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
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  1. Angel_Sigh
    May 2, 2021
    8
    I've only been playing for a couple of days now. So bear in mind, as always with early user reviews, that NO-ONE, least of all me, is capable of giving a proper review of the entire game yet. That's what professional critic reviews are for.

    But I can give my early impressions - and I'm eager to do so: Firstly, it's an audiovisual feast. Demon's Souls is still probably the best    I've only been playing for a couple of days now. So bear in mind, as always with early user reviews, that NO-ONE, least of all me, is capable of giving a proper review of the entire game yet. That's what professional critic reviews are for.

    But I can give my early impressions - and I'm eager to do so:

    Firstly, it's an audiovisual feast. Demon's Souls is still probably the best looking game on PS5, but this really is a gorgeous game. It is dripping in atmosphere, it's smooth as butter at 60fps and whether the 4k is upscaled or not is irrelevant. It looks fabulous. I'm surprised at what a huge step-up this is for Housemarque in terms of production values - their games have always looked spectacular, but in a lo-fi, indie way. This is a massive leap forward.
    It's heavily influenced by the Alien films, Prometheus especially, as well as highbrow modern-sci-fi releases like Annihilation and Arrival, the dystopic real world in The Matrix, even Cronenberg's Existenz: you can see hints of all these movies in everything from the squiddy-like enemies, the alien civilisation and its architecture, the alien artifacts(that shimmer and reform when you shoot them, like a swarm of insects) dotted enigmatically around the place...the body-horror weapon augments that latch onto the player like parasites.

    It is stitched together from so many different influences, it'd be easy for it to come across as lacking in personality. But it's too atmospheric for that. And I said it's an audio-visual feast: the music and sound effects, ambient noises, are absolutely fantastic. There are constant unsettling chittering, humming noises to set you at unease, occasional Hans-Zimmer esque synth pulses, and subtle, elegant sound cues warn you of every enemy appearance(which is crucial, given how quickly you can lose your buff build-up if you're not careful and don't spot an enemy in your peripheral). It's just an enormous audiovisual accomplishment.

    W/r/t gameplay: it is a triple-A action game(maybe more of a double-A), but Housemarque have resisted the temptation to compromise on the responsiveness and speed of the controls. They haven't felt the need to animate the player to move like Nathan Drake thankfully. Gameplay comes first, and the action is incredibly precise and twitch-based, as you'd expect from the devs. It's honed - this was always going to be the game's strong point.

    BUT...it's a roguelike. And even though Hades was my game of 2020(by a distance) I still haven't made my mind up about this genre. Hades worked so brilliantly because it turned the most dispiriting part of a roguelike - the moment when you die and lose all that progress - into an outright positive. In that game, death meant more progress in the story, more secrets tumbling out, more cool stuff....and the game's length was so short that losing carried very little sting. I ended up completing Hades 160 times(you need to complete it ten times just to see the proper ending). I do not get that feeling from Returnal. It hasn't softened the edges at all. There are no attempts to make the sting of loss any less stinging. And I remember enjoying Dead Cells just as much as I'm enjoying this game, but I still never bothered finishing it. At some point, having to return right to the start of the game on every death became too much and the lure of permanent power-ups and 'leveling up' my character was too small.
    I haven't reached that point with Returnal...but I have met some dispiriting ends. Sudden deaths from enemies that seemed to come out of nowhere. And it's that kind of thing that'll decide whether you'll end up enjoying this game or not. I love hard games, but only if they have that something that keeps pulling me back. Sekiro is one of my favourite games of all-time. From Software are, imo, the greatest devs on the planet. But the structure of roguelikes is different from Soulslikes. You can get crushed in Souls, but you aren't thrown back to the start. You're pushed back to a bonfire and you lose your souls. But that's not so bitter a blow as to make you lose interest.

    I haven't lost interest at all in this game. I'm not saying that. I'm just warning anyone reading this that you will need to persist beyond the early stage of the game where each death can be sudden and it feels like you're making no progress at all. There comes a point where permanent power-ups make you feel a lot more confident, where you've managed to unlock enough things that persist beyond a single death. With roguelikes, it's a lot like the early stages of a Soulsborne game: you're weak, vulnerable and everything hits like a truck. And that's the point at which a lot of people just think 'f*** this, I'm out'. But Souls die-hards know that beyond that point lies the most satisfying gaming experience in the world. I don't know if Returnal will give me something like that yet, but I've seen enough of this mysterious, beautiful, butter-smooth twitch-action-game to keep pushing on.    … Expand
  2. odincamaross
    May 3, 2021
    0
    No accessibility mode for people who are a dexterity problems or Handicap .
  3. ConnorMak
    May 6, 2021
    3
    30+ plus hours in and a "patch" corrupted my save. Would have rated this game a solid 8 otherwise. Simply unacceptable for Sony to allow this kind of arrogance from a developer, especially on a AAA $70 game.
  4. CarlosNb7
    May 5, 2021
    1
    Cant see anything. Everything its black and fill of fog. I set all the tv settings of brightness to 100% and even there. I cant see anything. PD lost all my progress this game its just ....
  5. alpharaine
    May 3, 2021
    10
    Notice that many of the negative reviews are bcause "you can't save". This is literally the entire premise of roguelike games, and is thus unfair critcism. The game tells you up front that when you die, you return to the crash site and if you turn off the game, you will start over.

    However, this is still misleading. When you beat bosses, you essentially get a checkpoint, as you don't    Notice that many of the negative reviews are bcause "you can't save". This is literally the entire premise of roguelike games, and is thus unfair critcism. The game tells you up front that when you die, you return to the crash site and if you turn off the game, you will start over.

    However, this is still misleading. When you beat bosses, you essentially get a checkpoint, as you don't have to find and defeat them again, and it takes significantly less time to get back to the next area. You also can earn permanent weapon upgrades and Ether stays with you even after dying.

    Fantastic game so far. Very addictive, amazing use of the DualSense controller, and intriguing story. Must-play for PS5 owners.    … Expand
  6. DmitryV
    May 3, 2021
    1
    скучно, постоянно умираешь меня хватило часов на 15... и тупо однообразно.. сюжет не понятный, раскрывается открывками... в общем не рекомендую.. и за фулл прайс 6к рублей почти .. извините...
  7. Andizzzzy
    May 12, 2021
    2
    Game is mediocre at best. It is not open world and yet the graphics are worse than Far Cry 5 and this is supposed to be a ps5 game? The character while appreciate she isn’t some blonde bimbo like in 9/10 Asian games, she is really plane and boring and doesn’t at ALL suit the combat role she has been placed in, she looks the type that would be a dog minder (you know those people that walkGame is mediocre at best. It is not open world and yet the graphics are worse than Far Cry 5 and this is supposed to be a ps5 game? The character while appreciate she isn’t some blonde bimbo like in 9/10 Asian games, she is really plane and boring and doesn’t at ALL suit the combat role she has been placed in, she looks the type that would be a dog minder (you know those people that walk your dogs for you?) let a lone a combat ace. And worst of all this rubbish was $124? Honestly what has this world come to.… Expand
  8. MaykonDias
    May 3, 2021
    0
    a ideia do jogo é boa , porem mal executada, não tem um save no jogo, é obrigatorio ficar conectado, alguns bugs no jogo e quedas de fps, um desastre grafico é bom mas parece estar em 1080p, perdi 2 horas de jogo quando o jogo crashou, e o preço cobrado é de um jogo de alto orçamento. complicado infelizmente vou pedir reembolso do jogo
  9. SyphonX25
    May 3, 2021
    9
    Excellent game! Difficult fast paced hell shooter that will keep you on your toes. This game has no difficulty setting for a reason. You are going to die and that is part of the game. The only down side is if I play this game I can't play it for just a couple minutes. You need to invest some time if you want to proceed as you can only keep important items each start. Niche game that is notExcellent game! Difficult fast paced hell shooter that will keep you on your toes. This game has no difficulty setting for a reason. You are going to die and that is part of the game. The only down side is if I play this game I can't play it for just a couple minutes. You need to invest some time if you want to proceed as you can only keep important items each start. Niche game that is not going to please everyone but still very solid. If you are a casual gamer please beware.… Expand
  10. Carlox26
    May 3, 2021
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Me he topado con muchos bugs y crasheos en el juego, inaceptable en un juego que cuesta 70/80 euros… Expand
  11. FuriousDanger
    May 3, 2021
    10
    Returnal es una apuesta diferente a lo que estamos acostumbrados, un roguelike puro, la historia es muy interesante, la ambientación es excelente y su apartado artístico es sensacional. Un juego que nos sorprendió a todos.
  12. Brad12345
    May 1, 2021
    10
    It’s a great game but it’s incredibly hard. Plus the graphics and the loading times are amazing. The ps5 SSD putting in that power ;)
  13. Utop
    May 1, 2021
    10
    Asombroso juego, es sin duda un juegazo!!! la jugabilidad,lo frenetico que es, es algo nuevo es un reto para los que les gustan los juegos dificil y desafiante. la verdad que es un JUEGAZO!!!
  14. plexx
    May 2, 2021
    10
    Hey there! My first post here.

    Two words about my perspective. I love games with good and tight "action" like Dark Souls, Nioh, Soul Calibur, Alienation (over diablo 3), burnout series, skate series, Wipeout, old days WoW PvP...sometimes i play Tesla vs Lovecraft with ps-controller on my mobile device. Days Gone and horizon zero dawn games sometimes grab my attention combat-wise too,    Hey there! My first post here.

    Two words about my perspective. I love games with good and tight "action" like Dark Souls, Nioh, Soul Calibur, Alienation (over diablo 3), burnout series, skate series, Wipeout, old days WoW PvP...sometimes i play Tesla vs Lovecraft with ps-controller on my mobile device. Days Gone and horizon zero dawn games sometimes grab my attention combat-wise too, just not so often. You know.. I don't play game from start to finish: i play to the point where i start to feel the game repeating and get minor boredness. Then I go to another game and return after some time (sometimes it's months, sometimes - year).
    I left online competition FPS shooters, because i play not so often and its just not fun to suck at them this way. But years ago, when i had time for this - i played and liked it a lot. I love the idea of intense combat gameplay when you get adrenaline. I just get bored on most of "blockbusters", and games with bad (worse than good soulslike) mechanics like Fallen Order, Assassins Creed or God of War.
    Now you know if you are like me or totally different person.

    This game is totally for me. Love to come and get an intense run despite faster dying.
    1. Gameplay is really fun and well-built. If I wanna super-tight action I go fast and my ass melts, flowing adrenaline the best way. When i want a bit more conscious run - i do it a bit slower and game shines in another perspective.
    2. Lots of interesting bonuses and mechanics.
    3. Atmosphere, visuals, haptic FX are stunning.
    4. Good optimization, fast responsive controls, quickest doors with no loads.
    5. Story is fresh and not too distracting.
    What i want in updates:
    1. Many more "daily" challenges. And i also want to be able to play not only one per day. Gimme some kind of skirmish mode with options that I can tune to create a fiery hell ! And survival more ALSO !! Where foes are comming and comming and drop bonuses and items. 2. Save on exit option. Sometimes you have to quit.
    3. Add weapon malfunctions near-permanently affecting your shooting in strange ways and forcing you to switch weapons sometimes. 4.You can also add some objects (like "blessing obelisks" ) giving you strange buffsdebuffs (affecting weapon shooting projectile behavior and tons of other things, but they should be really dramatic and interesting) for a period (1-5 minutes) and making foes to appear in some situations to avoid just waiting over. Thank you for the game Housemarque! Just..please add some things i've mentioned )))    … Expand
  15. Gabrielostoic
    May 3, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. No paran de salirme bugs, increíble que no tenga un autosave decente, ésto se supone es un juego de nueva generación?. Menuda estafa.… Expand
  16. FideoCollima
    May 3, 2021
    10
    De los mejores juegos de esta nueva generación, el apartado grafico, los 60 fps y la variedad de enemigos y a eso sumarle el nivel de dificultad una obra imperdible para la nueva generación el ensayo y error te dará la necesario para avanzar.
  17. Peshetoman
    May 3, 2021
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Game is nice but... the lack of clear option to select the level of difficulty is terrible for people with families and jobs... it would have been better to have an option like most games... i have 2 kids and a job. I have 2h per day to play tops... i want to see the story and feel the game not restart after each mistake. Most of the time i have is late in the evening when my reflexes are bad...… Expand
  18. Sergiox
    May 3, 2021
    2
    Jugabilidad mediocre, gráficos mediocres, IA mediocre, precio muy alto, muy oscuro, mucho humo niebla para ocultar errores gráficos,
  19. Mao-gp
    May 3, 2021
    10
    I signed up specifically to counter this absurd and childish practice of review bombing.
    Returnal is a phenomenal game, with a well-built game system, an excellent technical aspect and a game in general that after having assimilated the mechanics is played with immense pleasure.
    Some users' review bombing is pointless, they do it simply because they are childish and unable to play,    I signed up specifically to counter this absurd and childish practice of review bombing.
    Returnal is a phenomenal game, with a well-built game system, an excellent technical aspect and a game in general that after having assimilated the mechanics is played with immense pleasure.

    Some users' review bombing is pointless, they do it simply because they are childish and unable to play, period.

    Returnal is a fantastic game and I congratulate Housemarque for the courage shown in getting out of their comfort zone and for giving us a must-have game.    … Expand
  20. PS5Lover
    May 3, 2021
    9
    The game is as cruel as it's good. Not for everyone but it reward enduring rng players with occassional satisfaction. Let's hope Housemarque update the game with checkpoints at the start of each biomes the same way DodgeRoll did later with EntertheGungeon. I understant the roguelite purism but considering the lenght of a single run this feature would be welcome.
  21. jmadinya
    May 3, 2021
    10
    Best game on PS5, its harder than Demons Souls though. The graphics and audio are done so well, it's really immersive. I find it to be totally worth the $70 USD. Big Prometheus vibes, and the isolation and strangeness/mystery of the environment is very Metroid. Better than anything available on gamepass, 10/10 would def recommend.
  22. BahamutCERO
    May 3, 2021
    10
    What a wonderful game! The gameplay it's so addictive, the challenge is captivating and the plot is inmersive. You will finish this game with a great smile if you decide accept the challenge and stop cryin for the difficulty. My favorite of 2020
  23. MySugerMilks
    May 3, 2021
    10
    Love everything about this game! I died over 25 times before finally getting past the first boss. Hang in there fellow strugglers. I suck at these games and if I can do it so can you!
  24. sonystaBRasil
    May 4, 2021
    0
    gameplay travada demais, nunca que esse game vai valer mais de 300 reais, se valesse uns 70 conto daria uma nota maior.
  25. PSIsLove
    May 11, 2021
    0
    I’m at the boss fight of the 3rd biome (the flying blocks sequence) and this piece of **** decided to have bug and close the game and now everything I played for today went to vain my 260% integrity and my fully equipped suit with no slots open are all gone. **** this piece of **** I literally made in account just flr this **** that calls itself a game.
  26. Phoenix_ZA
    May 17, 2021
    1
    Returnal looks and feels beautiful , however the constant barrage from mobs that cause you to die and resets your progress makes me feel like I would rather bud my head against a wall than try and complete the game.
  27. Sweetonn
    May 2, 2021
    1
    J'adore les rogue-lite et j'ai prit vraiment du plaisir les premières heures. Mais malheureusement le fait que ce soit un tps gâche le plaisir. En fait tu vois pas ce qui vient de derrière. C'est complétement id**t. C'est un rogue like tu dois pouvoir savoir ce qui vient de derrière ou des cotés!!! Mais les développeurs disent qu'il faut mettre le casque pour savoir qu'en ça vient deJ'adore les rogue-lite et j'ai prit vraiment du plaisir les premières heures. Mais malheureusement le fait que ce soit un tps gâche le plaisir. En fait tu vois pas ce qui vient de derrière. C'est complétement id**t. C'est un rogue like tu dois pouvoir savoir ce qui vient de derrière ou des cotés!!! Mais les développeurs disent qu'il faut mettre le casque pour savoir qu'en ça vient de derrière où des cotés. Parce que la télé ne permet pas de faire se rendu. En gros faut jouer soit au casque soit avec un home cinéma. Sinon bah tant pis pour toi, t'as plus qu'à deviner et devenir devin pour anticiper.
    Et sinon le jeu devient très vite trop répétitif. Alors on s'en douté avec tout les previews et test qu'il y a eu avant mais là c'est beaucoup trop. Tu peux passer 1h sur la même map à la faire, refaire, rerefaire, rererefaire, rerererefaire, rerererererefaire et ainsi de suite. Ca devient n'importe quoi. Le jeu devient une vrai punition. Dans les Souls au moins au bout d'un moment tu comprends et enregistre les pattern des pnj etc... mais là non tu vas comprendre au départ de la map mais vu qu'il faut recommencer depuis des points déterminés tu dois quasi tout te retaper. Et ça fait beaucoup trop de chose à retenir et ça c'est à chaque map. C'est vite saoulant. Il y a des rogue-like bien meilleure et bien plus fun. Je crois que les développeurs on oubliait que c'était un jeu vidéo et on voulu montrer qu'ils pouvaient encore plus dur que les Souls comme pour ce démarquer et on oublié le plaisir de jouer. Un coté un peu démonstration et élitiste.    … Expand
  28. gandaluci
    May 3, 2021
    1
    No puede haber nada más irritante que estar en medio de una run y que el juego crashee, BASTA. Arreglen los bugs que es injugable a la fecha entre crash y puertas que no se abren.
  29. MedusaMadman77
    May 8, 2021
    3
    Don't believe the hype. This is a highly overrated product and Housemarque's worst game. I don't care about the save situation or the difficulty. Not an issue for me. The problem is... the gameplay loop simply is not fun. The weapons, upgrades, and room design is all very dull. I will say, it controls well, is a good looking game and the enemies have some cool designs. This is a $20 gameDon't believe the hype. This is a highly overrated product and Housemarque's worst game. I don't care about the save situation or the difficulty. Not an issue for me. The problem is... the gameplay loop simply is not fun. The weapons, upgrades, and room design is all very dull. I will say, it controls well, is a good looking game and the enemies have some cool designs. This is a $20 game at best and not worth a penny more. Do yourself a favor and pickup Hades or Dead Cells instead. They respect your time and have a good loop. Or, check out Housemarque's older games, like Nex Machina or Resogun. Both of which are excellent. Super disappointed to have to add them to the black list along with CDPR and Hello Games.… Expand
  30. SuperShrooms
    May 2, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Terrible game. Not worth the 70 price tag. I wouldn't pay more than 30 for this.… Expand
  31. ekwador15
    May 1, 2021
    0
    Bugs bugs, almost the same bugs like Cyberpunk. Were it not for the constant deaths, the contents would be enough for 3 hours
  32. BrAtur
    May 3, 2021
    0
    Returnal could be a good game, if it didn't have countless problems. Apparently beautiful graphics, but when we stop to look they ARE SIMPLY TERRIBLE. The game keeps closing, it's a mess!
  33. PotatoPen
    May 1, 2021
    10
    Easily a candidate for game of the year, if u love 3rd person shooter and add some challenges in a smooth silky screen with haptic feedback. Also if u would love to experience how an alien hostile environment looks like then u gotta pick up this game.
  34. Ghoster
    May 10, 2021
    1
    Uhh. .What a wasted opportunity! Game look and play very well, but going from the beginning collecting weapons after boss beat you is really too much. Made for kids which have soo much extra free time to spend playing same level in circles! With more Dark Souls approach to boss fight game could be awesome!
  35. dylan_popowicz
    May 2, 2021
    10
    An absolutely magical rogue-like. The gameplay is addictive, elevated by impressive use of the Dualsense’s features, and 3D audio. The narrative hook and world-building have been surprisingly engrossing.

    UPDATE: I ‘finished’ the game only experiencing one bug (audio cut out at the end of one of my later runs). I know others have lost runs to crashes, but I at least got through 30 hours    An absolutely magical rogue-like. The gameplay is addictive, elevated by impressive use of the Dualsense’s features, and 3D audio. The narrative hook and world-building have been surprisingly engrossing.

    UPDATE: I ‘finished’ the game only experiencing one bug (audio cut out at the end of one of my later runs). I know others have lost runs to crashes, but I at least got through 30 hours without such issues. Absolutely stellar game. My favourite since ... Bloodborne at least.    … Expand
  36. joulerusee
    May 6, 2021
    5
    Gameplay good, great graphics. Horrible and repetitive grind that gets old after a couple of days. The second boss actually gets more resistant to damage the more damage you do to it. What is that about? I've never seen something like that in a game. It gets really exasperating constantly shooting something in the head and not killing it, then dying and having to spend an hour building upGameplay good, great graphics. Horrible and repetitive grind that gets old after a couple of days. The second boss actually gets more resistant to damage the more damage you do to it. What is that about? I've never seen something like that in a game. It gets really exasperating constantly shooting something in the head and not killing it, then dying and having to spend an hour building up my health bar in preparation of a boss fight that is designed to be nearly impossible to survive.. I have read that if you didn't die at all, this game would be 20 hrs.I think the artificial difficulty level, which is overdone and contrived, is a way of padding the length of the campaign to justify the high price tag. It doesn't feel like a genuine challenge. It feels like contempt for anyone who doesn't give a **** about competitive gaming. I hate this game for the same reasons I hate GTA online. It's like the developers are griefing the players.… Expand
  37. guiletheguiles
    May 26, 2021
    7
    Returnal had a weird effect on me.
    While I did have a fantastic time with it, it was also one of my most frustrating experiences of the year.
    And while it may seem like I'm fighting against the game's own nature (which I kind of am), I have to say that this very good game would've been even better if it wasn't a roguelike. One thing that I have to highly praise Returnal is its    Returnal had a weird effect on me.
    While I did have a fantastic time with it, it was also one of my most frustrating experiences of the year.
    And while it may seem like I'm fighting against the game's own nature (which I kind of am), I have to say that this very good game would've been even better if it wasn't a roguelike.

    One thing that I have to highly praise Returnal is its gameplay. It's just superb. Probably one of the main reasons you'll keep going back to it, even if it annoys you're brains out. Shooting, running, dashing, traversing through areas feels fast and great thanks to the game's sleek mobility. Control scheme is also perfection, which helps to boost fun-factor. And I won't even go into details about how well the dualsense enriches Selene's journey.
    Oh and the boss fights... They'll keep your adrenaline high, but they're incredible!
    Graphics are also stunning. The amount of (beautiful) things on screen is crazy and marvelous. It's basically bullet hell shooter orgasm. The whole presentation is done well. It might seem a bit too much at first, but once you get it, it stays with you. Even the environments, which at first seemed repetitive, but they grew on me.
    As for the story, I do admit that the ending sucks (both of them), but up until that point, it managed to keep me interested. Sure, it's minimalistic and very cryptic, but the atmosphere created by the whole 'death and ressurection in Atropos' thing was interesting. The mystery is there and pulls you in, even if your anger is telling you to stop playing.

    Ok, now I have to say this: This game shouldn't be a roguelike.
    Although I loved playing it, I didn't exactly have a great time experiencing it. I blame it on how Returnal approached the genre.
    Each run took too long, even if you were lucky. Enemies did MAJOR damage out of nowhere and without any reason. Shortcuts were necessary, but they're almost nonexistent here. Weapon variety is good, but not all of them are actually useful. Every single item HAVE to be huge gambit. And all that packed with a very bad ending that just ruins the terrific sense of accomplishment given by the gameplay.
    Returnal just feels overly unbalanced, most of the time. It's as if the RNG hates you 24/7. Mechanics are more often trying to frustate you instead of helping. You can see that in the amount of permanent power ups or skills you get - almost nothing! Just a few concerning traversing each level!
    This game could've been so much better than it is.

    Returnal is by no means a bad game. I did love playing it. But I'm not sure if I'd recommend it to anyone, even if you're a fan of the genre.
    I had a great time, but also a major headache.    … Expand
  38. Hanover
    May 30, 2022
    4
    The biggest issue with this game is that there is the brutal way they've implemented death. You don't get ANYTHING for the next play through. At least with Hades I could collect gems and loot to help buff my character for the next loop so it felt like I gained something. In Returnal, all you get is Ether and then it's mostly used to put more items in a random pool that you might or mightThe biggest issue with this game is that there is the brutal way they've implemented death. You don't get ANYTHING for the next play through. At least with Hades I could collect gems and loot to help buff my character for the next loop so it felt like I gained something. In Returnal, all you get is Ether and then it's mostly used to put more items in a random pool that you might or might not get. You don't even get to choose the items...so there goes any strategy you might have wanted to develop. It's lazy game design. RNG instead of some sort of system that could actually help the player improve.

    The randomness is what really kills the joy in this game. In one loop you've done pretty well, the next is an insurmountable difficulty spike that is just going to be a waste of time because you know you won't have enough health by the time you get to the boss. The first boss is a THREE PHASE FIGHT. What were they thinking??! Even Souls Games give you more of a break with early bosses. Sekiro wasn't even that punishing.

    I also wonder about the fact that your character realizes she's going through loops, yet she loses all of her weapons proficiencies each time. That absolutely makes no sense and I think the weapons proficiencies should be the carry over from each attempt. "ooops! I forgot how to use my handgun!"

    Finally, the game taunts the user with grappling points that you cannot use until after the 2nd boss. So the shortcuts to the first boss are staring you right in the face, but you are not allowed to use them. After 50 failed attempts, those become extremely cruel. It feels very punishing.

    Returnal? Yeah, I'm Returnalling and exchanging it for another game. It's sad too because a lot of time and development went into it, but it's all locked behind a place where a majority of players will never see. What a waste of talent.    … Expand
  39. 80sChild
    Jun 28, 2021
    0
    This is NOT a Souls style game, its a "Rogue-Like" game (whatever that is). It is, point in fact, a lazy mess designed to generate articles and buzz from trendy game journalists. The focus here was NOT the player or the experience, and asking $70 for Returnal is absolutely shameful.

    In a Souls style game you can upgrade your character, develop weapons/strategies and come back to your    This is NOT a Souls style game, its a "Rogue-Like" game (whatever that is). It is, point in fact, a lazy mess designed to generate articles and buzz from trendy game journalists. The focus here was NOT the player or the experience, and asking $70 for Returnal is absolutely shameful.

    In a Souls style game you can upgrade your character, develop weapons/strategies and come back to your game via campfires/checkpoints. Returnal has NONE of this. In returnal, you grind, as in similar games, to upgrade your charcater and weapons, usually in anticipation of a boss fight.

    However in Returnal, when you die you lose EVERYTHING and start at the beginning of the game. Liked that weapon you found and upgraded? Gone. All the materials you collected? Gone. Those mini bosses you cleared in the locked room? Fight 'em again.

    This in and of itself wouldn't be so bad except the world is proceedurally generated, the layout is randomized making matters worse because you now have no idea where all the keys/weapons/materials/bosses are located. Zero character progression, zero weapon collecting/tuning, zero resource collecting, zero respect for the players time, zero fun.

    This is... asinine. Foolish, idiotic, moronic, pick your favorite synonym. This game is designed to disrespect your time and money. The fact that the devs solution to "how to checkpoint" was to disable your consoles update feature and never close the game is... 7 shades of stupid. This game expects you to sit down and play through it, in its entirety, in order to complete it. Lmao what?! So it's designed for... kids/non-working adults? Who has time to play any game for 7+ hours straight?! Eventually you have to charge the controller. Right? lol.

    PROS:
    - Top teir graphics
    - Unique storytelling
    - Great atmosphere
    - Tight gameplay
    - Flawless Dualsense implementation

    CONS:
    - No progression, of any kind. Die once and start the entire game over.
    - No save/checkpointing. ...WTF, they expect you to lock down your living room/PS5, never closing the game in order to complete it (or die and start again lol!)
    - Randomized world layout makes getting familiar with the game almost impossible. A game with no checkpoints and perma death. Lol!
    - In a game like this, the simplest bug/CTD can ruin HOURS worth of playtime
    - UI is an abject disaster, cluttered and the polar opposite of "user friendly"
    - Active reload is an unwelcome feature in a game this chaotic
    - Mini bosses have shots that track you during a dodge, making the mechanic useless at times.
    - No respect for the player experience or time invested
    - Absolutely, 100% horribly overpriced at $70. This is a $20 AA game, AT BEST.

    Putting your entire living room on lockdown because you can't shut the game off is a appallingly bad decision from these devs. The "Pride and Accomplishment" excuses, a la EA, doesn't fly here. Housemarque, this is the last game I will ever play or buy from your studio.

    A overpriced, poorly designed, indie game. This is NOT a $70, AAA exclusive experience. Do not buy, even on sale, it does not respect your time or your purchase and does not deserve your hard earned cash imo. The first geuine disappointment on PS5. Housemarque and Sony: you should be ashamed of yourselves for asking $70 for this.    … Expand
  40. Fragmatic
    May 3, 2021
    2
    Опять на рожу наср..и за 70 долларов а многие на фоне ноугеймза настолько деградировали, что с упоением обмазываются этим калом. Playstation 2 показывала на всем протяжении цикла что такое норм гейминг и новый икспириенс, а это е6аный стыд по оверпрайсу. Жалею что купил эту поганую консоль, благо хоть продать выгодно можно.Опять на рожу наср..и за 70 долларов а многие на фоне ноугеймза настолько деградировали, что с упоением обмазываются этим калом. Playstation 2 показывала на всем протяжении цикла что такое норм гейминг и новый икспириенс, а это е6аный стыд по оверпрайсу. Жалею что купил эту поганую консоль, благо хоть продать выгодно можно.
  41. Beowulff78
    Jan 11, 2022
    2
    Tedious and punishing, without any sense of progression or accomplishment, nor any satisfying learning curve as found in other challenging games like the Souls series. I just can’t find sense in the challenge that this game presents. A pity, as the gameplay mechanics are incredibly smooth and the world gorgeous.
  42. leighbutler1980
    May 2, 2021
    10
    Great game. Was never a huge fan of rogue like but this is a fully fledged game in a rogue like setup. Ok the fact that it doesn’t save at the moment if the game crashes (which I had 1 crash). But everything is spot on.
  43. GILTELES
    May 3, 2021
    10
    O jogo é muito interessante, frenético. Nunca tinha jogado este tipo de jogo. Não ter save é ruim, mas, é a proposta do jogo e não é tão ruim como parece. Ao matar o Boss você vai pro outro Bioma rápido. Tem um checkpoint após 3o. boss. Existe um item consumível que te dá uma vida extra, e alguns poucos locais você pode "comprar" uma espécie de checkpoint. Passei o fim de semana inteiroO jogo é muito interessante, frenético. Nunca tinha jogado este tipo de jogo. Não ter save é ruim, mas, é a proposta do jogo e não é tão ruim como parece. Ao matar o Boss você vai pro outro Bioma rápido. Tem um checkpoint após 3o. boss. Existe um item consumível que te dá uma vida extra, e alguns poucos locais você pode "comprar" uma espécie de checkpoint. Passei o fim de semana inteiro jogando e vou platinar este jogo.… Expand
  44. larsdebest21
    May 2, 2021
    10
    amazing game. expertly crafted, super immersive, and the combat is downright magnificient, honestly so much damn fun. the dieing and restarting can be frustrating at times, but once you get the hang of how the game works, you start to not care when you die. im in love with this game to say the least. addicted. Its worth it
  45. JoeDreddfort
    May 9, 2021
    4
    The game looks great, has fantastic atmosphere and presentation. The controls are tight. Unfortunately the design leaves a lot to be desired. Levels are randomized in such a way that they will either be a cake walk or filled with high level enemies room after room. You might spawn the boss room early, but even though you've fought all the way to it previously, you don't have any of theThe game looks great, has fantastic atmosphere and presentation. The controls are tight. Unfortunately the design leaves a lot to be desired. Levels are randomized in such a way that they will either be a cake walk or filled with high level enemies room after room. You might spawn the boss room early, but even though you've fought all the way to it previously, you don't have any of the weaponry or health or keys or parasites you had before. If you want any of those niceties, you're just going to have to play the whole thing over again and hope for a favorable roll. There's no particularly good reason why Selene can keep a teleportation device, and a sword between runs but not a decent gun except it makes the game artificially harder and that seems to be what Housemarque is going for.: difficulty for difficulty's sake. It's a game that eschews many of the niceties of soulsborne games like shortcuts and recoverable items in favor of stripping the player down to nothing.

    This is a fact very much supported by the studio's behavior since launch. People asked for a save system like so many other roguelikes have. They shrugged. Their patch corrupted and destroyed save files and cost people dozens of hours of progress.. They gave a half hearted apology. They fixed the save corrupting bug but in the process nerfed multiple healing items in the game, calling one in particular a bug, not a feature. Housemarque seems to think this is an arcade game that uses time instead of quarters as currency and has designed it to be as exploitative of player's patience as possible.

    Had Sony a decent refund policy, this might be more refunded that Cyberpunk. Fortunately for Sony, they don't.    … Expand
  46. EvilAlpacino
    Aug 27, 2021
    0
    More like Return-it.

    I have to put this in because the system says I need 75 more characters.
  47. ace1325
    May 2, 2021
    10
    This is the perfect rogue lite game ever made . Everything feels so damn crisp sound ,controls are
  48. ZerroShadows
    May 3, 2021
    3
    The lack of any meaningful progression and lack of saves just makes this game not fun. It had potential. But I am done. I do not have time to play this game, and it does not respect my time.
  49. Darkvenom39
    May 15, 2021
    4
    EDIT: after revisiting the game i just realized that its lame AF!!! Checkpoint or save system needs to be implemented and adjust difficulty!!!! Chances are i would not be excited for this IP or another housemarq game anymore. now read my full review below.

    This game is DEFINITELY NOT A 10! DONT BELIEVE THOSE HIGH STAR REVIEWS LIKE I DID. Its a solid 7 and no more but probably less. The    EDIT: after revisiting the game i just realized that its lame AF!!! Checkpoint or save system needs to be implemented and adjust difficulty!!!! Chances are i would not be excited for this IP or another housemarq game anymore. now read my full review below.

    This game is DEFINITELY NOT A 10! DONT BELIEVE THOSE HIGH STAR REVIEWS LIKE I DID. Its a solid 7 and no more but probably less. The games sound design and soundtrack is the best ive ever experienced in a video game! absolutely brilliant! Especially if youre using the PS5's Puls 3D audio headset youre going to get such an awesome experience its a pleasure to your ears. The graphics are ok and nothing really groundbreaking. And gameplay is super fun! I really did not expect to like this game even with low expectations. And the best part about the game is how amazing it uses the PS5's duel sense controller and really takes full advantage of the unique features, making the experience far more better. But after many reviews recommending the game and even ACG giving it a buy, its like he gave a buy to metro exodus which was the lamest game ever, and the worst in the metro series. However returnal with all the good stuff i have mentioned has downsides to it. The game is extemely challenging and as someone who is a souls fan and familiar with the rougelike genre i cant really recommend this game as much, it really does need a checkpoint system or lowering the difficulty. Enemies are extremely hard and its hard to even move on to the next room without taking any damage. the way to bosses is a pain in the freaking asss that when you die before a boss fight, guess what you start all over again from the very beginning next to your ship after progressing for so long and getting all these consumables that make you strong, all it takes is just two missles from the 3rd dimension enemy to ruin your experience and back to the start. and then you have to upgrade yourself and get to the 3rd dimension all over again and again and again. and what happens when you die in the boss fight before killing him? you go back to the start and it just get super annoying!! its like you want your refund from those 70$ I would recommend this game if it wasnt for 70$ but the fact that it is, i wouldve looked back and just hold my money for a sale.    … Expand
  50. morningland
    May 2, 2021
    7
    I was on the fence about this game but I have the time and money to experience the with these games. Here is the objective truth. It’s a much funner game then I though it would be. Gun play is super fun (although gyro aim would have made it perfect) and the runs are great. But… the lack of ability to save was a ridiculously STUPID game decision. Anyone who says otherwise is just not beingI was on the fence about this game but I have the time and money to experience the with these games. Here is the objective truth. It’s a much funner game then I though it would be. Gun play is super fun (although gyro aim would have made it perfect) and the runs are great. But… the lack of ability to save was a ridiculously STUPID game decision. Anyone who says otherwise is just not being honest. That you have to stop your run when anything in your life requires you to stop is unacceptable for a game at launch for this price point. This rightfully drops points from the game but I’d say it’s at least an 8 or 9 out of 10 if this oversight didn’t exist. So… surprisingly I do recommend the game but only when you are able to save and, even then, I think the game is more fair around the 50 price point.… Expand
  51. brownstribe2
    May 2, 2021
    9
    Beautiful truly next gen game. But the difficulty is bizarre. Not as bad as some make out
  52. Dbotteicher
    May 2, 2021
    10
    I am loving this game...I have never enjoyed any roguelite or roguelike games before(not even hades). Returnal has changed my opinion and honestly gets me excited for death loop because Arkane is a good dev team the dishonored games were awesome.
  53. through_the_nev
    May 2, 2021
    10
    What a good game, is hard but I enjoy a lot, is pure speed 60 fps game, too many efects.
  54. Smjdale
    May 1, 2021
    9
    This game is very hard and very punishing so expect that before you play, but it plays great and has a lot of good ps5 features like the adaptive triggers and 3D audio so I think they did a great job overall.
  55. MatheosBeretaH
    May 2, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Um ótimo jogo. Ótima temática Científica sobre o looping temporal. Tem belos Gráficos.… Expand
  56. Serialsid
    May 2, 2021
    9
    I have 11 hours in the game and I'm massively impressed with what housemarque have achieved. Yeah I'm having my butt kicked, but it has such an amazing atmosphere and plays so smoothly that I keep just having one more run. I personally have had no crashes. Brilliant game.
  57. Zivojin
    May 2, 2021
    6
    The game is great it looks great and plays well tho i can't give it a much higher rating than 6 currently and i am kinda baffled how the critics didn't mention this but this game crashed on me now 3 times after playing it for 3-4 hours each run and thanks to that my entire progress three times which in a game without a checkpoint after beating the third boss which can take you up to 10hThe game is great it looks great and plays well tho i can't give it a much higher rating than 6 currently and i am kinda baffled how the critics didn't mention this but this game crashed on me now 3 times after playing it for 3-4 hours each run and thanks to that my entire progress three times which in a game without a checkpoint after beating the third boss which can take you up to 10h depending on your speed and if you go straight for it or explore alot like i do and that is very VERY annoying...… Expand
  58. Armexjudgex
    May 9, 2021
    4
    Well, I say wasting of time. Dying over and over again and not to have the progress to be saved!!!.
    Come on! it's so boring!!!
    Only if you are lucky enough to get a great weapon and not to be traped in a lock down could give you the chance to enjoy the game slightly. After wasting 10 hours on this game and it seems like you have not started the game yet! No way! Graphics- great Gameplay-    Well, I say wasting of time. Dying over and over again and not to have the progress to be saved!!!.
    Come on! it's so boring!!!
    Only if you are lucky enough to get a great weapon and not to be traped in a lock down could give you the chance to enjoy the game slightly. After wasting 10 hours on this game and it seems like you have not started the game yet! No way!
    Graphics- great
    Gameplay- so-so
    Sound effects- great
    Saving system-sucks
    Difficulty- illogical

    This game is designed for certain of gamers who are putting their time of the day mostly on gaming.

    Definitely I sell this game , I lose money but better not to see this game in my archive    … Expand
  59. KaliusMaximus
    Jun 2, 2021
    0
    Frustrating rogue like game accompanied by boring and repetitive gameplay. You will often lose content due to constant crashing.
  60. Bielsancosta
    May 2, 2021
    10
    This game is amazing, the graphics are stunning, I'm addicted to the gameplay, and the story is really interesting
  61. testedmedal
    May 2, 2021
    10
    El juego es impresionante gráficamente y en lo jugable es muy divertido, me parece que hay mucha gente que lo está calificando mal ya que no tienen un PS5 y su miseria hace que le pongan una calificación de 0 sin siquiera haberlo jugado, no caigas en esas mentiras si piensas comprarlo
  62. Alan4silva
    May 2, 2021
    9
    What a great game. Its hard, make no mistake about it. The roguelike elements of the game are very present. Gun play is fast pace, and addicting. Haptic feed back is impressive. Only downside is how you loose everything with every death.
  63. TonyTheTiger23
    May 2, 2021
    8
    Solid fast paced action with an intriguing story. Best display of dualsense controller features so far. Potential GOTY contender. A must buy for all scfi action shooter fans out there.
  64. rw88
    May 3, 2021
    0
    Very disappointing. This is not a 3A game, and it does not worth 70 dollars.
  65. bbandit925
    May 2, 2021
    9
    I originally hated this game.
    I thought when you died, you had to start from the beginning.
    Then I thought, what if I spend 12 hours on a run and die to the last master, how much that would suck, or if the game would crash, while i was in late game.escpecially since i could not play any other game during a run. Many people are complaining about the inability to heal yourself. These    I originally hated this game.
    I thought when you died, you had to start from the beginning.
    Then I thought, what if I spend 12 hours on a run and die to the last master, how much that would suck, or if the game would crash, while i was in late game.escpecially since i could not play any other game during a run.

    Many people are complaining about the inability to heal yourself.

    These people need to understand, JUST GO BACK TO YOUR SPACESHIP AND SLEEP!!!

    But then i learned that isn't true. Many upgrades you get are permanent and you unlock many shortcuts.

    Now I love this game.
    Its like a better version of the game Control.    … Expand
  66. IIAlisonll
    May 2, 2021
    10
    Amazing! Game of year! reinvents the concept of life and death in video games. It is the best thing that sony has done since The last of us 2. a very dynamic game, and with an innovative concept and plot. is what the industry and the art of videogames needed
  67. TheTav
    May 2, 2021
    10
    Pretty good game, definitely one of this gen best games, only bad thing is that there is no save options and the game is a little hard, think about it like a demon souls but harder, definitely a must for a hardcore gamer
  68. DarkWorld11
    May 2, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love this game but need more polish Thank you sony for this game … Expand
  69. clankeroo
    May 2, 2021
    10
    I found this game to be phenomenal. If something's to hard or not for you you don't whine until it's catered to your interests. Every aspect of Returnal is a core foundation to it's universe. The story just keeps you guessing as you try to figure out what the hecks going on. You push yourself harder and harder with each return as you don't want to get that game over and start over again.I found this game to be phenomenal. If something's to hard or not for you you don't whine until it's catered to your interests. Every aspect of Returnal is a core foundation to it's universe. The story just keeps you guessing as you try to figure out what the hecks going on. You push yourself harder and harder with each return as you don't want to get that game over and start over again. You don't have to beat bosses again once they're defeated so you can take your time collecting gear in the areas the boss is gone from. The first boss took a few tries, but I defeated the second and third in one try in the same life. There's something special about this game and I'd hate for it to change because of a bunch of entitled individuals.… Expand
  70. Airamleb
    May 9, 2021
    0
    Disappointing, frustating and trickster. I have tried several times and only one I reach the first boss, obvioulsy I was killed. I have played all the dark souls and are demanding but you have some progression. And of course this is not a AAA, it's very expensive and will sell it
  71. mosvin
    Dec 28, 2021
    0
    Too hard, no difficulty settings.
    For example, Нades has the special mode for inexperienced players.
  72. Ali10reza
    May 2, 2021
    10
    This game is a masterpiece. I really like this game. The only problem with this game is that when it comes out of the game, the game is not saved, which is not a problem.
  73. tronalddump87
    May 11, 2021
    0
    It is the most tedious, boring game I have played since I had a mega drive. To die and gave nothing to show for your hours of gameplay is just plain annoying in this day and age. I get that it is a roguelite but I expect my player to slowly get stronger over time. Thankfully I bought the disc version so that I could trade it in!
  74. KatoTheWolf
    May 1, 2021
    7
    So it’s a mixed bag with this game for me, it has super fun gameplay that’s actually challenging at times and is super refreshing, but after beating the game and beating the secrete ending too I still feel $70 was asking way too much for this game, maybe $50 and it would be justifiable so wait for a sale in my opinion, but I also have issues with the endings of the game, reallySo it’s a mixed bag with this game for me, it has super fun gameplay that’s actually challenging at times and is super refreshing, but after beating the game and beating the secrete ending too I still feel $70 was asking way too much for this game, maybe $50 and it would be justifiable so wait for a sale in my opinion, but I also have issues with the endings of the game, really disappointing tbh… I won’t spoil anything here but I would say the first half of the game is the best and the second half ties into the ending more and is pretty dull and not satisfying at all…. I loved figuring out lore and what would happen next but later in the game it’s all predictable the same and disappointing and trying to figure out lore doesn’t even matter in the end so it felt like a waste of time, but it’s a solid 7/10 with amazing gameplay and lacklustre second half but with some highly appreciated challenging parts, wait for it to come down in price!… Expand
  75. Darknight2k
    May 12, 2021
    4
    I started off liking this game but it quickly wore off. I don't have countless hours to end up in a random room with powerful enemies to destroy me and cause me to start all over again! The game can be fun but they take the fun away really quick. Is it impossible to have two ways to play the game, the way the dev's wanted you to play and a mode with game saves? I think its ridiculous toI started off liking this game but it quickly wore off. I don't have countless hours to end up in a random room with powerful enemies to destroy me and cause me to start all over again! The game can be fun but they take the fun away really quick. Is it impossible to have two ways to play the game, the way the dev's wanted you to play and a mode with game saves? I think its ridiculous to not have saves.… Expand
  76. manu_bln
    Jul 15, 2021
    0
    Returnal’s lack of a save- or checkpoint-function is one of the worst game design decisions within the past decade.
  77. thegamer105
    May 2, 2021
    4
    Returnal is an amazing graphical showcase for the ps5 and shows the potential of the fast ssd and the haptic feed back controller. The game is truly addicting and doesn't do much wrong story wise. But the games bugs are really being over looked here. If this were a game on PC or even on Xbox it would get a metacritic rating in the lower 70s because of the bugs. The thing that really ruinsReturnal is an amazing graphical showcase for the ps5 and shows the potential of the fast ssd and the haptic feed back controller. The game is truly addicting and doesn't do much wrong story wise. But the games bugs are really being over looked here. If this were a game on PC or even on Xbox it would get a metacritic rating in the lower 70s because of the bugs. The thing that really ruins the experience are all of the weird bugs that take you out of the immersion in the game. There's also a issue with the ps5 crashing which happened to me twice! The difficulty is too hard and I really just want to play through the game for fun and not have to try my absolute hardest on it. The game would be a 9/10 but the games difficulty and bugs truly hold back the game from reaching it's full potential. The 70 dollar price point is also too high. The game should be priced at 40-50 dollars with all of the crashes and the random bugs throughout the game.
    Overall this game is a 4/10 held back by bugs and crashes that plagued the game.    … Expand
  78. 1AXEL1
    May 1, 2021
    9
    Game is incredibly fun but very challenging. I love that each time you return back to the ship that the experience through the first biome is different. Keeps things fresh. Dualsense features are utilized to the max. Adds to the immersion. 3D audio is amazing and Housemarque did an outstanding job on the music and sound on this game. Overall great experience with addictive roguelikeGame is incredibly fun but very challenging. I love that each time you return back to the ship that the experience through the first biome is different. Keeps things fresh. Dualsense features are utilized to the max. Adds to the immersion. 3D audio is amazing and Housemarque did an outstanding job on the music and sound on this game. Overall great experience with addictive roguelike shooter gameplay.… Expand
  79. Acsern
    May 1, 2021
    10
    100/10, the combat and atmosphere is insane complimented with a beautiful yet eerie sci-fi score the game gives off the immersion that your actually on a alien planet. The story is well written but a bit cliche, almost like they couldn’t think of anything but it’s mind blowing. The dual sense should be the 8th wonder of the world cuss it’s literally the best controller ever, from rain100/10, the combat and atmosphere is insane complimented with a beautiful yet eerie sci-fi score the game gives off the immersion that your actually on a alien planet. The story is well written but a bit cliche, almost like they couldn’t think of anything but it’s mind blowing. The dual sense should be the 8th wonder of the world cuss it’s literally the best controller ever, from rain drops to having 2 alt fires on a single trigger this is one of the best uses of the dual sense. If you want a game with more than 80+ hours of content to play. This is the first true next gen game only to be experienced on ps5… Expand
  80. Sleyx
    May 3, 2021
    0
    Terrible mala jugabilidad camara horrible el precio es demaciado alto para lo que ofrece me deje llevar por la prensa mejor hubiera comprado re 8 No lo compre tiene bastantes errores
  81. Sovenochek
    May 1, 2021
    8
    Разработчиков можно похвалить за, в принципе, удачный проект. Шероховатости есть, далеко не идеал, но достойно. Игра найдет свою аудиторию. Хардкорщикам - любителям souls like особенно должно зайти.
  82. magnetar
    May 2, 2021
    10
    I'm loving every second of this game. The gameplay is incredible, challenging, and satisfying. The story is told in a very organic way. It's sad to see many people leaving negative reviews just because they can't handle the difficulty or are just haters with no arguments. I hope Playstation brings out more games like this!
  83. TVEYE
    May 2, 2021
    10
    Was waiting for Risk of rain on MAX. Got what expected. May be a bit overpriced but steel good.
  84. Mahnisch
    May 2, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Its hard but fair. Fantastic Gunplay and Atmosphere. Sound and Haptic Feedbacj are also awesome… Expand
  85. LtNerd
    May 2, 2021
    9
    This game is not easy. It is not meant to be easy. It is meant tone challenging, force you to get better, gain experiences, learn from failures AND GROW.

    It's like life in many ways. And, like life, many people want to get ahead the easy way, realize they can't, so they decide to whine and complain, blaming others for their failures instead of putting in the work to get better. This game    This game is not easy. It is not meant to be easy. It is meant tone challenging, force you to get better, gain experiences, learn from failures AND GROW.

    It's like life in many ways. And, like life, many people want to get ahead the easy way, realize they can't, so they decide to whine and complain, blaming others for their failures instead of putting in the work to get better. This game is GREAT for what it is. Allowing people an easy mode or way to coast through it will ruin the experience, and I so hope that never happens. I have managed to get through 2 bosses and am having a blast. Do I die alot? Yep. And most likely you will too.You are supposed to. Deal with it, grow, get better, move up. You CAN do it, the question is, do you want to? If not, that's ok. The game may not be for you. No problems if that's the case. I enjoy it - the game, the dying and the effort.    … Expand
  86. 21LK
    May 3, 2021
    10
    Giving it a 10 because of review bombers but would definitely give it a 9. Haven’t played anything like this before and what an experience it was!
  87. Dinolt
    May 2, 2021
    10
    -this game is amazing!, both in the graphics and in the way of using the Dualsense

    -este jogo é incrível !, tanto nos gráficos quanto na forma de usar o Dualsense
  88. Josh645678
    May 2, 2021
    10
    Amazing game don’t listen to these Xbox fans and others about the difficulty the gaming community has gotten soft this is wake up call to real gamers.
  89. Atlus07
    May 2, 2021
    10
    Returnal est juste LA pépite de cette PS5 pour le moment, aucun doute possible sur ce point là, et est justifié par plusieurs points:
    - le style Roguelike addictif et géré de manière parfaite
    - le décors qui changent sans arrêt - une difficulté super bien dosé, difficile comme il faut - MAGNIFIQUE visuellement - le retour haptique au niveau des gâchettes et des vibrations de la    Returnal est juste LA pépite de cette PS5 pour le moment, aucun doute possible sur ce point là, et est justifié par plusieurs points:
    - le style Roguelike addictif et géré de manière parfaite
    - le décors qui changent sans arrêt
    - une difficulté super bien dosé, difficile comme il faut
    - MAGNIFIQUE visuellement
    - le retour haptique au niveau des gâchettes et des vibrations de la manette
    - un gameplay dans le style TPS super bien géré et très facile à prendre en main
    - une rejouabilité énorme
    - un bestiaire conséquent
    - plusieurs points similaires aux Metroid Prime
    - une bande son excellente
    - une histoire prenante
    Et pour ce qui est des mauvais points, je les cherche encore.    … Expand
  90. MrPromte
    May 2, 2021
    10
    Very good gameplay, good graphics, diverse and attractive enemies, unique atmosphere
  91. Cristian95
    May 2, 2021
    10
    Tengo 14 años y es mi primer juego de ps5 me engancho bastante ,los sonidos, historia y el gameplay muy buenos
  92. FridgeStealer
    May 6, 2021
    0
    Too many problems with it than good things. Runs are so long that you could lose an hour of work. There is glitches and the updates that close the game wasting time. Quality starts to look bad. Graphics are no where near good for for the fps. 1080p checkered and upscaled to 4k.
  93. Irfanullah87
    May 2, 2021
    10
    One of the best on PS5 yet.. But a hard game. The graphics are very good, gameplay is dope, physics and mechanics are top notch and a polished game
  94. RomeromeX
    May 2, 2021
    9
    Un inicio duro y desesperanzador, poco a poco se transforma en una odisea opresiva y despiadada pero llena de acción, exploración y adrenalina. Un gunplay impecable y unos enemigos muy desafiantes hacen que la experiencia de explorar, equiparse, morir y revivir termine siendo casi adictiva para quienes disfrutan los grandes desafios. No apto para jugadores casuales.
  95. Ffeerree
    May 2, 2021
    1
    The game is repetitive
    it also contains bugs that ruin the experience, I will buy it later because I am disappointed
  96. KurotoraX
    May 3, 2021
    8
    The game is pretty nice, but it got some flaws that will definitely ruin your experience, if you encounter them. (crashes, frozen screen and really bad RNG)

    The enemy character design is 0815 if you ask me, but the fight against them (their attack patterns and such) makes up for that. Gunplay is pretty satisfying, weapons have certain weight, but balance between the different weapons    The game is pretty nice, but it got some flaws that will definitely ruin your experience, if you encounter them. (crashes, frozen screen and really bad RNG)

    The enemy character design is 0815 if you ask me, but the fight against them (their attack patterns and such) makes up for that.

    Gunplay is pretty satisfying, weapons have certain weight, but balance between the different weapons is a bit broken, some weapons can carry you through the entire game, if you get them with the right specs.

    RNG can be a B****, you can be really lucky and get life leech while having high damage weapon and synergizing artifacts

    The Runs are a bit longer than other Roguelike/lites, so it'll be really frustrating, if it crashes or if you do a minor mistake that ruins the entire run. There is also no save system that might minimize the damage a crash does. (1-3h or even longer for me)

    The story is pretty interesting, but if you expect a story driven game with lot of cutscenes, then I have to disappoint you, most of the story will be told through audio logs and dialogue while you play. There are some cutscenes here and there, but they're not many.

    The Sound is unbelievable. it's simply amazing and really impactful.

    The graphics are quite good, too. They're not mind blowing or anything, but they show some of the potential the PS5 has, especially with all the effects that are happening on screen in fights.    … Expand
  97. BourbNbreath
    May 3, 2021
    10
    Created an account just to praise this game. It's a beautifully punishing soulslite and I've loved every minute of it. Most of the negative reviews are petty baselss review bombs, bashing Returnal for not implementing a game mechanic they are used to. This game doesn't need a save feature. It is built to have short or long runs as the biomes are ever evolving dungeons. I had a newCreated an account just to praise this game. It's a beautifully punishing soulslite and I've loved every minute of it. Most of the negative reviews are petty baselss review bombs, bashing Returnal for not implementing a game mechanic they are used to. This game doesn't need a save feature. It is built to have short or long runs as the biomes are ever evolving dungeons. I had a new discovery on a twenty minute run today that totally changed the game. It lets you to do small challenges and when you have the time you can have a long run and really feel a sense of accomplishment. It's tough but worth it.… Expand
  98. Crushr
    May 3, 2021
    10
    Hooked from the first play. Intrigue, tension, frantic bulletstorms and .......death. But to update a phrase...everything that kills you just makes your stronger. :)
  99. Somix
    May 3, 2021
    9
    El gameplay es interesante, los mapas son algo oscuros, pero están bien una vez que el mapa se llena de ataques , no es un juego para cualquiera pues la dificultad tal vez sea difícil para los casuales
  100. Whambo
    May 4, 2021
    1
    Game is beautiful but far too difficult, extremely stressful, repetitive and frustrating. The boss fights are almost impossible and there's no difficulty setting or game save. You die then you have to start all over again. It's a shame because many will abandon the game because of this.
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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]
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