Returnal Critic Reviews

Playing Returnal, it feels like next-gen has truly begun. The way it seamlessly moves from third-person to first-person; how you move from biome to biome without loading screens taking you out of the action; the DualSense implementation; the fluidity of the gameplay; the phenomenal visuals and audio; all of these elements, and more, come together to create an experience that is truly like no other. This is not only Housemarque's best game to date, but perhaps also the best game currently available on PS5. It's a genre-defying delight that raises the bar on so many levels. If you own a PS5 you need to play Returnal. It's as simple as that.

Returnal is a must-play and a first perfect true next-gen experience that utilizes all that Sony has marketed for its new console. A sci-fi third-person shooter that uses its roguelite attribute in combination with its time loop story that surprises with its originality and surpasses the expectations by far.

Returnal masterfully makes use of the technical possibilities of the PS5 and succeeds in creating an immersive gaming experience that has rarely been seen before. The end result is a rock-solid game that is not for the faint-hearted, but has raised the bar just that little bit higher for all the games to come.

Returnal is a tour de force for Housemarque and Sony, and is one of the best games I've played this year with gorgeous visuals, a surprising story, and great roguelike gameplay.

Returnal is an excellent video game flirting with perfection. It has the most satisfying gameplay loop Housemarque has crafted to date, which says a lot considering the studio's pedigree. If PlayStation's other PS5 exclusives feel even half as satisfying as Returnal does, fans are in for one hell of a console generation.

Returnal is an essential PS5 title, now and throughout the console’s life. Housemarque took the rogue-like bullet-hell formula and applied it to a AAA experience in a way that creates something exceptionally unique yet wholly familiar. Returnal is an engaging experience in narrative, gameplay, and player discovery, consistently surprising on every level. Utilizing the PS5 technology in a way that most other developers are barely tapping into, Returnal feels like one of the first truly next-gen experiences, letting Housemarque set the stage for the new console. And like Housemarque games before it, it’s the kind of game that will withstand the test of time, begging for additional cycles well into the future.

I have thoroughly enjoyed playing Returnal so far and its unique die-and-start-over mechanic, excellent graphics, gameplay and sound all work brilliantly to deliver yet another fantastic first-party exclusive for the PS5.

In a genre where déjà vu is more of a feature than a bug, it makes sense that Returnal doesn’t feel any pressure to disguise its genealogy. And yet, Housemarque’s masterpiece — without question the best and most promising game of the brand-new console generation for the time being — takes things a step further by weaponizing that eerie sense of recognition against the player and protagonist alike.

Housemarque’s Returnal is a brutal rogue-lite that constantly keeps the fun coming through its well-thought-through item system that is exquisitely balanced and its randomized gameplay design that feels fresh after every death. Definitely a must-have game for the PlayStation 5.

To enjoy Returnal you have to abandon the idea of accomplishment, and stop looking for the breadcrumb trail of pleasing achievements that typically pulls you through a game. Forget about making progress. Forget about seeing the end. Once you do that, you can lose yourself in the near-infinite pleasure of the movement and combat, and the near-infinite mystery and creeping horror of Atropos. Every try is different, and yet also the same. But, with the right mindset, you can find meaning and pleasure in that instead of despair.

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.

The game’s blend of an original Metroid-style progression system with a rogue-lite and a bit of Alien thrown in with the unknown nature of the world makes Returnal a compelling experience at all times. It looks and sounds great and controls like a dream – although it would be nice if gyroscopic aiming was added in later on for a bit more intuitive control.

Returnal's fluid, graceful movement and satisfying, punchy gunplay combine with a sense of exploration at once both wondrous and morbid, and a drip-fed progression system that makes you feel like you're always discovering or unlocking something new.

Returnal is a relentless nightmare that’s a dream to play. The journey is full of horror and terrible discoveries, but also unbridled curiosity and wonder. If you have the taste for it, this is an adventure that begs to be experienced.

Returnal is a challenging, atmospheric and creative experience that boasts amazingly smooth and satisfying gameplay. Add in an intriguing narrative, graphical excellence and some impressive utilisation of the DualSense controller and Returnal might just be an instant PlayStation classic.

Returnal is unambiguously and thoroughly an outstanding game. Mixing the RPG progression and ever-evolving suite of roguelite hooks with a frenetic third-person shooter results in a new experience with two halves that make each other better. As it did with the PS3, Vita, and PS4, Housemarque has once again provided Sony with another launch-era hit and in doing so has created a rewarding, replayable, and revolutionary game that’s hopefully the foundation for other future AAA titles that are as clever with the roguelite blueprint.

I think that if you were one of those who recently made the enormous expense to buy a PlayStation 5, you must have Returnal among your priorities, because it is precisely software that gives the hardware a sense of existence. It is useless to have all those capabilities without games that make the most of it. Housemarque's work has rekindled hope for what the developers will present to us in the future. The truth is that anxiety invades me because I already know what else has been prepared for us and more than anything else, it adds some flavor to this new generation that, as I already told you, had a strange beginning in large part due to the complicated situation that It surrounded us and continues to surround us to this day. Returnal is a celebration of the modernity and sophistication of the medium.

Housemarque delivers an unforgettable experience: Returnal is an intoxicating action game that thrives on its design and aesthetic.

Barring a sci-fi horror tale that doesn't quite nail the slow building reveal, Housemarque has absolutely succeeded with their fusion of third-person shooting and roguelike elements in Returnal, one of my personal favorite PlayStation 5 titles so far.

Returnal is so much more than a rogue-like bullet-hell game. It tells a captivating, mysterious, and oftentimes haunting narrative with gorgeous, unsettling visuals and compelling voice acting. It offers a wide variety of collectibles, health upgrades, and unique features to give you a fresh and varied experience with each cycle, and gives players shortcuts so they can continue to press on with the story rather than have to complete every single biome time and time again.