for the same guns and items every time you play.

    If they had fixed the progression and balance issues this could have been a Game of the Year contender. I still feel that there's enjoyment to be had in Returnal, but overall the game feels rushed, unfinished, or poorly designed.    … Expand
  72. emg-emg
    Jun 12, 2023
    7
    The game would be 10/10 for me if I weren't a completionist fixated on getting a platinum trophy. I spent too many hours speed-running for the last three ciphers and it ruined the whole experience. I believe I cannot rate the game 2/10 if I spent 112 hours playing it, haha. It brought me joy and challenged me, would recommend it to everyone who is not trophy-obsessed.
  73. Nmaa18
    Jun 4, 2023
    7
    because this website keeps showing: forbidden 403: here is a simple review (which i am very unhappy about metacritic, sort ur website out.)

    Returnal is a sci-fi game that combines elements from different games, such as Risk of Rain 2, Nier Automata, Control, and Devil May Cry V. The graphics are good, but a lot of details are hidden with filters and fog, in addition to the game reusing    because this website keeps showing: forbidden 403: here is a simple review (which i am very unhappy about metacritic, sort ur website out.)

    Returnal is a sci-fi game that combines elements from different games, such as Risk of Rain 2, Nier Automata, Control, and Devil May Cry V. The graphics are good, but a lot of details are hidden with filters and fog, in addition to the game reusing lots of assets and the levels in each area looking pretty similar. The shooting and movement are great, and the sound design is immersive. However, there are some issues with the game, such as the lack of medium difficulty enemies, the absence of melee attacks from the start, and the repetitive gameplay loop of returning. The story and cut-scenes are not deep or rewarding enough, and the game is difficult and non-adjustable. I loved the atmosphere but hated the dying system, and would have preferred a more linear experience like a Doom or god of war for example. Overall, if you enjoy the rogue-like genre, you might enjoy this game, but otherwise, it may not be worth the grind. I give the game 72/100.    … Expand
  74. KathyPod
    Apr 21, 2023
    7
    I have to admit that this game was too hard for me, so the lack of accessible difficulty adjustments was very frustrating. I wanted to proceed further but it wasn't possible for my skill level. It's a shame, I was so intrigued by the world and the lore. I played maybe 15 hours myself and experienced the rest over the shoulder of a friend.

    The visuals and the sound design, they are    I have to admit that this game was too hard for me, so the lack of accessible difficulty adjustments was very frustrating. I wanted to proceed further but it wasn't possible for my skill level. It's a shame, I was so intrigued by the world and the lore. I played maybe 15 hours myself and experienced the rest over the shoulder of a friend.

    The visuals and the sound design, they are absolutely fantastic. Pylon weapon makes me giddy. Creatures and world design is a delight.

    That said, the harshness of the save system, or lack thereof, in combination with the overall difficulty made it unplayable for me.

    It's well crafted, but too unforgiving. Most of the gamer demographic these days are adults with children, pets, responsibilities and limited time. For people that enjoy the grind, the puzzle of figuring out how to approach the difficulty, then this is surely amazing. For those of us that can't, it quickly becomes unplayable.

    I appreciate the total commitment to the style from the devs, and definitely respect the players that complete it on this difficulty.

    But I was very sad to feel so excluded from this game. The craft behind it is great, but I strongly disagree with some design decisions.

    Last personal and very subjective thoughts, mostly just a plea to the developers:
    I really wish you'd implement a mode for the rest of us that also want to experience it. I don't even care if you call it "chicken mode", I'll take anything at this point. I just really want to shoot demon dogs dogs with angry red projectiles, while spacy music plays, but also feel like I make progression worth keeping.    … Expand
  75. LoK2Nosgoth
    May 18, 2023
    5
    Un univers mystérieux et de très bonne mécanique de combat dans un monde total impitoyable. Ce jeux fut beaucoup beaucoup trop dur
  76. mazn
    Apr 22, 2023
    7
  77. Harthik69
    Jul 9, 2023
    6
    For some reason i dont like this game .Its bit dark and gloomy. Its not my cup of tea. I might not want to play this again
  78. Carecaboyjoni
    Aug 21, 2023
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Muitas armas repetidas o jogo não tem história gráficos mal feitos é modelagem de ps3 só recomendo pra quem não tem nenhum jogo pra jogar é ruim mesmo não recomendo… Expand
  79. raskol78
    Aug 14, 2023
    6
    I really enjoyed this game at first, the graphics are amazing and I loved the sci-fi atmosphere. All this quickly wore off on my 100th play through of just the first level. This game is way too repetitive and difficult to enjoy.
  80. SpaceStation11
    Sep 11, 2023
    5
    I just couldn't get into this game as I have with other roguelites. Runs felt more like extended boss runs with very little improvement. An utter grind and a disappointment, though the gameplay and visuals are outstanding.
next
Page:

Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2021
1
#1 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 115 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 107 out of 115
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 115
  3. Negative: 0 out of 115
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 15, 2022
    100
    A perfect example of the performance of the PS5 and all its functions. Great gameplay and the music catches and won't let go until you get to the bottom of it all. But in the end, the final may surprise you unpleasantly.
  2. CD-Action
    Dec 7, 2021
    85
    An unobvious reinforcement of PlayStation’s range of exclusives. You can love Returnal, you can hate it, the feelings can even be simultaneous. Even though it’s tough love, there’s something about this game that makes you scream into a pillow and then try again. And again. And again. [07/2021, p.44]
  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Sep 3, 2021
    83
    Returnal has everything you’d expect from an exclusive that comes early in a console’s life-cycle. It shows off everything PS5 has to offer, while delivering a solid roguelike experience. [Issue#254, p.54]
See all critic reviews »