[News] Returnal PC Review: Rinse & Repeat

[Douma]

The challenging rogue-lite title makes its way to PC with an impressive port and incredible performance. Here's our review of Returnal's PC version.

Returnal was one of the few PlayStation exclusives that could only be played on the PS5; however, it is now available to players who've been wanting to experience Returnal on PC. While the rogue-lite game has made its mark on Sony's latest console, it might be a different story on more powerful systems for better or worse. So even though Returnal is considered a titular title for the PlayStation 5, the new PC release might make it a must-have game for the PC as well. Here's what we think about Returnal's performance on the PC and why it could be the ultimate way to play in 2023. At first glance, Returnal might seem like a spin-off of one of Ridley Scott's movies due to its 80s sci-fi movies vibe. However, once you start playing the game, you soon realise it's far more than a generic sci-fi horror game. You play as Selene, an astronaut who crashes on the planet of Atropos, looking to find the source of a mysterious signal. As soon as you land on the planet, Selene notices the planet's creepy and eerie nature, which contains luminous plants, enigmatic doors, and weird enemies ready to stop her from discovering the planet's secrets. 

Since Returnal is a rouge-lite game, players will experience their first death very soon and notice that Selene is transported back to her ship and re-experiences the crash all over again. It is very reminiscent of Tom Cruise's Edge of Tomorrow; however, in this case, Selene has the ability to learn and retain new skills that will help her progress further than her previous run. It is also worth pointing out that levels are procedurally generated, meaning players cannot learn each biome for progression and must figure out how to clear each biome in every run. There are six biomes in total that are totally different from each other, featuring different types of challenges, upgrades, enemies, and collectibles. 

To make their chances of survival higher, players will need to explore every biome and acquire upgrades that make them proficient at certain skills. With these upgrades, players will find it slightly easier to beat the game since there is no scope for saving progress to continue later. While players will lose some upgrades with each death, certain unlockables and skills get carried over for the next run. However, players must be ready to struggle again and again until they get proficient with each weapon and start getting used to facing tougher enemies.

Returnal PC - Gameplay review
Returnal's gameplay is the definition of a twitchy shooter that requires players to be on their toes at all times. While basic mechanics such as dashing and gunning while running is present, it's how players use them to their advantage that makes a difference. For starters, if players use a DualSense or DualSense Edge controller, they will notice that pressing the L2 trigger halfway lets them aim down the sights. This is because the adaptive triggers implement a resistance system when players reach that threshold. However, if players press the L2 trigger all the way down, it will result in Selene using her alternate fire mode, which is beneficial for tacking multiple weaker enemies. This mechanic is a clever implementation of Sony's DualSense controller technology which is hard to find in other titles.

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