Returnal | Review Thread

Kyuuji · Apr 29, 2021

Returnal is a third-person shooter by Housemarque featuring roguelike elements and covering the psychological horror genre. Set in a futuristic science fiction setting, the player controls Selene, a space pilot, equipped with a suit and armed with high-tech weapons, who is stranded on the alien planet Atropos, and stuck in a time loop. After every death, Selene is resurrected, following a pattern of traversing across foreign environments and combating extraterrestrial entities with growing visions in an ever changing world.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
👁🔫👾💀⚰👁🔫👾💀⚰👁

- - - - - - Metacritic – 86 - - - - - -
- - - - - - Opencritic – 86 - - - - - -

👁🔫👾💀⚰👁🔫👾💀⚰👁
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Thanks to Angie22 for the scores banner!

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Reviews:
-----

Recommended - Eurogamer

Returnal gets halfway to doing it. It is full of real, bona fide video game magic, but with each death it becomes less special, more mundane, and this is why it feels so difficult to pick up the controller again, why Returnal feels like it doesn't want to be played. But the magic it does have is transcendent. And so I do still want to play it - whether Returnal likes it or not.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Recommended - Console Creatures

Housemarque has delivered its finest title to date and while it may not be for everyone, when the clicks, it is impossible to put down. #Returnal offers a satisfying loop strengthened by a sense of discovery that few games offer.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Approved - Ars Technica

I really like Returnal, but if you check the Ars Slack logs, you'll find that I complained quite a bit along the way. I needed a full 10 hours for its combat and universe to click in a crucial, "I want to beat this game" way, and I'm still left wondering how many good ideas and systems were left out of this game just to get its sky-high aspirations out the door. Maybe some of my positive bias comes from dreams of a sequel, which might build upon Housemarque's first stab at the genre. But I won't blame anyone for having less patience with Returnal's uneven ambition (or its $70 price point, which, from what I've seen, does not favorably compare to last year's $60 Last of Us Part 2 or Ghost of Tsushima, also published by Sony).

But this is the stuff that keeps Sony fanboys drooling: ambitious new IP that succeeds more than it fails while turning the familiar into something fresh. Returnal clearly heralds a new era for Housemarque, in terms of turning the focused arcade-blasting likes of Super Stardust HD into quest-worthy 3D action. Keep it coming, Sony and Housemarque.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

(no score) - Polygon

Even after more than 60 runs of Returnal, the enchanting presentation and sense of discovery still remain. I now feel vigorous compared to the creatures that have tried to defend their territory against an unwanted visitor. The last boss only took me one try to beat it, yet I could barely make any progress in finding the right answers. I feel like I'm running in circles. But I'm not giving up.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

(no score) - The Social (BBC)

The gameplay is as thrilling in hour one as it is in hour 40, the world never feels dull and the challenge is as satisfying as it is brutally difficult. Returnal is an absolute must-play experience. The best game on PlayStation 5 so far.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

10/10 - Playstation Lifestyle

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.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

5/5 - Android Central

Returnal is a roguelike. Returnal is about trauma. Returnal is a Metroidvania. Returnal is about retribution. Every time I awakened from my death at the base of my destroyed ship, I only wanted to try again. Like Selene, I was obsessed with the mystery of the White Shadow, and it drove me deeper into the heart of Atropos, and beyond the point of no return. Whether it's divine punishment or redemption, Returnal is greater than the sum of its parts and is a must-play for every PS5 owner.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

9.5 - Gameinformer

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.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

9.3/10 - wccftech

Save for an ending that crashes nearly as hard as Helios' entry onto Atropos, Returnal checks all of the marks for what a best-in-class roguelike should aim for: a gameplay loop that rewards the player for innovation and mastery, loot that can synergize to create some unstoppable character builds, and most importantly, weapons that simply feel right in the player's hands. Without a doubt, Returnal is one of the finest PlayStation 5 exclusives available in 2021 and those that are eager for the next great challenge can find plenty to look forward to with Selene's first steps onto the alien planet again and again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

91% - Playstation Trophies

Even once the credits roll, after 20-25 hours, there's plenty more to discover on the hostile world of Atropos. More mysteries, more secrets, more weapons, more data logs - and I was more than ready to jump straight back in. Developer Housemarque has achieved a seemingly impossible task, balancing fast-paced action with a slow-burn story and an incredible atmosphere, and done so with a flourish, at that. Returnal is an utterly essential addition to the PlayStation 5 library; a game that will creep and crawl and whisper its way into your brain, staying with you long after you've put down the controller, dragging you back for more, again, and again, and again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

9/10 - Push Square

Housemarque has delivered the PS5 promise with Returnal. All the console's bells and whistles enhance the experience, making this a real showpiece for the hardware. But more than that, the game is a force to be reckoned with; the breathless combat, super slick gameplay, and the subtle but unsettling story combine for an experience of surprising scale. Rogue-lite aspects mean it won't gel with everyone, but for those looking for a challenging, addictive arcade shooter, this comes highly recommended.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

90/100 - Critical Hit

Returnal is an unrelenting and unforgiving challenge for the ages, but it still captures the magic of what makes Housemarque so special. It has a weirdly unique style and substance, every level is an unpredictable white-knuckle ride and it fully commits to its rogue-like influences. The end result isn't just a showcase title for what the PS5 is capable of, it's a thrilling mix of arcade bullet-hell gaming with precision thrill power.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

9/10 - Gamespot

Returnal is constantly unsettling and consistently challenging. Its mysterious story and demanding action feel intense, urgent, and fresh. The fast-moving combat manages to appear incredibly daunting, bordering on overwhelming, without ever actually becoming insurmountable. Every moment is a rush, either because you just barely evaded a giant purple laser or because you have no idea why there's an Apollo-era astronaut following your every move. Do you need to be a little brave to play Returnal? Yeah. Do you need to be glutton for punishment? It helps. They say that anything worth doing should scare you at least a little bit. I'm not sure if that's always true, but Returnal makes a strong case.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

4.5/5 - GFinity eSports

Returnal is undoubtedly one of Housemarque's best games and is a triumph for the PlayStation 5. The premise is interesting right off the bat, and the way the game feeds narrative breadcrumbs throughout the game only made me want to continue on. With the tight gameplay that the studio is known for, along with an intriguing story and blockbuster presentation, Housemarque hits all the right spots. Returnal sits as one of PlayStation's most unique exclusives.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

9/10 - BunnyGaming

At the risk of maybe alienating the huge market of casual gamers that are hungry for the next greatest gaming experience I truly do respect Housemarque for sticking to their guns and creating something special. I would recommend a full-price purchase for this game however I also must insist that those interested make an informed decision on what they are walking into. If I could describe to you how this experience was for me, it would be like the docking scene in Interstellar. A lot of times it felt like it's not possible but it's necessary and you better believe I had my finger down on the trigger dodging and weaving my way around a boss attack screaming at the TV screen "Come on TARS!" like a madman. As much as it frustrated me, I fucking loved every single minute of it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

9/10 - GamingBolt

I can go on and on about how much Returnal has impressed me. Honestly, I'm a little surprised at how good it is. I always expected it to be good – it was always very likely that it would be, given Housemarque's knack for creating great games – but this exceeds expectations. Returnal is a swelling success on nearly every front- it's got a captivating story that it tells very well, it's got excellent combat that keeps you constantly engaged and on your toes, it's got thoughtfully designed and smartly implemented mechanics that lend it oodles of depth and variety, it's got engaging exploration that's always rewarding, and it's a visual and technical showcase that shows what the PS5 is capable of on multiple fronts. Frankly, it does more than anyone could have asked for.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

9/10 - intheGame

Returnal is hard. Very hard, but very cool. You want to continue trying and every time you get a bit further than before. You get a feeling for your weapons, special power, the enemies and the surrounding. Outside this immersion in the catchy gameplay and DualSense features the game itself is also quite interesting. The mysterious Metroid vibe really drags you through your twentieth playthrough from your first forest to get to know more about the story and the strange things going on at Astropos.

If I have to name a bit less positive things then it's the first few areas which after hours of gameplay start feeling repetitive. The required searching for upgrades to get further than you got before becomes a bit of a drag, but really that goes for all games within the roguelike genre. Thankfully Returnal tries to get you through these less interesting bits with help from the earlier mentioned elements. And to this day they've achieved that quite nicely.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

9/10 - Game Revolution

However, 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.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

9/10 - Metro

What we would say though is that Returnal is by far the most fun we've had with a video game all year. Despite being a new IP it doesn't always feel entirely original, given how liberally it borrows ideas from other games, but even when Lady Luck abandoned us we were always quick to get back up and try again. The action is perfectly crafted but the way it interfaces with the exploration and story aspects is just as impressive, as it creates an endlessly entertaining experience that we'd be playing again and again even if there was no time loop.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

9/10 - VideoGamer

Complex systems are made simple, by committing their clutter to muscle memory, and play—good play, at any rate—requires that you, like Selene, ride its enigmatic loop.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

9/10 - XGN

With Returnal, Housemarque has made a daring new step in a very cool direction. Those who love the arcade gameplay from the studio will be able to take a seat with much joy since Returnal translates this to a beautiful 3D world and does that very well. Atropos is well worth exploring and remind you of the cool space stories from Aliens and Metroid Prime.

Yet it's the gameplay which elevates Returnal to a higher level. Every movement and every fight is worked out to perfection and leaves us wanting more. It doesn't matter how often you die, because every time you again want to go on a voyage of discovery despite that the game carrying some horror atmosphere. The only thing Housemarque should have done was adding saves, because runs can take quite some time and it's quite annoying when you can't turn your console off because you'd have to start over again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

9/10 - PSX-Sense

With Returnal, Housemarque has made an attempt to melt the usual 'indie genre' of roguelites with an AAA presentation, and we can do nothing but come to the conclusion that they've succeeded at that in a fantastic way. Returnal is from the first minute a very hard shooter which learns you to conquer the worlds of Atropos in Selene's very personal story. The fantastic integration of the DualSense controller and phenomenal audio design bring the experience to an even higher level, and except for some framedrops the game is perfect on a visual level. Is Housemarque's first AAA game worth full price? I'd say so, because Returnal is not only a breath of fresh air in Sony's 'usual' portfolio of games, but it also shows that gameplay is key within our beautiful medium and immediately puts its money where its mouth is. Please Sony, we're on our knees: incorporate these crazy people as soon as possible!

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

9/10 - Spiel Times

It's almost hard to believe that Housemarque have created their first third-person shooter with Returnal. Yet in doing so, they've instantly catapulted themselves to the top of the heap of action shooter developers.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

8.5 - NextGenBase

Returnal is a really strange beast. It's a game from a studio that have very clearly been given the funding to make a big budget version of the type of game they want to, and it really shows. There's a very thin line between accepting that you made a mistake and ranting that the game screwed you over, and Housemarque have got it right with their mechanics. If you die, you learn from it and go again. Thankfully, the PS5 makes this incredibly quick, and it'll have its hooks in you for "just one more run". If I had to pick holes in it, I just wish there were a little bit more permanence to some of the upgrades you pick up, but I know this will diminish some of the 'purity' of the game. While I know some of this will be met with derision at openly admitting to not quite finishing it, I can only hope that the impressions I've had of Returnal give you an idea of what to expect if you pick up this absolute gem of a title. Now, Housemarque, here's the Yellow Pages. Make a game based on that.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

8.5 - PowerUp Gaming

Returnal makes an important, evolutionary (house)marque on the arcade shooter landscape."

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

8.5 - Vandal.net

Housemarque does it again, with an intense and frantic game capable of succesfully combining a multitude of elements and ideas to make a fresh, fun and new.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

8.5 - Easy Allies

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

81/100 - PowerUnlimited

Returnal is an unique, original, atmospheric and gameplay technical very solid. It thus would be a true system seller for the PS5, it it didn't have such a crazy unpredictable difficulty and didn't try so very hard to with a load of gameplay systems to make playing the game unfair in frustrating ways. If you think this is a case of 'mad because bad', well, then you show how good you are at Returnal!

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

4/5 - VGC

Returnal's constant action and clever semi-procedural structure make it an engaging adventure, not to mention a visually stunning one. The lack of any difficulty levels may unfortunately exclude less experienced gamers, but anyone who doesn't mind dying a bunch of times will thoroughly enjoy themselves.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

4/5 - GamesRadar

But while Sony has been keen to emphasize these elements of the game, it perhaps does a disservice to Housemarque's fine action and compelling story. Returnal is a breakaway from the type of exclusive Sony has focused on in recent years, using a genre that has only recently come back into fashion as a starting point for a story that makes you work to understand it, offering plenty to chew on without wrapping it up neatly. It's an unexpectedly daring step forward for a developer who has refined what makes its style so compelling while adding in new elements.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

8/10 - Gamekult (FR)

Like Control before it, Returnal is an atmospheric, wild and magnetic game. An action game that knows how to be both explosive and intimate, foreign and familiar, arid and lush, rooted in the old school but happily dipping into current trends. If one praises its plasticity, its mechanics and the pleasure it gives in hand, it is perhaps even more important for its studio. With such ambitions, it could well be a second birth certificate for Housemarque, which would then gain a few places in the pantheon of Sony's darling studios. In any case, that's all the harm we wish them.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

8/10 Gamer.nl

Pros: HouseMarque and PS5 in excellent form, mostly successful blend of genres, mysterious stories, great arcade feeling
Cons: Sometimes relentless and out of balance, lack of save option is understandable but unpractical.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

4/5 - EGM

So here's my advice: Play Returnal. Revel in its excellent action. Embrace the challenge. Beat the game. Beat it again. Master it. But always, always treat the story stuff as tone, as mood, as a kind of visual soundtrack. Feel it, but don't think too hard about it. Because if you do, you're already as good as dead.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

4/5 - GamEir

Returnal in my opinion is an exploration of madness and perhaps the genre itself. As I was playing the game I couldn't help think of Albert Einstein and his belief in insanity: ""The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results." When a game can get me thinking of such heady topics, I know I'm onto a winner. Returnal is something spectacular and as one of the first titles for the PlayStation 5, it will cement the console as a must-have. If there are any issues it would be that I have noticed people have been turned off by the price of Returnal. Checking in at €79.99, Returnal will turn away many potential buyers. However in my personal opinion this game, this story, this experience is well worth the cost.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

4/5 - Hardcore Gamer

Returnal stands as Housemarque's most ambitious title yet, taking the studio away from the arcade genre and into uncharted territory. By a good margin, that gamble is a success. Returnal delivers in spades where it counts most, delivering a mostly-excellent experience that embraces the studio's history and charts a path forward. Selene's harrowing adventures on Atropos are wonderfully conveyed through exploration and discovery. Though the ending doesn't fully deliver on the hours of build-up, it's still a worthwhile tale to explore. The combination of roguelike design with third-person bullet-hell gameplay mechanics is a true treat, keeping players on their toes and continuously challenging them to get better. Returnal can get repetitive, particularly in the second half due to the repetition of layouts and long bouts between the biomes. Still, the addictive, fast-paced nature of the gameplay helps keep players engaged. Holding it all together is a beautiful presentation filled with next-gen flair and spectacular audio design. Housemarque has done a wonderful job with Returnal and it's well worth living, dying and repeating to get to the final credits.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

3/5 - VentureBeat/GamesBeat

My low point with Returnal came as I was struggling to get through the second biome. The monotony of the runs was getting to me, and I would've put the game down if I wasn't reviewing it. Eventually, however, I did get a strong build from the first biome, and that made the second level much easier. The build was so strong that I was able to play able to beat the second level's boss on my first attempt. And yet, if I were to tell you what makes this set of equipment special, I would say that the gun does a lot of damage and my defense is really strong.

Now, I did make the decisions along the way to get those traits, but this is how you talk about gear in a looter shooter. But it's completely forgettable in this context — beyond recognizing that doing a lot of damage and being able to take a lot of damage makes the game easier. I now plan replicate this build on every run, and if the world doesn't give me the necessary gear to do that, I'm going to feel like it's wasting my time again.

This is not a fatal flaw. But it is one that I think turns significant chunks of Returnal into a slog. And that reduces what is otherwise a great game into one that I merely like.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

See a review you'd like added?
Tag me in the thread (with the summary from it if poss) and I'll pop it in when I'm adding others 👍

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

What did Era predict?
---

95-100 ~ 1.6%
90-94 ~ 20.2%
85-89 ~ 49.6%
80-84 ~ 21.3%
70-79 ~ 4.7%
<70 ~ 0.9%

..and 1.7% had no idea.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

See y'all on Atropos 💙

Transistor · Apr 29, 2021

Official Staff Communication

Thread rebooted. Members are allowed to critique reviews, laugh at them, roll their eyes at them, and disagree with them; this has always been the case and rarely caused serious problems. In the previous version of this thread, one review raised some eyebrows due to a tangent about the prefix "xeno" in a game about extraterrestrials, relating it to United States immigration policy.

This was not an issue until a certain famous alt-right troll decided to highlight that same review and inspire his followers to start a harassment campaign against its author on Twitter. We will not name the troll because him and all his content is already banned here.

In the wake of that awfulness, members who had previously posted anything critical about the review became targets of personal attacks and inflammatory accusations, essentially painting them as alt-right when all they had done was disagree with a video game review. That is not acceptable.

To be very clear, there must be no personal insults or attacks against the reviewer. Given the situation, commentary about that review itself should be worded politely and delicately or not at all. This is a thread for all reviews about Returnal and its metascores. The thread should not be hyperfocused on a single review.

dark_prinny · Apr 29, 2021

87 MC lets go

Crayon · Apr 29, 2021

One Love, Era!!!

Helix · Apr 29, 2021

the only thing I'm gonna laugh at is how hilariously bad my first run will be

Shazz · Apr 29, 2021

LFG HOUSEMARQUE WELL DESERVED

TaySan · Apr 29, 2021

Woot! Can't wait to play tonight :)

Loudninja · Apr 29, 2021

IndieWire A

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.

‘Returnal’ Review: The First Masterpiece of the Playstation 5 Era Is a Roguelike Epic Worth Dying For

Housemarque's PS5 exclusive combines the deadly grandeur of "Dark Souls" with the addictiveness of "Hades" for a perfect hardcore spectacle.

www.indiewire.com

EntelechyFuff · Apr 29, 2021

Anyone pre-order a physical copy from playstation direct? Mine hasn't even shipped yet but supposedly will be delivered tomorrow, launch day. Do they actually ship and deliver on the same day?

Deleted member 5086 · Apr 29, 2021

Transistor love the new avatar.

platocplx · Apr 29, 2021

a lot of great reviews here. Can't wait to play in a few hours.

msdstc · Apr 29, 2021

Wow amazing reviews. I hope this does well.

catpurrcat · Apr 29, 2021

Do we know what the actual length is to beat it for a regular person? I'm seeing everything from 17 hours to 30 hours to 50 hours?

spacer · Apr 29, 2021

Congratulations to Housemarque for a job well done. I can't wait to play the game later tonight when it goes live.

QisTopTier · Apr 29, 2021

Aerith said:
Transistor love the new avatar.

It's the actual best on the site, well besides mine.

Transistor · Apr 29, 2021

Aerith said:
Transistor love the new avatar.

We have the amazing Chris Metal to thank!

Blackthorn · Apr 29, 2021

Gonna say it here in case the fine folk at Housemarque are watching but I am absolutely not buying this until you can save during a run. I really hope they patch it in because I was otherwise gonna be day one after the reviews confirmed it was very much My Shit.

Also gonna say fuck the snake man and his enablers.

FF Seraphim · Apr 29, 2021

catpurrcat said:
Do we know what the actual length is to beat it for a regular person? I'm seeing everything from 17 hours to 30 hours to 50 hours?

I think it depends on luck and skill of the player. Someone on here beat it within 24 hours while I think someone else took over 30 and another user said it took them 5 hours to get to the third area. None of the reviews I read mentioned how long it took to 100% unless I missed something.

VanWinkle · Apr 29, 2021

Great reviews. Very happy, as I'm sure Housemarque must be.

I read the Paste review earlier and it was really strange, because it read like a 3 or 4 out of 10, but the reviewer gave it a 6. Only about 5% of the review was positive, and even that small about was always followed with a caveat.

But not every critic is going to love every high quality game. That person seemed mostly bummed that the developer was making a AAA game, which seems an unfair critique in my opinion, since a game should be judged on its merits and not on what you felt it should have been.

Ramako · Apr 29, 2021

I was iffy on this one as roguelikes are hit-and-miss for me, but as usual I'm sadly a sucker for an 85+ metacritic score and the FOMO is hitting me hard now. I think I'll pick this up once it goes on sale.

EggmaniMN · Apr 29, 2021

catpurrcat said:
Do we know what the actual length is to beat it for a regular person? I'm seeing everything from 17 hours to 30 hours to 50 hours?

That's the nature of the genre honestly. There probably won't be much of a real specific range because of just how many factors play into someone "finishing."

Arklite · Apr 29, 2021

Reviews have been a great read today, duality of struggling with Returnal's punishing systems with how enticing the combat is. It's a pretty ballsy game design choice to take the big spotlight in early gen exclusive offerings.

QisTopTier · Apr 29, 2021

FF Seraphim said:
I think it depends on luck and skill of the player. Someone on here beat it within 24 hours while I think someone else took over 30 and another user said it took them 5 hours to get to the third area. None of the reviews I read mentioned how long it took to 100% unless I missed something.

Not to mention this type of game is a huge skill check

Dreams-Visions · Apr 29, 2021

Holy shit they did it the mad lads.

janusff · Apr 29, 2021

Transistor said:
Official Staff Communication

Thread rebooted. Members are allowed to critique reviews, laugh at them, roll their eyes at them, and disagree with them; this has always been the case and rarely caused serious problems. In the previous version of this thread, one review raised some eyebrows due to a tangent about the prefix "xeno" in a game about extraterrestrials, relating it to United States immigration policy.

This was not an issue until a certain famous alt-right troll decided to highlight that same review and inspire his followers to start a harassment campaign against its author on Twitter. We will not name the troll because him and all his content is already banned here.

In the wake of that awfulness, members who had previously posted anything critical about the review became targets of personal attacks and inflammatory accusations, essentially painting them as alt-right when all they had done was disagree with a video game review. That is not acceptable.

To be very clear, there must be no personal insults or attacks against the reviewer. Given the situation, commentary about that review itself should be worded politely and delicately or not at all. This is a thread for all reviews about Returnal and its metascores. The thread should not be hyperfocused on a single review.

Well said. Thank you

arkay · Apr 29, 2021

Will pick it up tomorrow based on these reviews. Although dishing out $100 CAD would keep me up at night...Glad I stuck with physical and can do trade-ins.

Chris Metal · Apr 29, 2021

Aerith said:
Transistor love the new avatar.

QisTopTier said:
It's the actual best on the site, well besides mine.

Thanks peeps, but there are many awesome avatars.

Transistor said:
We have the amazing Chris Metal to thank!

Thank you again. ;)

Uzupedro · Apr 29, 2021

Congrats to Housemarque if any of you folks are reading this🙏
Can't wait to dive in tomorrow.

IIFloodyII · Apr 29, 2021

catpurrcat said:
Do we know what the actual length is to beat it for a regular person? I'm seeing everything from 17 hours to 30 hours to 50 hours?

It's entirely skill dependent really, so kinda hard to say. Rogue like/lite you can usually get as much length out of them as you want as they are all about replaying.

SolidSnakeUS · Apr 29, 2021

I have zero idea of what happened before but damn I'm considering grabbing this.

Actually, I am going to grab it, just not sure if I am right now as I have a lot of other things to play. But seriously, congrats to Housemarque for something great!

Jake2byFour · Apr 29, 2021

To excited to play.

Mary Celeste · Apr 29, 2021

okay fine I will spend $70 on this game

fantastic work, Housemarque. Really hope this is a success, lord knows they deserve it

Scarface · Apr 29, 2021

I really wanna support the devs on this. This went from a maybe to a must buy for me. They did it!

They took a risk and it seems to have paid off. Really looking forward to it. I love a good challenge.

Kolx · Apr 29, 2021

My copy was supposed to arrive today, but is now scheduled for tomorrow :/. Gonna be a long 24 hours.

Mezoly · Apr 29, 2021

Waiting till 9 gonna be hard tonight.

Congrats to Housemarque on continuing to make great and fun to play games.

Loudninja · Apr 29, 2021

Day One Patch notes

Weighing in at 10.4GB, the patch is pretty beefy, but it seems like it'll be an important one. It apparently makes further optimisations to performance, adjusts some gameplay balancing, adds a little more visual and audio polish, and fixes a number of bugs. The patch will also include a couple of extra tutorials — viewable in the pause menu, by the way.

The game runs very well without the patch, so we're excited to fire it up with the update installed to see the changes. Will you be playing Returnal on launch day? Break the cycle in the comments section below.

Returnal's Day One Patch Is 10GB, Improves Performance, Fixes Bugs, and More

Ship shape

www.pushsquare.com

hydruxo · Apr 29, 2021

Only a few more hours! So excited. Really happy for Housemarque that reception has been so strong.

BlackBoyFly · Apr 29, 2021

Great job mods.

So excited to play this this evening! Predicted a 87. Came up just short.

Have to get up at 0400 EST for work but once it unlocks I'm going to see if I can get one run in before it's too late. Can't wait!

Deleted member 2620 · Apr 29, 2021

to be clear, i don't think posters upset with certain portions of that review are necessarily alt-right. they could be simply bog-standard democrat center-right and/or complete children

LGHT_TRSN · Apr 29, 2021

T-Minus 3 hours and some change!

SofNascimento · Apr 29, 2021

I rate this game 'the number of Edge of Tomorrow references that can be found in it' out of 10.

catpurrcat · Apr 29, 2021

FF Seraphim said:
I think it depends on luck and skill of the player. Someone on here beat it within 24 hours while I think someone else took over 30 and another user said it took them 5 hours to get to the third area. None of the reviews I read mentioned how long it took to 100% unless I missed something.

EggmaniMN said:
That's the nature of the genre honestly. There probably won't be much of a real specific range because of just how many factors play into someone "finishing."

IIFloodyII said:
It's entirely skill dependent really, so kinda hard to say. Rogue like/lite you can usually get as much length out of them as you want as they are all about replaying.

thanks dudes, I guess that makes sense.

Equanimity · Apr 29, 2021

Transistor that avatar is kind of frightening

Good to see the review thread back up. Love what Housemarque have achieved with this game - such a solid entry in the AAA space for this studio.

Menchi · Apr 29, 2021

Hopefully my copy turns up before I'm home today. I've been so stoked to play this. Reviews are about what I expected, though I'm pretty confident this will remain a popular game throughout the gen

Deleted member 5086 · Apr 29, 2021

Chris Metal said:
Thanks peeps, but there are many awesome avatars.

Thank you again. ;)

Awesome work, dude.

Deleted member 30544 · Apr 29, 2021

Pretty decent reviews, to be honest i thought would be lower. So ready for tomorrow , i'm so happy i have a PS5 at this moment. Then RE8 ho boy.

This is the first time i see this thread I enter and see the Mod warning i felt like:

Androidsleeps · Apr 29, 2021

Good to see the positive reception, this would be an easy purchase for me if I had a PS5. I watched some chunks of gameplay from a streamer and I'm a bit confused by the difficulty talk, I'm not sure if he just got super lucky or what but he managed to go on for like 5 hours before dying after the tutorial and like another 5 after that apparently? If that's very doable then the run save might be a problem I guess?

AuthenticM · Apr 29, 2021

Aerith said:
Transistor love the new avatar.

Seconded. Also love yours as well.

Chris Metal :

iiicon · Apr 29, 2021

As an indigenous Canadian, whenever I read insensitive, unapologetic posts on here dressing down native American writers and their specific criticisms about the anti-Indigeneity worldviews inherent to many western works, I question why am I even here. I am clearly less important than the need to rehabilitate others over their anti-indigenous rhetoric. But in the last thread there was pushback on the general wave of resentment by users like GSR, A.By, Icolin, and others, or later threads by Daniel Westlake, so I just wanted to thank them for showing solidarity.

Huey · Apr 29, 2021

Thanks for the thread, Kyuuji - can't wait for the next one! lol

I'll just post my thoughts from the prior thread - congrats to one of the best and most consistent development teams out there, super deserved and I hope the huge number of reviews reflects major mindshare and sales for them

Returnal | Review Thread

The Favonius Fox

Hollowly Brittle

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account

Mayor of Clown Town

SayTan

Saw the truth behind the copied door

User requested account closure

2020 Member Elect

Community Resettler

Hollowly Brittle

Community Resettler

Avatar Master Painter

Jimbo Replacement

▲ Legend ▲

User requested account closure

cursed

User requested account closure

User Requested Account Closure

Son Altesse Sérénissime