I got a fair way into Returnal when I played the PS5 version for the first time late last year, but its intense baddies and shoot ’em up-style laser attack patterns proved to be just a bit too much for me in the end. They don’t mess about those aliens, that’s for sure. Still, I had a cracking time zooming through its stunning worlds and blastin’ away alien beasties until it got too difficult, especially when I didn’t think Returnal would be my cup of tea. I’ve never been too great at Housemarque’s arcadey shmups, and while it did take a while to find my groove with Returnal, once it clicked, it really clicked. To recap: Returnal chucks you into the space boots of Selene, whose ship crash lands on a mysterious planet that seems to be stuck in some kind of timeloop. Indeed, every time Selene biffs it, she’s plonked back at her crash site again, bereft of any of the weapons or pick-ups she accumulated in her previous run. The great thing about Returnal, though, is that its worlds are procedural, remixing its rooms, locations and enemies to give you a fresh challenge each time. It all adds up for a surreal, breathtaking experience, and I can’t wait to jump back into it on PC, presumably sometime next year. Disclosure: Alec Meer (RPS in peace) works at Housemarque these days, and wrote Returnal’s DLC. For more of the latest news and trailers, check out our Game Awards 2022 hub. We also live-blogged the show as it happened right here.
