Returnal

 PlayStation 5
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 3914 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,684 out of 3914
  2. Mixed: 316 out of 3914
  3. Negative: 914 out of 3914
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  1. Yaav13
    Sep 11, 2021
    5
    My truthful honorable incorruptible conclusive rating of this considered game: 5
  2. Brnlv
    Nov 23, 2021
    5
    A fun game for the first few hours… but the story progression dries up as you grind for a build that’ll get you through each area. It needs either more story beats to keep you engaged, or lower difficulty to let you progress what story there is more quickly. When you’re grinding repetitiously with no new story progression for hours at a time, it gets tedious. And that’s a shame.
  3. strongale
    Sep 18, 2021
    5
    Expect a huge amount of artificial difficulty coupled with a non interesting challenge rewards.
    The rougue part is useless. You can go around grinding for hours or just speedrun to the boss, you will have always the same chance to beat it (which often is almost zero). The 90% of the game is a bullet hell, you need to learn bullet patterns. Aliens shoot colored balls which are clear to see,    Expect a huge amount of artificial difficulty coupled with a non interesting challenge rewards.
    The rougue part is useless. You can go around grinding for hours or just speedrun to the boss, you will have always the same chance to beat it (which often is almost zero). The 90% of the game is a bullet hell, you need to learn bullet patterns. Aliens shoot colored balls which are clear to see, but completely immersion breaking. I was hyped for this, but after 20 hours of it i'm still searching a way to enjoy while using this product.    … Expand
  4. bigmojo
    May 30, 2021
    6
    Damn, this is not for people living a normal life that just have a few hours a day to play … Game looks good and the gameplay feels amazing especially with the new haptic feedback on the controller, but it’s just not fun when you need to repeat and repeat and repeat the same scenarios because you can’t put 10 straight hours or more in it.
  5. deanquartz
    May 6, 2021
    6
    Crazy that this is a full price game, there is not much here. Not enough weapons, not enough progress carrying over between runs, no save feature, not enough levels, and just a general lack of content makes this game boring and repetitive the longer you play. It looks nice and the bosses are great, but once beaten you skip them on each subsequent run to make sure you get farther than lastCrazy that this is a full price game, there is not much here. Not enough weapons, not enough progress carrying over between runs, no save feature, not enough levels, and just a general lack of content makes this game boring and repetitive the longer you play. It looks nice and the bosses are great, but once beaten you skip them on each subsequent run to make sure you get farther than last time. When you can feel like you're done with a game with less than 10ish hours playtime with a lot of that time spent re-playing the same areas, that is a huge problem. Some of that 10 hours was having to restart cycles due to crashing, too. Honestly feel pretty ripped off paying full AAA ps5 price for this, they are lucky there was nothing else to play and RE comes out after. Worth playing but wait for a sale, should cost half of what it does considering how little it has to offer.… Expand
  6. AsrielDreemur
    Jan 20, 2022
    5
    The game is enjoyable at times, the graphics, sound, music, and voice are definitely on point and seems next gen.

    My gripe about the game is that the lack of savefile and checkpoint system, it unnecessary punish players for dying as you lose all your progression and causing players to start again from the beginning, which is really tedious and a huge waste of times for the players.    The game is enjoyable at times, the graphics, sound, music, and voice are definitely on point and seems next gen.

    My gripe about the game is that the lack of savefile and checkpoint system, it unnecessary punish players for dying as you lose all your progression and causing players to start again from the beginning, which is really tedious and a huge waste of times for the players.

    When you have a limited amount of time to play games for the weekends, this is not something you want to play as Returnal is designed to be really redundant and time consuming as they force you to restart everytime you die in the game.

    Does the game feels next gen? In term of graphic, it really shows what the PS5 is capable of, but as far as the game go, Returnal is a huge miss for me.    … Expand
  7. Sneckburger
    Mar 23, 2022
    5
    Can't call it bad, though it's just not for me.
    I keep coming back to it but I struggle to engage with the main story as I keep dying. Progress feels the same as being stuck watching an AMC show mid series that doesn't, well..errm.. progress!
    #walkingdiedseaon5

    .
  8. Blegh
    May 5, 2021
    5
    While it is truly punching above it's class, Housemarque really should have let Returnal have some more time in the oven to iron out some of these kinks. I only experienced 2 crashes in my playthrough, but I cannot recommend this game to anyone because I am hearing others are having more issues. The atmosphere, and gunplay is truly master class which is what is preventing me from scoringWhile it is truly punching above it's class, Housemarque really should have let Returnal have some more time in the oven to iron out some of these kinks. I only experienced 2 crashes in my playthrough, but I cannot recommend this game to anyone because I am hearing others are having more issues. The atmosphere, and gunplay is truly master class which is what is preventing me from scoring it even lower, but underneath its flaws it is an above average game to say the very least. If this were… Expand
  9. KrisB96
    May 6, 2021
    5
    I understand that the game has the death mecanics that it has if you die you start over, im okay with that, but not adding at least a save feature for when you close the game it’s just anti consumer, forcing you to not play any other game, or doing anything else with your console...
  10. Nev313
    May 6, 2021
    6
    Bugs, getting stuck on things. Critics must have their hands in sony pockets. No save, complete bs to have game corrupted on update. Want a refund.
  11. DonovanHoo
    May 5, 2021
    5
    Returnal is cool. It's very, very cool. But it also thinks it's a lot cooler than it is, and that's where difficulties arise. And I'm no stranger to hard games. But with, say, something like the Souls series, you're getting a game that's both less difficult than returnal, and a lot more cool and thoughtfully crafted. Souls games are made up of ever changing and meticulously crafted worldsReturnal is cool. It's very, very cool. But it also thinks it's a lot cooler than it is, and that's where difficulties arise. And I'm no stranger to hard games. But with, say, something like the Souls series, you're getting a game that's both less difficult than returnal, and a lot more cool and thoughtfully crafted. Souls games are made up of ever changing and meticulously crafted worlds full of lore and secrets that beg to be explored. In Returnal you have 12 billion variations on the same 4 rooms. Literally. It gets unbelievably boring with every 2-4 hour slog and you wonder how they got away with ramping up the difficulty so high on a game with so little variety to offer. It's very arcadey. Yet despite this arcadey simplicity, it has the gall to also demand everything and then some from it's players. It demands so much more than something like Dark Souls or even other Rogue likes, yet what you're receiving in return is really a little too simple when you strip away the next gen graphics and haptic feedback.
    So to the creators of Returnal, I say you should be very proud of yourself for making a really cool game. But I also encourage you to find some humility, because it's not THAT cool. Not cool enough to warrant it's teeth shattering frustrations, anyway. Very disappointing.    … Expand
  12. Technicolor84
    May 17, 2021
    6
    I would love to give this game a 9 or even 10. It has really fun and addictive combat and movement mechanics that easily carries the game.
    The graphics are great to behold and atmospheric.
    Risk vs reward nature, varied weapons(though many are lacklustre) and loot system evolving/shifting nature of the environment are all strong suits. The plot is quirky and intriguing. However, some    I would love to give this game a 9 or even 10. It has really fun and addictive combat and movement mechanics that easily carries the game.
    The graphics are great to behold and atmospheric.
    Risk vs reward nature, varied weapons(though many are lacklustre) and loot system evolving/shifting nature of the environment are all strong suits. The plot is quirky and intriguing.
    However, some serious issues need to be ironed out before it can be called a great game.
    Random laser turrets shooting my character through trees and world objects or occasional overlapping waves of simultaneous enemy attacks that make zero safe doge space can be tough but fair.
    Having the game crash on you losing 6-7 hours of your hard-earned progress however is not. There is absolutely nothing enjoyable about that or healing items(that you are hugely reliant on) spawn inside a world object(like a tree) or the challenge room not opening after defeating all enemies leaving you not only without any rewards to complete it but also stranded and forced to restart, again losing all your headway.
    Since every time you are back at square 1 with zero upgrades( except some traversal items you earn after bosses) and because of their RNG nature, it can be more than a little frustrating, to say the least.
    The game is original in its own right and really didn't have to try and outdo Souls Sekiro Nioh and Fallen Order, all of which(probably because they like to spoil players for choice) include the simple quality of life courtesy of progress saving and/or difficulty selection.
    Since the closest you come to a save mechanics is putting your console on standby, which might include several days and hours of dedication, you can only pray you don't blow a fuse (literally and proverbially since apps don't run simultaneously) when your kid wants to use the console for something else or wife decides to watch Netflix on it instead.
    You can see where the whole roguelike logic falls flat. Sadly recent patches have been breaking more than they fix. Network play hasn't worked for me once regardless of the version.
    From experiencing zero bugs or crashes on day one to cluster-#$&k after patches 1.33, including removing what little extra possibility of healing there was on stage one to get a leg-up after a failed or crashed run. (coincidentally this feature was left in for when the reviewers rated the game prior to release)...
    Effectively making it next to impossible to play for a casual Sci-sci lover with a family life like myself.
    Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to like, and even love about Returnal, it's just that some of its choices will be a hit and gather high praise for its originality for some while being a definite miss for others.
    There are great roguelikes out there that make you feel more powerful with each run and despite having to traverse the world again making it a new and refreshing experience. This title fails to deliver on that front after a certain number of deaths. In fact, certain items you unlock closer toward the end game feel like a big step back/are progressively weaker than a lot of the early unlocks.
    The weapons grossly lack balance some (3 specific ones) being A tier with correct perks (again random rolls) and offering a shoot and forget advantage, while others having little damage in comparison or requiring very precise aiming(not easy when you have to dodge incoming attacks all the time )to make them remotely worthwhile.
    Much like the weapons, 70% of which will be throwaways the unlockable weapon perks and augments have a similarly abysmal difference in utility. Some being godlike (heal on kill chain, increased damage overtime etc) and others( high calibre, stun resistance, which you might need 1% of the game if at all) literally being dog$%t with no ground in between.
    This means that your success will not be dependant as much on your skill and knowledge of enemies and how to counter them but how the rng dice roll in or against your favour, making the lure to continue akin to gambling which can be inherently disagreeable.
    There will be runs when you feel like you are at the mercy of the malignant Cthulhu rng gods themselves.
    All this makes little space for build variety and replay value. To be clear I completed the game(after 45 hours and 25 deaths) and then beaten the whole campaign a second time to get the secret ending, when close to the finish I got stuck on doors not opening and decided the game just does not want me to have more fun. At which point I really did not have any desire to start everything from scratch just to have it all erased again because of a glitch,
    While there is fun to be had, buying an €80 AAA title from Sony's stable, you really shouldn't have to expect to become a beta tester, so perhaps just wait until alll the bugs are all fixed.    … Expand
  13. Toroko
    May 1, 2021
    6
    Zero expectations so I wasn't dissapointed. Game is just average. Not in the line with other Sony's first party games.
  14. onlyvitriol
    May 5, 2021
    5
    Easily a 9/10, but the instability of the game (~10 crashes in ~12 hours of gameplay) coupled with the fact that this is a rogue-like is absolutely brutal. Nothing ruins a run like that... Seriously needed to put the game away for now because I can't put in the effort to finesse a nice run, and then get rewarded with a crash.
  15. Ray877
    Mar 25, 2022
    6
    Way too hard, even Harder then the souls games. Here you cant grind and rank up to make sure you beat it. If it was possible to beat it without replay same Maps for days it could been a 9/10 but since im stuckt in biome 3 still i cant give it more then 6/10
  16. Wizbit1984
    Mar 29, 2022
    5
    Amazing game just made better with the new coop and Tower DLC. Nothing else out there, makes all other shooting games feel slow in comparison. The only truly next-gen game I’ve played on the PS5.
  17. Chieftom
    May 2, 2021
    6
    This game is too hard for me (I know, I know, 'Git gud', blah blah blah). I would be OK with that if it were a $40 game, but as a £70 game with no accessibility options... it's not ideal. The gameplay is fun, it's just that with every boss death, I find the will to fight for another 30 mins to get another go at the boss eroding. I am a busy guy with a job and kids, I just can't justify theThis game is too hard for me (I know, I know, 'Git gud', blah blah blah). I would be OK with that if it were a $40 game, but as a £70 game with no accessibility options... it's not ideal. The gameplay is fun, it's just that with every boss death, I find the will to fight for another 30 mins to get another go at the boss eroding. I am a busy guy with a job and kids, I just can't justify the grind. I feel a bit of buyers remorse if I am honest. I can see why a lot of people like it, it's just not for me.… Expand
  18. MammothLab
    May 2, 2021
    5
    For the first few hours of this game I was really enjoying it - visuals are outstanding, and the dual sense implementation is insane, but after about the 20th time of starting over it really started to grate on me. I know it’s a roguelike, but to lose EVERYTHING when you die? Come on!? At least with hades you unlock weapons and can increase your stats etc. This game is just too difficultFor the first few hours of this game I was really enjoying it - visuals are outstanding, and the dual sense implementation is insane, but after about the 20th time of starting over it really started to grate on me. I know it’s a roguelike, but to lose EVERYTHING when you die? Come on!? At least with hades you unlock weapons and can increase your stats etc. This game is just too difficult to enjoy, and it’s a shame because I was enjoying the story but I’ll never get to play to the end. Its soul destroying to have hours of your life wasted, with absolutely no pay off. I think at some point you need to respect the players’ time. The juice isn’t worth the squeeze.… Expand
  19. wandar
    May 7, 2021
    7
    Returnal is a game of mixed feelings. In overall, it is a good game but there are few things that need addressing. Of course this just about my strategies and how I approach the game.

    Well first the good stuff. Graphics, gameplay, soundscape and all that is well crafted and very atmospheric. And especially with headphones the world feels really alive and you are constantly on your toes.    Returnal is a game of mixed feelings. In overall, it is a good game but there are few things that need addressing. Of course this just about my strategies and how I approach the game.

    Well first the good stuff. Graphics, gameplay, soundscape and all that is well crafted and very atmospheric. And especially with headphones the world feels really alive and you are constantly on your toes. Gameplay is also top-notch. Sometimes you want to stay far away from enemies to snipe them safely. And sometimes you need speed and agility with close combat. That is all really great. And the story is ok, but maybe it is not the most important part of the game anyway.

    But...

    Then there is the but. First of all I do not feel that this game is too hard. I appreciate that I need to play well and I respect the roguelite idea. I have never played one before but I get it. But in overall the game is too unbalanced in favor of misfortune and lack of choices. That may sound weird because it is all about choices. You have just one weapon and two items in use. So you need to make smart choices.

    But in my gameplay I feel that there are zero choices. First the weapon. I still haven't beaten the third boss and I have already noticed that only Tachyomatic Carbine and Hollowseeker are viable options. They both have enough range and the fire rate is good. When game is hectic, I really want that at least some of the bullets reaches enemies. But if weapon lacks range or I need to be very accurate with my shooting, it becomes unnecessarily hard.

    Then I can have two items at my disposal and I should be careful what to choose. But even here I have no choices. In this game health is scarce and I really need all I can get. So all the items I want to collect are Silphium Vials and Large Silphium Vials. And if I happen to have both, I will never trade them with anything else. So to me, the other interesting items are wasted and unnecessary.

    Also for malignant items the risk factor is too high. If I am careful, I can get all necessary upgrades via non-malignant chests etc. Sometimes I take parasites but very rarely. The debuff -effect in them is mostly just too nasty. So that is out of the strategy too.

    And currently I have only one viable strategy to progress.

    In the first biome I try to collect as much obolites as possible by killing enemies and collecting. And then I try to reach the shop. Most of the time I have enough obolites to buy the Astronaut Figure. And If I am lucky, I have enough to buy Large Silphium Vial too. So I am buying health.

    Then I travel to the second biome. In there I get a guaranteed Silphium Vial in the start. So, at this point both item-spots are most likely reserved. Then I only need to stay safe and hopefully I am able the get the weapon I like to advance. In this biome collecting obolites seems to be unnecessary, because the shop is so far away and is totally not worth the risk. When I reach the hallway which has the shortcut to the second boss, I go forward a peek through the door. If there happens to be the big hall, I go in and check the item on the pedestal. If it is a Silphium Vial, I grab it and return to the shortcut to get to the third biome (or second boss).

    So at this point if I am reeaaally lucky, I have a Astronaut Figure, Large Silphium Vial and two small ones. So all health. Nothing else matters.

    At this moment in the third biome I just need to travel through it to the third boss. I try to stay safe and be smart with enemies and collect every single silphium I can find. Also I may encounter shop or other manufacturing pedestals. And if I am lucky I might be able to buy more health, or maybe artefacts.

    So in a way it is all about luck and "I might get something", which is demotivating. And then there is the kicker. If it happens to be so, that there is an area, that happens to have more hard enemies than usual, I may lose all my Silphium Vials just to stay alive. And after that there is only one choice again ...restart... Because there is no way to go back and somehow collect more Silphium Vials there is no point to go forward anymore. And that frustrates and feels unrewarding.

    So these are my feelings about this game. It could be great, but it gives very little hope to the player if one is not especially good with these kind of games.    … Expand
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. 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
  23. 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
  24. 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
  25. bradipomissile
    May 6, 2021
    5
    if you have a life you NEED a save system. Let the player choose.
    Great but in 2021 let the player play the game as they wish to.
  26. LimitBreak
    May 1, 2021
    5
    Plenty of good stuff in the game but mostly from a technical perspective. When it comes to the actual gameplay, Returnal is dull and repetitive. Disappointing overall but if you are a die-hard fan of roguelikes then I'm sure you'll like.

    And as everyone has said - it's overpriced.
  27. samuslink
    May 2, 2021
    6
    This game is a total waste of time. No BSO, no graphics next-gen, bad gunplay, null graphic details, all stages are the same, all enemies have the same IA attack rutine. The runs are eternal without possibility og to save the progress and a lot of problems more.
    This is not fun because the game cost 80€ in EU and 70$ in USA, is not cheap and this price is to far from what this game had    This game is a total waste of time. No BSO, no graphics next-gen, bad gunplay, null graphic details, all stages are the same, all enemies have the same IA attack rutine. The runs are eternal without possibility og to save the progress and a lot of problems more.
    This is not fun because the game cost 80€ in EU and 70$ in USA, is not cheap and this price is to far from what this game had promised. I dont recommend to buy.    … Expand
  28. Philkidder
    May 1, 2021
    6
    This game is just to hard to be enjoyed. Maybe people with no responsibilities in life can do their thing and say git gud. That is all good and well if you have hours on end to master this game, but most people just don’t. It’s a shame because there is a great game in here somewhere, but it’s buried beneath arrogant and unwise developer choices. No saves, so you can’t stop and playThis game is just to hard to be enjoyed. Maybe people with no responsibilities in life can do their thing and say git gud. That is all good and well if you have hours on end to master this game, but most people just don’t. It’s a shame because there is a great game in here somewhere, but it’s buried beneath arrogant and unwise developer choices. No saves, so you can’t stop and play something else. Also nothing really carries over when you die so you feel like you totally wasted your time each time you die. It’s saps your motivation to play more. People will say this is the way the developer wanted it bla bla bla. But the reality is they narrowed their audience to an unjustifiable small group of people and and sabotaged their sales when given a triple a budget. . Which means no sequel to their game. I bet they will fix some of these things in future patches when sales are slow, but by then the game price will have dropped and used copies will be all over the place. As I said such a shame because had they been a little more compromising they would have had a hit on their hands.… Expand
  29. Humboldt155
    May 2, 2021
    6
    Sound - 10/10
    Graphics - 10/10
    Gameplay - 10/10
    Dropping all progress after beating 3rd boss - 0/10. Dropped game after that.
  30. giroscope
    May 2, 2021
    5
    Amazing game! Real next gen, a very unique game. Nice graphics, amazing gameplay and the best 3D audio.
  31. dotnka
    May 14, 2021
    6
    I really wanted to love the game, and oh I've tried. I'll ignore the lack of saves, and the cringing pain of of a power outage resetting a 3 hours run. What I am most fed up is the total lack of care about the player or the game itself. The truth is you will spend 90% of the time using the first weapon because of their design choice. You will not feel any progress carried over fromI really wanted to love the game, and oh I've tried. I'll ignore the lack of saves, and the cringing pain of of a power outage resetting a 3 hours run. What I am most fed up is the total lack of care about the player or the game itself. The truth is you will spend 90% of the time using the first weapon because of their design choice. You will not feel any progress carried over from previous runs because there are 100 perks and you need to randomly get a specific weapon with a specific perk from an expanding pool. The game's difficulty feels as random as each run is generated. You might get a couple of easy rooms with upgrades and a weapon you enjoy using, you might get a room full of flying enemies shooting homing missiles. There's a lot of content in the game, but it's gated so well by randomness and difficulty I will never get to experience it. All just because I am not hardcore enough it seems. Well they should put the hardcore player label on the box so I know I'll be wasting $70 next time a buy a game like this. Making a game challenging is one thing, leaving everything to randomness, that is just plain annoying. And what I mean it feels like complete randomness, no some delicate procedural generation that might monitor your play style and make it easier. I'm going back to souls games, those are hard but fair and though I'll keep getting killed over and over again nonetheless at least I'll have a weapon I enjoyed playing with the whole time.… Expand
  32. imalexraposo
    May 7, 2021
    6
    Alright here’s the thing. Returnal is a good game but it’s not for everyone. I’m on the third biome and 30 hours in. This is where I’ve given up. I’ve lost to the boss twice. That’s fine. The problem I have is the amount of enemies in the 3rd biome. It makes getting to the boss a nightmare. I go through the first 2 biomes to expand my health and what not and I just end up dying beforeAlright here’s the thing. Returnal is a good game but it’s not for everyone. I’m on the third biome and 30 hours in. This is where I’ve given up. I’ve lost to the boss twice. That’s fine. The problem I have is the amount of enemies in the 3rd biome. It makes getting to the boss a nightmare. I go through the first 2 biomes to expand my health and what not and I just end up dying before reaching the boss because the 3rd biome is so long and cheap. My runs are about 2-3 hours long. Then it’s all gone. I know save points would defeat the purpose of the game but this is a good game that should be played by many. I think a lot of people have given up already and I’m on the verge of that too.… Expand
  33. Raidzer
    Dec 21, 2021
    7
    Геймплей который затянул, прекрасная графика, отличный сюжет, шикарно использованные возможности геймпада. Это была бы отличная игра, если бы не одно НО... Техническая составляющая. Бесконечные вылеты и потери прогресса, баги с неоткрывающимися дверями и по итогу потери прогресса и это все за стоимость ААА проекта. Если и брать то только по огромной скидке и с железными нервами.Геймплей который затянул, прекрасная графика, отличный сюжет, шикарно использованные возможности геймпада. Это была бы отличная игра, если бы не одно НО... Техническая составляющая. Бесконечные вылеты и потери прогресса, баги с неоткрывающимися дверями и по итогу потери прогресса и это все за стоимость ААА проекта. Если и брать то только по огромной скидке и с железными нервами.
  34. Thorbannder
    May 8, 2021
    5
    Don't believe the fake 0's it's. All the people that can't play it...Great game challenging but rewarding...
  35. roominkpaper
    Jun 17, 2021
    7
    good gunplay and movement. beautiful music and excellent sound design.

    However, the boring protagonist and weak rogue-lite mechanics bring this game down a lot. Your runs get boring as there are no builds, variations, creative strategies, etc.

    A solid 7/10 game.
  36. GiRThWoRMJiM
    May 3, 2021
    5
    I was ready to give this game a 9/10. Then, about 2 hours into my best playthrough (after collecting many upgrades of my preference and getting my favorite gun with an awesome alt fire)... the game crashed!
    Upon reboot, you guessed it... i had to start over.
    That earned the game a solid 5/10. A failing score, as this issue is a fatal flaw in the structure of the game. Very ambitious,    I was ready to give this game a 9/10. Then, about 2 hours into my best playthrough (after collecting many upgrades of my preference and getting my favorite gun with an awesome alt fire)... the game crashed!
    Upon reboot, you guessed it... i had to start over.

    That earned the game a solid 5/10. A failing score, as this issue is a fatal flaw in the structure of the game.
    Very ambitious, a definite showcase for the PS5, but poorly-executed idea.

    I went from really into it, to less into it, to more into it, to beat it to get rid of it.    … Expand
  37. OldAndCynical
    May 1, 2021
    5
    The movie clips sure are fine. But the game itself is repetitive, boring and very plain. And the level design lacks imagination too. Wait for a sale, for this is not worth more than a tenner at the most.
    As a Finn, it is painful to see this sort of game from a Finnish Housemarque, who used to make really brill games. That they wasted so much time, talent and effort on something this low    The movie clips sure are fine. But the game itself is repetitive, boring and very plain. And the level design lacks imagination too. Wait for a sale, for this is not worth more than a tenner at the most.
    As a Finn, it is painful to see this sort of game from a Finnish Housemarque, who used to make really brill games. That they wasted so much time, talent and effort on something this low quality... for shame, guys and gals.    … Expand
  38. Brbone
    May 2, 2021
    5
    I've been playing this game for a few hours and I'm really enjoying it so far! The combat is fast, frenetic and exciting and the gameplay loop really rewarding. Just needs a save feature so you can quit in the middle of a run.
  39. Capybarin
    May 1, 2021
    5
    Good things: combat and sound.
    Bad things: everything else.
    There's a lot of crashes and soft locks for the game where you always start from the begining. And runs are CRAAAZY long. You can skip most of the rooms, even with enemies. But then whats the point? Run thru large areas, unable to buy some upgrades and weapons? Good luck with that. Hades takes about 20 mins to finish whole run.    Good things: combat and sound.
    Bad things: everything else.
    There's a lot of crashes and soft locks for the game where you always start from the begining. And runs are CRAAAZY long. You can skip most of the rooms, even with enemies. But then whats the point? Run thru large areas, unable to buy some upgrades and weapons? Good luck with that.
    Hades takes about 20 mins to finish whole run. Returnal takes about 30 mins for 1 biome, And if you died on, let's say third biome, and didn't get shortcut device? Yep, you've lost 1.5 h of your life.
    Some cool story? Nope, few cliche mixed up together. Just ok.
    Returnal is more like Risk of Rain 3, then a AAA Sony exclusive. Destruction All Stars kind of failure maybe.
    Maybe if devs would've decided to spent money on some good game designer, instead of money bags for press this game would worth full price.
    But we have next PS5 exlusive that could compete with steam early access games. Way to go sony!    … Expand
  40. Wonkypotato
    May 3, 2021
    5
    This game is not a bad game but not a great game either. I've enjoyed my time with it but this is in no way a £70 game. The fact that Sony are selling this game at that price is quite frankly embarrassing. Its essentially a rogue like indie game that they are charging more for than most games. Disgusting and a taste of things to come with ps5 I imagine.
  41. magic_jon
    May 3, 2021
    7
    So far the game is very enjoyable but is marred by the frustration of a lack of autosave functionality. I fail to see how having the ability to quit and save would "break" the game given that you can put the console into rest mode and effectively do the same thing. The problem with this however is 2 fold, if the console crashes or the power goes out all of your progress is gone. The secondSo far the game is very enjoyable but is marred by the frustration of a lack of autosave functionality. I fail to see how having the ability to quit and save would "break" the game given that you can put the console into rest mode and effectively do the same thing. The problem with this however is 2 fold, if the console crashes or the power goes out all of your progress is gone. The second issue is energy consumption. I know rest mode only uses a little power but if I'm leaving the house I want to turn off the console completely.

    If this issue is fixed I'd bump the score up to an 8. I also have issues with the story but I won't spoil that here. Sufficed to say I think it's a bit of a let down and has been done better elsewhere. The gameplay does carry it over the finishing line though.    … Expand
  42. Lajouasse
    May 1, 2021
    6
    J'ai voulu tester le jeu pour avoir un avis parce qu'étant l'un des premiers AAA next gen la curiosité l'a emporté. Et je voulais savoir si les notes très moyennes sont justifiées.
    Et..... bah oui. Que de déceptions.
    Alors je vais quand même commencer par les points positifs. Les graphismes sont plutôt beaux et le jeu de couleur et luminosité sont bien rendu. Les décors sont plutôt bien    J'ai voulu tester le jeu pour avoir un avis parce qu'étant l'un des premiers AAA next gen la curiosité l'a emporté. Et je voulais savoir si les notes très moyennes sont justifiées.
    Et..... bah oui. Que de déceptions.
    Alors je vais quand même commencer par les points positifs.
    Les graphismes sont plutôt beaux et le jeu de couleur et luminosité sont bien rendu. Les décors sont plutôt bien travailler et d'ailleurs c'est pour ma part ce qu'il y a de mieux dans le jeu.
    Voilà ça s'arrête là. Pas d'autre point positif.
    Et le gros point noir c'est clairement le gameplay, qu'est ce que c'est lourd avec une sorte de sensation de crispation des persos. Et ça devient très ennuyant tellement c'est toujours pareil. Il n'y a aucune variété dans la façon de jouer.
    Concernant les contenus bah c'est quasi vide, les menus ne servent quasi à rien alors qu'il y a un coté RPG et le peu de temps que l'on passe dans les menus c'est pas du tout bien foutu, pas instinctif, pas ergonomique. Il y a quasi rien à faire sauf taper, taper, taper. A si les système de butin qui aurait pu être attrayant avec un coté prenant, mais non, on s'en moque assez vite.
    Le scénar est quasi inexistant, cherchez pas à trouver une histoire ou une narration, elle est réduit à peau de chagrin, quelques passage pour dire qu'il se passe des choses mais c'est tout. Et c'est d'un basique...
    Au niveau de l'IA alors là c'est au niveau des pâquerettes. A ce demander si ils en on une. L'IA ce limite quasi à ne faire que taper, les esquives, protections ou même changement de patern sont quasi inexistant.
    Le jeu à quelques bug. Par moment j'ai eu les menus qui se sont superposés, lors de baston des coups passer au travers de l'ennemis, j'ai eu aussi par 2 fois un ennemis qui se retrouve bloquer dans un mur et l'autre les jambes dans le sol. Très drôle d'ailleurs de le voir courir sans pouvoir bouger.
    Et dernier défaut, la fluidité. Alors là c'est pas normal pour un jeu qui est quand même assez vide. Par moment on sent vraiment la chute de fps, surtout avec les pouvoirs/combo.
    En conclusion un jeu vraiment très très très moyen. Limite décevant surtout pour un AAA. Mais je veux pas être trop sévère sur la note parce que le jeu ouvre le bal des exclu AAA sur next gen et c'est jamais facile de passer en premier. Surtout qu'on a pas sentit Sony soutenir vraiment le jeu. Par contre si le jeu était sorti après d'autres et après plusieurs mois de mise sur le marché des next gen, là j'aurai était plus sévère sur la note.
    Ca reste un jeu un peu défouloir, qui graphiquement et plutôt réussit mais c'est tout.    … Expand
  43. KB5K
    May 3, 2021
    7
    I've just earned the platinum. Here's a review from someone who's seen every inch of this game:

    Good: Solid action, sound, graphics, and controls. Bad: The story was disappointing, lack of a save option, bugs and crashes are FREQUENT, padded length via phony third act, and ENDLESS grinding for trophies. Overall, Returnal is a" good" game that could've been GREAT if not for some poor    I've just earned the platinum. Here's a review from someone who's seen every inch of this game:

    Good: Solid action, sound, graphics, and controls. Bad: The story was disappointing, lack of a save option, bugs and crashes are FREQUENT, padded length via phony third act, and ENDLESS grinding for trophies.

    Overall, Returnal is a" good" game that could've been GREAT if not for some poor choices from the developers. First, they really, truly need to add an ability to save; let it erase the your save when/if you die, like other Rouge-like games do; I've lost my progress probably 10-15 times due to crashes, power issues, and random updates. Oh, and run-breaking bugs, like the time I randomly clipped through a floor i the 6th biome and somehow landed on a surface below the game map, unable to get back up, so the only thing I could do was abandon my perfect run and restart. Then there's the time my audio completely cut out in biome 6 and I had to restart. Oh, and the time the game crashed and my save data became corrupted almost immediately after finding the rarest collectible in the game. All of this is in addition to normal dying, which will happen A LOT; the game is very challenging when it's working properly, making it damn frustrating when it's not. Then, there's some equally frustrating design choices; beating it multiple times to see the true ending felt like a chore. While not spoiling anything, you basically need to play every level over and look for collectibles, then beat the final boss again to finish the "third act" and see the secret ending --- the payoff for all your hard work REALLY isn't worth the high level of frustration you will endure to get that ending. It's also unfortunate that the developers chose to make you essentially replay the ENTIRE game in Act 3, which only padded the campaign runtime while adding absolutely nothing new. It's a third act in name only. Earning the platinum was a painful, tedious grind that was NOT FUN at all; it required playing through the same level over and over again for days until I could get a certain room to spawn that had a collectible item needed for the trophy. Literally days upon days of grinding. Overall, this game has many fun moments, but just as many bugs and poor design choices that make it feel like a real drag at times.    … Expand
  44. gurru44
    May 1, 2021
    6
    No save and dying during the third act makes this game hard in the way its not enjoyable. Good gameplay and graphics tho
  45. Ruben-123west
    May 1, 2021
    7
    Es un juego entretenido, sin embargo tuve problemas en el primer uso, algunos Bugs con la partida guardada, tiene a ser medianamente repetitivo, pero es un gran juego, en cuanto a resolución en lo particular no me importa, pero no alcanza los 4k, tiene una especie de niebla que no le saca partido al juego en los fondos.
  46. theap99
    May 1, 2021
    7
    Returnal has very fun yet challenging moment-to-moment fast-paced bullet-hell gameplay. This gameplay is nicely enhanced with a feeling of immersion that comes from the DualSense controller and audio that sometimes glitches. But that experience is sadly dragged down by an abundance of low textures, game-breaking bugs that are made worse by the saving system. I also question how much longerReturnal has very fun yet challenging moment-to-moment fast-paced bullet-hell gameplay. This gameplay is nicely enhanced with a feeling of immersion that comes from the DualSense controller and audio that sometimes glitches. But that experience is sadly dragged down by an abundance of low textures, game-breaking bugs that are made worse by the saving system. I also question how much longer I will want to continue to push through the cycles of death and going through the same environments over and over again when the current state of the story is not that motivating.

    That being said, the gameplay is fun but it can get tiring due to a lack of technical polish. Decent game but not worth $70. 7/10    … Expand
  47. WishedSerega
    May 1, 2021
    5
    I am always surprised, to put it mildly, by those who give this or that game 10 or 0 points, and they both believe that only they are right, those who put 10 write that do not listen to those who put 0 and vice versa. In general, a review like 10/10 the game is cool, the graphics are cool, the gameplay is cool, or those who put 0 write that the game is bad, the graphics are bad, theI am always surprised, to put it mildly, by those who give this or that game 10 or 0 points, and they both believe that only they are right, those who put 10 write that do not listen to those who put 0 and vice versa. In general, a review like 10/10 the game is cool, the graphics are cool, the gameplay is cool, or those who put 0 write that the game is bad, the graphics are bad, the gameplay is dull, I think these are bots that have not played the game. Feedback should be as comprehensive as possible.… Expand
  48. Satanic-majestY
    Apr 25, 2022
    7
    My best tries were ruined by this buggy game. Shouldn't play it on release.
  49. Cnargy
    May 2, 2021
    6
    The game has great atmosphere and story Technical the game is well optimized and bug free The bad part is that very punitive you will start over and over and the things you can keep after a failed attempt don’t help a lot and you end up feeling you wasted your time
    Wait for a sale 70 or 80 euros/dollars is a lot of that game
  50. Daniel0809
    May 2, 2021
    7
    Beautiful graphics, amazing sound quality! man I think they almost had a masterpiece here BUT not a fan of playing 2.5 hrs then dying and starting all over. The map is horrible, I hated it, the shooting was not good but just my opinion. I played it for like 5 hrs then returned it for full refund from gamestop.
  51. SuiZideKing
    May 1, 2021
    5
    Game has some major bugs. The problem with the crashes is because of the type of game it is when it crashes you have to start over. First time I wasn’t that far in but the last time I had a good setup. Don’t believe the 0s and 1s this game is fun when it works. On that not it definitely isn’t a 9 or 10 either but with some patches it’s a solid 7 maybe even 8. Graphics wise it’s 1080pGame has some major bugs. The problem with the crashes is because of the type of game it is when it crashes you have to start over. First time I wasn’t that far in but the last time I had a good setup. Don’t believe the 0s and 1s this game is fun when it works. On that not it definitely isn’t a 9 or 10 either but with some patches it’s a solid 7 maybe even 8. Graphics wise it’s 1080p upscale but I still think it looks good if you have a 4K set.… Expand
  52. Retrogamer961
    May 6, 2021
    5
    Graphics are okay not the best ever but not the worst , Ray tracing on console seems still behind. It has a aliens / promethous atmosphere. GAMEPLAY is rather generic looters shooter stuff and becomes boring fast , enemies are bullet sponges , doesn't do much different than any other rogue likes but is hard-core with no saves and you lose pretty much everything. Some bugs and crashes.
  53. vagabondLee
    May 1, 2021
    7
    Personally, I don't like the story very much.
    And 70$!! This is a deduction factor.
  54. ethicsbeanie
    May 2, 2021
    5
    A beautiful game, with detailed graphics showing early PS5 potential. The game incorporated haptic feedback to help aid gameplay and it works. The game is a pretty rouge-lite, it is certainly enjoyable to play initially. However, like many roguelikes, once you've visited the areas there isn't much new to see. The bosses are great fun though I suspect most people will find the game tooA beautiful game, with detailed graphics showing early PS5 potential. The game incorporated haptic feedback to help aid gameplay and it works. The game is a pretty rouge-lite, it is certainly enjoyable to play initially. However, like many roguelikes, once you've visited the areas there isn't much new to see. The bosses are great fun though I suspect most people will find the game too difficult. The main flaw with the game is the lack of saves, with today's autosave and series x just resuming games this is a huge flaw in what would otherwise be a higher rated game. Unfortunately, the difficulty negatively combines with the lack of saves to make parts of the game boring. If you've played for an hour you don't want to have to repeat all the work just because you're not aware of a new game mechanic that kills you. This was never going to be the game of the year, I did expect it to be more fun after my experience with returnal. The devs should have taken more input from games like hades, incorporated saves and made the game more accessible e.g. TLOU2.… Expand
  55. Dingobongobingo
    May 1, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. One of the best games in the last 15 years and it’s only gonna go up from here mucho psycho… Expand
  56. Jefedemuchanina
    May 1, 2021
    6
    Yeah this game is nowhere near all the 10's fanboys who've never even played a rouge-lite let alone this one are throwing at it. The game is an inch deep and a mile wide they focused heavily on a buff/debuff system that penalizes more than it helps.

    The game runs at 1080p and you can constantly see frame dips and I mean constantly. This is about the effort I'd expect from a company like    Yeah this game is nowhere near all the 10's fanboys who've never even played a rouge-lite let alone this one are throwing at it. The game is an inch deep and a mile wide they focused heavily on a buff/debuff system that penalizes more than it helps.

    The game runs at 1080p and you can constantly see frame dips and I mean constantly. This is about the effort I'd expect from a company like sony in this genre basically just make pretty graphics and try to rip off better games.

    Go buy dead cells or hades for your rouge fix this ain't it especially for $70.    … Expand
  57. ashutoshnegi
    May 1, 2021
    5
    ok i am bit late ,
    pros; good combat movement
    good level design
    good shooter
    like a metroid
    cons: sony lied about 4k res ,(it was running 1080p)
    not worth 70$
    procedural level are hard to play sometime
    buggy sometimes
    lack of saves.
    thank you
  58. WryMouth
    May 1, 2021
    6
    Good game. Space Harrier for this generation. A lot of crashes and ok gameplay system. Nothing great but fun game.
  59. Captiosus
    Jun 15, 2022
    6
    Returnal is gorgeous, compelling, eerie, and truly next gen. But it's also bland, excessively repetitive, and utterly disrespectful of players' time. As a procedurally generated rougelike game, players are entirely at the mercy of what is rolled in the world when they spawn. If you get a bad roll, it just feels like you're wasting your time on a game leading you towards certain death.Returnal is gorgeous, compelling, eerie, and truly next gen. But it's also bland, excessively repetitive, and utterly disrespectful of players' time. As a procedurally generated rougelike game, players are entirely at the mercy of what is rolled in the world when they spawn. If you get a bad roll, it just feels like you're wasting your time on a game leading you towards certain death.

    Case-in-point: I spent an hour and a half exploring every nook and cranny of the world it dropped me into. Every side path, every locked door, every upgrade. The very first time I got to the first boss, I was actually in a very good place with a solid integrity and resistance build and a powerful carbine. But a couple mistimed dodges in the boss' third phase sent me back to the crash site with a new map to explore. I spent another hour exploring this new map but this one had only one integrity upgrade and the only improved weapon was a slightly better side arm. When I got to the boss again, I had no chance; I gave it the old college try but without upgrades I got smoked at phase two.

    Now I fully understand this is the whole concept of roguelikes and that's not really my concern. I loved Hades, it was probably my personal Game of the Year when it came out. But Hades sprinkled in things to do between respawning and reaching the boss again. Returnal doesn't offer the same kind of hook. In Hades, navigating through rooms and finding upgrades is a reward unto itself; I always wanted to see what the next rooms had in store. Hades let you carry over gems between runs that you could use to expand your capabilities. In Returnal the 'upgrades' are more akin to what you'd find in a looter shooter -- randomly dropped on the ground or found in random chests -- so there's no sense of accomplishment or progression beyond defeating bosses or finding the (very rare) permanent upgrades. Meanwhile the only currency that transitions between runs is Ether, which, unlike the gems in Hades, has very limited uses. Combined, this makes Returnal feel MUCH more tedious than other popular roguelikes.

    It's beautiful, it's atmospheric, I love the story elements, the soundtrack, the overall ambience -- but the core gameplay just doesn't grab me. And knowing that my ENTIRE experience is contingent on randomness sours the experience greatly.    … Expand
  60. fastica
    May 2, 2021
    5
    It’s so hard that it’s not fun. The lack of any kind of progression or skill system kills this game for me. I played for like 5 hours and I feel like I’m running in circles. Every playthrough is a lost playthrough unless you kill a boss. Yes, you acquire some real life skills, but they doesn’t matter that much, as the game is heavy in the RNG aspect. Oh, and I don’t care about the mainIt’s so hard that it’s not fun. The lack of any kind of progression or skill system kills this game for me. I played for like 5 hours and I feel like I’m running in circles. Every playthrough is a lost playthrough unless you kill a boss. Yes, you acquire some real life skills, but they doesn’t matter that much, as the game is heavy in the RNG aspect. Oh, and I don’t care about the main character as it doesn’t have any kind of character progression.

    I wish they released a demo, as now I can’t refund it. I lost $70. DU Housemarque.
    Don’t buy it unless you’re the kind of gamer who like to play games in the hardest difficulty.    … Expand
  61. GrumpyReviewer
    May 2, 2021
    6
    This could have been an amazing sci-fi, 3rd person shooter, with a great story, a touch of horror and a cool alien rabbit hole to dive into. But no, they had to add "souls like bullsh*t".

    Why? It pains me to see how incredible this game could be. But, at least for me, there is SO MUCH stuff against it. First of all, there is no way to save, which means that - on top of the loop mechanic    This could have been an amazing sci-fi, 3rd person shooter, with a great story, a touch of horror and a cool alien rabbit hole to dive into. But no, they had to add "souls like bullsh*t".

    Why? It pains me to see how incredible this game could be. But, at least for me, there is SO MUCH stuff against it. First of all, there is no way to save, which means that - on top of the loop mechanic - you always have to start from the 1st stage. Even the souls games allow you to save your progress in that sense. Also, most of the upgrades are temporary (apart from some permanent stuff you collect, like tools). This "roguelite" bullsh*t takes away a lot of fun and the sense of progress.

    I am trying to like and enjoy this game, but it's just not clicking for me. Also, "the true next-gen game"? No way in hell. The game does use the dualsense features, but there are TONS of PS4 games that look way better (Horizon is a perfect example).

    I know my opinions are going to be unpopular, seeing how much praise this game is getting. I hope Housemarque is willing to hear feedback, though. I am sure there are many people who think the same way. This game needs some sort of save feature so we do get a sense of progress. As of right now, I really would not recommend this game to anyone.    … Expand
  62. DukeJon
    Aug 25, 2022
    7
    Put about 10 hours into this. It's not for everyone. Story is a bit meh (think of the aliens franchise with the engineers). The first biome is a bit dull, reminded me of Xen from the first half life game. Controls are very tight and your character responds very fluidly which is just as well as some of the bullet-hell fights are brutal at times. The enemies are a bit dull, just fluorescentPut about 10 hours into this. It's not for everyone. Story is a bit meh (think of the aliens franchise with the engineers). The first biome is a bit dull, reminded me of Xen from the first half life game. Controls are very tight and your character responds very fluidly which is just as well as some of the bullet-hell fights are brutal at times. The enemies are a bit dull, just fluorescent animals. Your equipment/weapon upgrades aren't brilliant. I would have probably persevered with this game but my PS5 crashed a while in and I had to start from the beginning. I know this is part of the game loop but it doesn't really respect most people's time. We're not all teenage slackers with entire days on our hands to do what we want with. A save option would be nice. I shouldn't have to leave my PS5 on standby and hope it's still on when I get back from doing a task in real life.… Expand
  63. Avadon
    Nov 2, 2021
    7
    I ran through the game after the 2.0 patch that lets you save your progress (something that should have been there from the beginning), and I also had no crashes, so overall a much smoother experience than most people. No bugs either, so if you were thinking about getting this, know that it now works properly. As for the experience itself, this is a highly atmospheric, mysterious, prettyI ran through the game after the 2.0 patch that lets you save your progress (something that should have been there from the beginning), and I also had no crashes, so overall a much smoother experience than most people. No bugs either, so if you were thinking about getting this, know that it now works properly. As for the experience itself, this is a highly atmospheric, mysterious, pretty game. The otherworldly, Alien-inspired ambience and creepy narrative kept me going till the end. Unfortunately, the gameplay itself is mediocre. There is not enough variety in the level layouts, just rooms that are rearranged in different order, which gets repetitive fast. Also, about half of the weapons and 90% of all "powerups" are completely useless. There's a couple good weapons, and all you need is health and damage resistance. There are no crazy synergy moments like in good roguelikes, almost everything exists to dilute the item pool with trash, and that's like the number 1 cardinal sin in such a game. With such bad design, replayability goes out the window. The initially compelling fragmeneted narrative also ends with a disappointing "non-story", that just leaves everyone speculating. I hate games that do that. Overall, it's a fun enough 20 hours, but it leaves a disappointing aftertaste. Worth checking out on sale.… Expand
  64. mrc_brn
    May 3, 2021
    7
    Not bad, not great, it's a fun ride with some original elements and some pretty vanilla ones - in particular in the third act. Liked the pace and lightness of it all. The animation itself too is on point. Pretty amazing what's possible nowadays. The animations inside an animation were pretty original too. The humor never close to edgy, I was never bored, but equally easily forgotten as well.
  65. leaveit
    May 24, 2021
    5
    A competent, but massively overhyped title for PS5 fans to point to when it's brought up that half of PS5 exclusives are remasters or sequels that no one asked for. More normalization of padding and dodgy save systems that will annoy you on the inevitable crash. I doubt anyone who rated it a 10 will even be playing it this summer.
  66. doncsoo
    Jan 19, 2023
    5
    This game would not be bad, but it's progression is horrendous.

    Pros: - Great graphics - Great DualSense controller effects Cons: - Linear progression is EXTREMELY HARD, when you die, you lose hours of progress - The weapon choice are horrendously bad, there are literally only 2 usable - 60% of the pick-ups are useless - When game constantly restarts, it becomes boring quickly    This game would not be bad, but it's progression is horrendous.

    Pros:
    - Great graphics
    - Great DualSense controller effects

    Cons:
    - Linear progression is EXTREMELY HARD, when you die, you lose hours of progress
    - The weapon choice are horrendously bad, there are literally only 2 usable
    - 60% of the pick-ups are useless
    - When game constantly restarts, it becomes boring quickly
    - Story is not that engaging to keep the player playing

    I wish there would be checkpoints, where you wouldn't have to start all over again, but in its current form it's a very frustrating experience. I wouldn't commit to it if I were you.    … Expand
  67. grafpsycho
    Dec 17, 2022
    5
    Boring AF and hard to follow. Also most of the time not really clear what yourse supposed to do, bad game design
  68. e0068
    May 4, 2021
    5
    Awfully repetative. Good rogue-likes change your playstyle while you progress or between runs. This one doesn't.
  69. adrii9715
    May 2, 2021
    7
    El juego ha sido una gran sorpresa. Creía que sería un shooter genérico intentando justificar ser un rogue-like, pero la realidad es que está muy pulido, se ve increíble para su ambientación tenebrosa y similar a Alien y el "lore" o background que tiene se me hace muy interesante.
    Si tuviera que decir algo malo, el looteo de items es lento y muy poco ágil, espero que lo mejoren en un    El juego ha sido una gran sorpresa. Creía que sería un shooter genérico intentando justificar ser un rogue-like, pero la realidad es que está muy pulido, se ve increíble para su ambientación tenebrosa y similar a Alien y el "lore" o background que tiene se me hace muy interesante.
    Si tuviera que decir algo malo, el looteo de items es lento y muy poco ágil, espero que lo mejoren en un futuro.    … Expand
  70. ericlbiii
    May 2, 2021
    7
    Tanto gráfico, sensorial y auditivamente, es todo una joya. Si hubiera sido un metroidvania, hubiera sido un 10 total. Lamentablemente esta opción Roguelike lo vuelve muy de nicho.Y en realidad me encanta jugar, mi vida es los videojuegos, pero no soy muy bueno haciéndolo. Acabe Darksouls 1 con ayuda de otros jugadores, lo mismo hice con Monster Hunter World. Deberían darles opciones deTanto gráfico, sensorial y auditivamente, es todo una joya. Si hubiera sido un metroidvania, hubiera sido un 10 total. Lamentablemente esta opción Roguelike lo vuelve muy de nicho.Y en realidad me encanta jugar, mi vida es los videojuegos, pero no soy muy bueno haciéndolo. Acabe Darksouls 1 con ayuda de otros jugadores, lo mismo hice con Monster Hunter World. Deberían darles opciones de accesibilidad al jugador si quieren que sea un juego para las masas.… Expand
  71. countscotula
    May 2, 2021
    5
    Graphics are great, sound is immersive, story is fine, and the controls and haptics feel great. However, I hate the randomness element of this game. The luck portion of this game isn't too bad, but I could do without it for sure. I also do not have enough time to do the runs. I typically have like 30-45 minute to sit down for a little session and this definitely requires way more time thanGraphics are great, sound is immersive, story is fine, and the controls and haptics feel great. However, I hate the randomness element of this game. The luck portion of this game isn't too bad, but I could do without it for sure. I also do not have enough time to do the runs. I typically have like 30-45 minute to sit down for a little session and this definitely requires way more time than that. With no way to save, the luck element, and lengthy time for each run I just find myself avoiding it entirely. I can't switch to another app and switch back either without losing progress. This game is made for a very specific type and it's not me.… Expand
  72. Rurik
    May 2, 2021
    5
    En un comienzo, me gusto mucho la ambientacion... y esa vibra que tenia de titulos como metroid...
    luego se hizo demasiado repetitivo y poco pulido. en cuanto a experiencia para el usuario.
    la oscuridad del escenario esta bien para un rato... pero ya cuando llevas horas en los mismos escenarios, y tropiezas con precipicios por no ver por la niebla. es bastante frustrante... es un juego    En un comienzo, me gusto mucho la ambientacion... y esa vibra que tenia de titulos como metroid...
    luego se hizo demasiado repetitivo y poco pulido. en cuanto a experiencia para el usuario.
    la oscuridad del escenario esta bien para un rato... pero ya cuando llevas horas en los mismos escenarios, y tropiezas con precipicios por no ver por la niebla. es bastante frustrante... es un juego que amas un rato, y luego no quieres volver a jugar.    … Expand
  73. seba2212
    May 2, 2021
    5
    Buen juego lo malo que debes echarte una buena cantidad de horas para poder grabar El Progreso deberían arreglar eso, ya no me dan ganas de jugar
  74. Alberto4k
    May 4, 2021
    7
    El juego es muy adictivo. No es un triple A pero los gráficos son bastante buenos y la jugabilidad está bien implementada.No es un juego para costar 79.95€.A pesar del punto negativo del guardado, solo se lo recomiendo a gente que dedique 4 horas al dia sin parar
  75. RanGom007
    May 3, 2021
    5
    I respect the technical characteristics. To implement the PS5 features, dualsense too. But this genre is incomprehensible to me. More precisely, the idea is clear, but it kills interest in the game on the root. What is the point of improving it, pumping it, if an unfamiliar creature just kills you with two blows, and you start the game again, running through once again annoying locations.I respect the technical characteristics. To implement the PS5 features, dualsense too. But this genre is incomprehensible to me. More precisely, the idea is clear, but it kills interest in the game on the root. What is the point of improving it, pumping it, if an unfamiliar creature just kills you with two blows, and you start the game again, running through once again annoying locations. A dubious game.. The action is very impressive in some places, but after 8 hours of play there is absolutely no motivation to continue. And it's a pity, there was a glimmer of hope for a potentially interesting game.… Expand
  76. wasians
    May 3, 2021
    6
    Скучная, крайне однообразная и унылка игра. Авторы пытались в рогалик, да не смогли. Локации однотипные и пресные, оружие не отличается по ощущениям вообще. Графика - просто всплеск эффектов в глаза, но я не вижу ничего, что делало бы игру некстгеном, кроме быстрых загрузок и этих самых эффектов ради эффектов.Скучная, крайне однообразная и унылка игра. Авторы пытались в рогалик, да не смогли. Локации однотипные и пресные, оружие не отличается по ощущениям вообще. Графика - просто всплеск эффектов в глаза, но я не вижу ничего, что делало бы игру некстгеном, кроме быстрых загрузок и этих самых эффектов ради эффектов.
  77. JontyS
    May 7, 2021
    5
    Bad rouge-like, bad metroid, descent graphic. Better play Risk of Rain 2
  78. Theboss1723
    May 2, 2021
    5
    El juego tiene una buena jugabilidad pero carece de una buena historia sólo es tirar tiro por tirar tiros.
  79. tonandon
    May 2, 2021
    5
    Videogame at it's finest. Everything I love about games. Mixing arcade like hardcore challenge with AAA graphics, detail, atmosphere, haptic feedback, sound feedback, soundtrack (wow), and a narrative and story a game this good didn't even needed. Perfection. I'll be looking forward to everything hausemarque from now on.
  80. RedDragon1240
    Dec 23, 2021
    7
    The game has a great atmosphere, however it is extremely difficult. After finishing Act 3, I can say that too much difficulty doesn't pay off at the end of the game with a pretty inconclusive story.
    Gameplay is fast & frenetic and audio design is the best currently in PS5. Graphics are pretty solid too, but not totally next gen.
    DualSense continues to be a great experience with haptic    The game has a great atmosphere, however it is extremely difficult. After finishing Act 3, I can say that too much difficulty doesn't pay off at the end of the game with a pretty inconclusive story.
    Gameplay is fast & frenetic and audio design is the best currently in PS5. Graphics are pretty solid too, but not totally next gen.
    DualSense continues to be a great experience with haptic feedback and adaptative triggers.    … Expand
  81. BigheadedDerek
    May 2, 2021
    5
    I want to make this clear, I have not played the game but I have watched enough of it to know I want to play it. Currently the game suffers from game breaking bugs that will crash the game cause you to start from the beginning as part of the games design where there is no saving. In my mind I will not play this game until that is no longer an issue. It’s all weird seeing other give praiseI want to make this clear, I have not played the game but I have watched enough of it to know I want to play it. Currently the game suffers from game breaking bugs that will crash the game cause you to start from the beginning as part of the games design where there is no saving. In my mind I will not play this game until that is no longer an issue. It’s all weird seeing other give praise for this game despite the game breaking bugs, even as cyberpunk just happened recently. I will change my score to what I think is more appropriate when both; the bugs are patched and I complete the game, in that order.… Expand
  82. Youngish2k51
    May 3, 2021
    7
    Honestly Returnal is a strange game, it works a lot like metroid and castlevania but without the magic those games have. The concept is simple, you die and you restart the game with your current gear with changing levels, it's a unique concept but it could have been executed a lot better, the graphics aren't what I would expect from a next gen game and the gunplay feels stale, the storyHonestly Returnal is a strange game, it works a lot like metroid and castlevania but without the magic those games have. The concept is simple, you die and you restart the game with your current gear with changing levels, it's a unique concept but it could have been executed a lot better, the graphics aren't what I would expect from a next gen game and the gunplay feels stale, the story isn't that interesting either, just a generic "I'm stranded on a planet and I have to shoot my way out". The concept and idea is cool but that's about it, the bosses are fun which is honestly the only real reason I'm giving it a 7 instead of a 5 or 6.… Expand
  83. Wr3ck
    May 2, 2021
    5
    Don't buy! This is a rent. It's not fun . It's either very boring or retarded hard and cheap. The pacing is off. Really the story isn't that great either. People are over hyping this because the only other game out for ps5 is...... Nothing. There's a boring times demo for resident evil and there is outriders which is also broken.
  84. Knash
    May 2, 2021
    7
    Really great game! Only negative thing is that it has long runs with the inability to save during the middle of a run. Not fair to have to start a run over if you want to switch content, the game crashes, there is an update, or power outage. It can feel discouraging to want to do back to back runs. They shouldn’t make us feel trapped. The developers have acknowledged this issue andReally great game! Only negative thing is that it has long runs with the inability to save during the middle of a run. Not fair to have to start a run over if you want to switch content, the game crashes, there is an update, or power outage. It can feel discouraging to want to do back to back runs. They shouldn’t make us feel trapped. The developers have acknowledged this issue and hopefully they patch it in a future update. I will update my rating once this issue has been resolved.… Expand
  85. Ruchacz99
    May 2, 2021
    6
    Good, but not great:) Graphic ok. Dualsense is amazing:) Gamepaly 25 hours. Price? Toooo much... 6/10
  86. Goodmorowgaming
    May 2, 2021
    7
    Returnal is an ambitious game for Sony; considering this is the first real PS5 title that isn't a remake or cross-gen game and with players itching to get a taste of the full capabilities of the console and dualsense, a third-person roguelike is certainly not going to be for everyone.

    Housemarque studio has certainly proven themselves as developers of this genre but the brutality of    Returnal is an ambitious game for Sony; considering this is the first real PS5 title that isn't a remake or cross-gen game and with players itching to get a taste of the full capabilities of the console and dualsense, a third-person roguelike is certainly not going to be for everyone.

    Housemarque studio has certainly proven themselves as developers of this genre but the brutality of Returnal is far often less rewarding and more frustrating than fun. That's not to say I havent enjoyed my time, the game has a way of sucking you back in and yet, I stopped thinking about it when I finally did finish a session; unlike some other first party Sony titles that I found myself daydreaming about.

    For me, Hades has set the bench mark for all future roguelikes; with it's player friendly weapon system; allowing you to choose your weapon from the start and permanently upgrade it, to the overall sense of progression; Returnal has none of that, instead opting to punish the player over and over again. I can't help but feel this game could've been taken up a notch by allowing the player to choose their weapon from the ship (the $140 digital deluxe edition allows this) and not hope for the best. And the permanent upgrades leave alot to be desired; you're given two upgrades early on and nothing else until you beat the second boss.

    With plenty of cheap deaths and no real sense of progression, Returnal is a battle of patience and luck, with a dash of skill. The game is stunning though and the use of the dualsense fulfills all marketing promises leading up to the PS5's launch.

    One final note: Sony has been pushing plenty of options for disabled players to enjoy games but Housemarque has done of this, even the beforementioned Hades had disability friendly options. It's 2021, every player, no matter who they are, should be able to enjoy games.    … Expand
  87. GodGamerMark
    May 3, 2021
    6
    Es divertido al principio, cansa los ojos un poco despues de horas de juego, despues se vuelve un poco repetitivo y empieza a aburrir, la historia no es de mi agrado, saludos
  88. Junito87
    May 3, 2021
    6
    Gameplay is fun but the game needs a save option maybe even let you pick the difficulty because the game can be extremely brutal to the player
  89. wardie2309
    May 3, 2021
    6
    God, where to start... I’m in such a love/hate relationship with this game. Visually, it’s very impressive. Especially on a HDR screen. Colours pop. And the contrast of the tonally dark world compared to the vibrant bullet-hell gameplay makes for a fantastic viewing experience.
    Performance can sometimes dip below 60fps, but for the most part it’s solid, making the game more responsive    God, where to start... I’m in such a love/hate relationship with this game. Visually, it’s very impressive. Especially on a HDR screen. Colours pop. And the contrast of the tonally dark world compared to the vibrant bullet-hell gameplay makes for a fantastic viewing experience.
    Performance can sometimes dip below 60fps, but for the most part it’s solid, making the game more responsive which is important given the genre.

    Gameplay is fast, fun and often frantic.
    However, personally I find the difficulty during mini-bosses/bosses too much.
    I know some will disagree, but I will never understand why difficult games don’t include an easier option. I don’t mind hard games, however some will really struggle here. There will be people who try this game and simply cannot, no matter how hard they try, beat the game. Games with a lack of accessibility will never sit well with me, as I feel there is a major portion of gamers who simply miss out on great gameplay based on difficulty alone. I, along with many others, also dislike the lack of a proper save system. At the time of writing this, the developers have hinted at a possible inclusion of one, yet at the moment there isn’t, so I would recommend holding off from purchasing the game if you don’t have hours to spare playing. I would’ve liked to have seen a more rewarding progression system, as all I have is a few tools to show for 20+ hours of gameplay. Guns do have upgrades when used for a certain amount of time, but these do not feel significant enough to validate the amount of time put in. When this game is flowing, it is extremely addictive, and you won’t want to stop playing. Yet it is marred by the game-breaking bugs, and difficulty. Maybe it is just me, and perhaps I just don’t get along with rogue-likes. But I can’t say in confidence that I’ll finish this game on a positive note, as it feels more of a chore at the moment.    … Expand
  90. Vah2200
    May 3, 2021
    5
    So expensive, after 10 hours playing get nothing because I can save my process, black hole and wasting of time
  91. anesthesia
    May 3, 2021
    5
    This game has so much potential. In my honest opinion a triple a rogue-like doesnt work as well as sonething like binding of isaac. As a physician who plays games in my very little spare time, beating my head against this wall takes all the fun out of it for me. What a waste of my time and money. Pissed off I soend 70 bucks here.
  92. Falcox426
    May 3, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gioco carino e storia intrigante , ma la mancanza di salvataggi lo rende troppo difficile e non alla portata di tutti diventando alla lunga frustrante… Expand
  93. kibbi2288
    May 3, 2021
    6
    I bought and returned it to play Pokemon Snap. I'm gonna try to be fair about my review on positive and negatives.

    Positive: 1. very nice graphics, 2. cool looking environment I feel like overall, the positives about this game are mainly the graphics and the way the environment looks. Negative 1. When you die you reset from the beginning 2. When you reset the environment changes    I bought and returned it to play Pokemon Snap. I'm gonna try to be fair about my review on positive and negatives.

    Positive:
    1. very nice graphics,
    2. cool looking environment
    I feel like overall, the positives about this game are mainly the graphics and the way the environment looks.

    Negative
    1. When you die you reset from the beginning
    2. When you reset the environment changes (This threw me off)
    3. I found it difficult understanding how to use all the features on the suit and what I was doing scanning objects in the environment (I didn't know how items worked seemed complex)
    4. Lack of enemy variety and lack of environment diversity (In fairness I didn't play long, but didn't see much)
    5. Finally, the weapons were limited and I didn't like how the guns were shooting (accuracy wise) using PS5 triggers were annoying and the refresh time was slow on the guns (In all fairness I only played a short amount of time)

    That's my review 6/10 Good Graphics, Lack of Content, Bad Shooting Mechanics    … Expand
  94. CyberPilot-PS
    May 7, 2021
    6
    There's no content for 70$!The problem of this game is that it's a very niche product for a AAA price ,for people who loves bullet hell games,before baying this game look at old Housemarque projects in indie segment and if you like them then ok because this game is first Housemarque with their mechanics and gameplay and then Sony with their money. There's no some revolution next genThere's no content for 70$!The problem of this game is that it's a very niche product for a AAA price ,for people who loves bullet hell games,before baying this game look at old Housemarque projects in indie segment and if you like them then ok because this game is first Housemarque with their mechanics and gameplay and then Sony with their money. There's no some revolution next gen graphics and story will disappoint you in 95% also exist bugs some critical and no checkpoints if you die you're losing almost everything and start from the beginning could be frustrating especially if you don't have the experience in this genre. So when you finish probably for 12-17 hours you don't want to come back again.… Expand
  95. ApunkalyptiK
    May 7, 2021
    5
    Un jeu incroyable, une pépite parmis tous ces jeux génériques, sans âmes et sans challenge.
  96. rvurs_eli_fb
    May 13, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.… Expand
  97. WellEvil
    Feb 14, 2023
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is a bunch of ideas mixed together with neither head nor feet. A type of game that seems impressive when you read or hear about it, but falls flat when you actually get down to playing it.… Expand
  98. quittit1
    Jul 23, 2022
    6
    You have no clue
  99. goodgriff33
    Dec 24, 2022
    7
    Answer: 75 characters is between 10 words and 19 words with spaces included in the character count. If spaces are not included in the character count, then 75 characters is between 12 words and 25 words.
  100. 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
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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]
See all critic reviews »