After hearing that Returnal would soon be getting a sequel called Saros, I decided to play the original Returnal for the first time. It was this game that brought back the feeling of pure gaming joy without any reservations. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to write about it. To be honest, I had avoided Returnal for a very long time. It had been sitting in my library for ages, and I was aware of its unique features and positive reviews. I also knew that I was familiar with the roguelike genre, so I didn’t expect to have any problems.
Returnal is a game developed by Housemarque, a Finnish studio previously known for its indie top-down bullet-hell titles. However, with Returnal, they have taken things to a whole new level. Originally a PlayStation 5 exclusive, this high-budget third-person shooter retains the studio’s signature bullet-hell gameplay and has become a landmark project for them. And let me tell you, that sounds incredibly intriguing.
The roguelike genre is notorious for being unwelcoming to newcomers, and Returnal is no exception. From the outset, the game throws players in at the deep end, but that’s precisely where its magic lies. The lack of a difficulty setting is offset by the flexibility with which players can adjust the challenge as they progress. Then there’s the majesty of randomness: sometimes it grants you luck; other times, it mercilessly cuts your run short. The more I played, the clearer it became that the essence of the gameplay lies in making repeated attempts. I want to play this game over and over again, just to get through at least one more round.
The game’s story centers on Selena, a scout for the space corporation ASTRA, who crashes on the uncharted planet Atropos. Trapped in an endless time loop, she is sent back to the crash site each time she dies. Her mission is to break this cycle and uncover the mysteries of her past. Atropos was once inhabited by an ancient civilization, but is now a ruined planet overrun by hostile creatures and machines.
In Returnal, the gameplay essentially consists of moving from room to room, defeating enemies, collecting resources and upgrades, and, of course, battling the bosses of each area. After defeating a boss, a shortcut to the next biome is unlocked, enabling you to bypass that boss in subsequent runs. While the random generation of rooms and their layouts may seem monotonous after hundreds of hours, it actually works to the game’s advantage. You begin to understand how to strategise better: when to spend Oblites (the in-game currency) on upgrades and when to use keys to open doors or chests.
Yes, the rooms are arranged in a different order each time you play, and their layout changes, but the set of rooms always remains the same. As a result, after numerous attempts to complete the same level, you’ll quickly start to recognize all the locations. This is definitely an advantage, as the gamer begins to understand how to build their strategy more clearly: where and on what to spend Oblites (the local currency collected from enemies and the environment in order to obtain consumables and upgrades), where to use a key (keys are spent equally on opening chests and doors), and so on.
Random room generation eliminates tedious monotony, although the number of possible configurations is finite, and you often figure out the layout immediately. This greatly affects the difficulty of a specific run. For example, nothing prevents the player from fleeing the room and taking a breather when they encounter problems. However, the game features special locations where you’re locked in and bombarded by waves of enemies, including reinforced mini-bosses. The catch is that such a confined space can appear right at the beginning of the run when you’re still running around with a weak starter pistol and without a single artifact or consumable. You’ll agree that this significantly reduces your chances of surviving the battle.
However, randomness can also play cruel tricks on you. You might find yourself trapped in a confined space, surrounded by waves of enemies, including powerful mini-bosses, when you’re barely managing with your starting pistol and don’t have a single artifact. Needless to say, this significantly reduces your chances of survival.
Controlling Selena is a whole different story. Her movements, animations, and bonuses earned while playing make navigating Atropos incredibly enjoyable. The heroine dashes rapidly through locations; her dash cooldown recharges quickly; and, after obtaining Icarus’s hook, you can move through the world almost non-stop. This is especially important in combat, as the ‘bullet hell’ demands constant movement and dodging of countless enemy projectiles.
Shooting and combat offer pure gaming bliss. The arsenal is diverse, with each gun featuring several modifications. Collecting resources boosts your health and skill level, affecting the power of future weapons. Artifacts, on the other hand, provide various buffs and unique abilities.
It’s worth noting that enemies drop Obolites, which disappear after a few seconds. This is why it’s important to stay alert and collect this precious currency in time. After all, it’s the Obolites that enable you to purchase powerful upgrades at ‘fabricators’ (local shops), such as vials of Sylphium that fully restore health or artifacts that grant an extra life.
The various modifications available for each type of weapon ensure that every pistol or shotgun you find is unique. Don’t forget about the alternate fire function, which allows you to fire vertical or horizontal volleys of shells, launch a barrage of homing missiles, or fire a powerful laser. This function deals substantial damage, but requires time to reload.
However, bear in mind that Oblites dropped by defeated enemies disappear after a few seconds, so you need to maintain a safe distance to give yourself time to collect this valuable currency. Having a sufficient amount of Oblites can often determine the outcome of the entire run because, in the Fabricators (the local equivalents of shops), Selena can exchange these yellow particles for a large vial of life-giving Silphium, which almost completely restores your health bar. Alternatively, she can acquire an artifact in the form of an object from her childhood, such as an astronaut figurine. This has the ability to resurrect you once, right at the spot where you died, which comes in very handy in the heat of the fiercest skirmishes or in boss battles.
Selina’s house is unique within the Returnal gameplay system. It is where she spent her childhood with an astronaut, and mysteriously appears in two of the game’s biomes. Initially, it is impossible to get inside, but as the story progresses, the player will eventually be able to unlock the front door and…
Suddenly, the game transforms into a surreal first-person horror exploration game. Only a specific part of the house is accessible: either the hallways or the individual rooms. The rest of the space remains hidden in impenetrable darkness — a place you certainly don’t want to venture into. Exploring the different sections of the house is crucial for understanding the underlying story of the plot and Selena’s past, which she uncovers layer by layer alongside the player, revealing the truth. To reach the final ending, you’ll also need to collect certain items and visit the heroine’s house one last time.
Yes, the sheer number of mechanics and gameplay details can be overwhelming at first, as it is difficult to grasp and get a feel for each one in time. Even if your health is full, you should collect the vials of Sylphium resin that you encounter because collecting three of them increases your total health (suit durability) by 5%. While this increase is small, it is critically important for continuous progress through the game.
The Returnal world is structured so that, as you acquire new spacesuit upgrades, you’ll be able to explore Atropos more thoroughly with each run. You’ll be able to venture into rooms and areas that were previously inaccessible: for example, after finding various upgrades, Selene will be able to dive underwater and step on energy surfaces that previously damaged her.
As for the downsides, I suppose the small number of bosses is the only thing that hasn’t been mentioned — just five in total, and only a couple of them were really challenging. The final boss, Ophion, seemed almost too easy. Although each battle takes place in an interesting setting, the core gameplay remains the same: shoot at weak spots while dodging projectiles.
It’s worth mentioning the Tower of Sisyphus, a standalone mode that doesn’t unlock straight away. It’s a virtually endless run through the levels, during which you can find new resources and weapons, as well as uncover story fragments and an alternative ending.
