Joseph Malkoun (Malk95)

Housemarque have made an incredible game. Whether it’s the engaging story or the brilliant atmosphere of the world, Returnal hooks you in as soon as you crash onto Atropos. Making really good use of the dualsense controller, Returnal’s gameplay is tight and fluid. The difficulty is very topical. It’s neither really hard or really easy, it all depends on how you approach a situation. If you approach a difficult area well equipped, you will find the encounter rather ok, however, by jumping head first without any upgrades, you put your character in high risk of dying for quick progression. It’s a subtle balance that players must tread. However, the game does not come without it faults, which is its progression. Now, I have heard from a lot of gamers that this game needs a save feature, however, not to spoil the story of the game, having a save feature does not fit in narratively. Rather, if the player could be able to return to the body from it last run and pick up its artefacts, integrity upgrades, weapons etc. the progression would be more felt and the game less punishing if, for whatever reason, the run would reset. If a feature like this is implemented, I would have no problem giving this game 4 or 5 stars but it’s that punishing progression that gives it a 3 star rating.