Returnal test: an excellent rogue-lite exclusive to the PS5

We're not going to lie to each other, a pretty film of dust has already settled on our PlayStation 5. It must be said that since Demon's Souls last November, it's a dry regime for the lucky and happy owners of Sony's new console. But by a pretty symbolism, it is precisely thanks to a game on the theme of the temporal cycle that the publisher puts an end to its lean period.

Returnal hasn't really excited the crowds so far. Presented alongside other behemoths such as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Project Athia (which has since become Forspoken) or the enigmatic Pragmata, Housemarque's new project was quickly relegated to the rank of a second-rate game.

But since last summer, new trailers have nevertheless managed to plant the small seed of interest among the most attentive observers. So what is this third person action game; mixing bullet hell and rogue-lite mechanics, while not omitting a certain narrative dimension? Well it's all that, but also much more.

Returnal test: an excellent rogue-lite exclusive to the PS5 Voir le prixLire la conclusionReturnal

Brilliant usage from DualSense
Nervous and well-paced gameplay
Perfect progression curve for newcomers
Weapons with a varied feeling

Animations a little stiff
Level design and sometimes uninspired chara design
Some readability issues at the start of the game
Impossible to turn off your console during a run

Back to square one

It all starts with a flash. A "white shadow", as Selene, the protagonist of Returnal, describes it. A signal picked up at random from space wanderings by this scout, which causes a very thorny crash on the planet of Atropos. A star about which, of course, we initially know nothing.

Helios, our heroine's ship, is in poor condition. Impossible to resume our journey, and even less to call for help. No need to draw you a picture: it will be a question of rolling up your sleeves and going to confront the hostility of Atropos.

Only something is wrong. A corpse in the distance catches Selene's attention. Intrigued, the astronaut approaches it and discovers, horrified, that it is his own body. Both the protagonist and the player immediately understand what it is: we are stuck in a time loop. Loop that it is up to us to break in order, perhaps, to return home.

An incipit fatally enough agreed for a game which claims to be rogue-lite, but which lays the first stones of a vaporous narration which will serve as a carrot for the player to continue his quest.

It also allows novices to understand in an instant that death is part of the game, and that one should not be overly moved by it. Like us, Selene has already died dozens, hundreds of times. And, with each new attempt to unlock the secrets of Atropos, she has come one step further. The rogue-lite explained to beginners.

For a few runs Furthermore

Quickly, we find ourselves confronted with the first enemies. The fauna of Atropos includes in its ranks a variety of creatures, ranging from ferocious quadrupeds to levitating octopuses, spitting out a captivating ballet of balls of energy capable of reducing you to dust in seconds.

Because, you see, in Returnal, we don't just die. We also fight. And with panache.

Initially quite sparse, our inventory is filled over the runs of permanent equipment that radically changes the way of understanding the clashes. We will only mention (to avoid spoiling anything) the energy sword, which allows you to temporize by going to rub against the opponent in close combat - and which is also the only way to break a shield and access certain halls, metroidvania way.

But the nerve of the war, it remains the weapons. A total of 10 guns can be unlocked. However, Selene is not one of those video game heroes who can get carried away at will. You can only carry one weapon with you at a time. A less definitive choice than it seems, since you will regularly come across an enemy or a chest that will leave behind an assault rifle, a pistol or a rocket launcher.

Better: each opponent knocked down will increase your mastery gauge, which determines the level of the next weapons you will recover. To put it another way: Returnal encourages you to change weapons regularly in order to adapt to the increasing aggressiveness of the enemies that stand in your way.

Do not turn off your console!

It's an inexplicable choice, but Returnal absolutely does not allow players to save their progress. You will tell us that it makes sense for a rogue-lite. And we will then take the example of Hades or the recent Curse of the Dead Gods, which allow us to save our progress whenever we want to come back to it in a future session.

On Returnal, this is impossible. If you turn off your console, or start another game, it's back to square one. The only alternative is therefore to abuse the PlayStation 5's standby feature. A most curious choice when you know that a good run of Returnal can sometimes last more than an hour. Also, we admit to being a little uncomfortable with the idea of encouraging people to leave an electrical device running unnecessarily in 2021. We bet that an update will be able to bring a little more flexibility to all this.

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Returnal is generous in loot, be it consumables or weapons.

We also need to talk about weapon upgrade mechanics. The more you play with the same type of weapon during a run, the more it will be enhanced with bonuses as varied as homing heads, leeches that drain the life of enemies over time and so on. Housemarque's message is clear: have fun, and experiment with different weapons until you find the best combination for you.

Because all weapons of the same type do not mechanically have the same secondary fire (accessible via a “strong” pressure on the left adaptive trigger – which also opposes a nice resistance). There are grenades, but also a death ray or proximity mines. In short, once again: variety is in order. And whatever your choice, you will have to master the delicate art of reloading in any case.

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You will change weapons a lot in Returnal.

A DualSense controller put to good use

We were already particularly excited by the technical demonstration of the capabilities of the DualSense controller in Astro's Playroom. But Returnal is the first "real" game to take full advantage of it.

From the first cinematic, the precision of the vibrations will make you experience Selene's crash like no other game has managed to do before. The passage in an asteroid field becomes palpable. Gone are the days when you put down your controller to enjoy a cutscene. It must now be kept in hand to obtain additional immersion. And we want more!

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The crash scene immediately gives you the measure of the DualSense's potential.

The first zone of the game is also watered by endless rain. You see it coming: each drop on our heroine's suit is thus transcribed by the controller with an accuracy that is difficult to describe in words.

In combat, the features of the DualSense are also put to good use. We talked about it above: the secondary fire is accessible by fully depressing the left trigger (L2). To aim, you have to hold the trigger halfway. The resistance offered by these adaptive triggers naturally accompanies our finger in the exercise. Finally, the loudspeaker integrated into the controller also sends sound information allowing, for example, to know if we have succeeded or not in our perfect recharge (see below).

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A short press will aim the primary fire, and a full press on L2 triggers the secondary fire.

Deeper gameplay than it looks

If there is no reason to fear the lack of ammunition in Returnal, you have to agree to comply with the exercise of the perfect reload. Like a certain Gears of War, it is possible to – literally – overload your weapon by triggering the recharge at the right time. A little gymnastics to which you have to get used to, in that the gauge allowing you to overload your weapon is displayed in the middle of your screen.

Where the action is most frenetic. In other words, it is sometimes difficult to see her, and therefore frequent to miss the reloading of her weapon. You end up getting used to it, but the first few hours are a bit painful.

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See the gold bar in the center of the image? This is the reload indicator. Not very legible in combat.

Added to this is the adrenaline mechanics, which grants powerful bonuses if the player manages to eliminate enough enemies without getting hit. We obtain for example the possibility of seeing the enemies through the obstacles, we still have an extended collection area for the obolites (the currency of the game) in order to obtain a maximum before they disappear.

Third layer of the thick nesting doll that represents the game design of Returnal: the malfunctions. Much like a Curse of the Dead Gods, you will occasionally find noxious chests that are said to contain great treasure, but which may cause your suit to malfunction. A curse, in other words.

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Take the slightest impact, and your adrenaline gauge (and the bonuses that go with it) is reset.

A risk/benefit ratio is then established which sometimes causes real dilemmas for the player. Should I open this chest which may contain a higher level weapon at the risk of being (momentarily) handicapped? Housemarque also pushes the vice to offer cursed healing items that have a 50% chance of healing you… and a 50% chance of causing you damage. Cornelian choice, when the situation is critical.

Finally, let's talk about parasites. These little indigenous critters (with a design very inspired by the facehuggers of the Alien saga) work on the same principle. They grant you tremendous advantages, but at the same time take away valuable faculties. For example, you can agree to significantly increase your life bar, by sacrificing some of your firepower. But in any case, nothing is set in stone: various machines make it possible to repair malfunctions or remove parasites that have finally become more annoying than anything else.

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Harmful items put you at risk, but often hold valuable rewards.

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Parasites are major assets that also come with their share of handicaps.

In this sense, we understand that Returnal is a rogue-lite that does not fundamentally want to harm you. The safe-conducts are numerous. In general, the different biomes are not stingy in healing, represented by green crystals visible from afar. The life bar can also double, and even more if you find the appropriate objects and improvements. Some relics can bring you back to life in the event of death, and you can even mold your body into a kind of alien sarcophagus to reappear there after a failure (thus saving you from restarting a run from the crash site). Moreover, the most skilled in platform games can go and rub shoulders with optional rooms where their reflexes will be put to the test.

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Platform game experts can also have fun in the optional rooms.

Ball ballet

Housemarque doesn't really have any lessons to learn when it comes to shoot'em up and bullet hell. But the Finnish studio has so far cut its teeth on titles in 2D, or in isometric view. Switching to a third-person shooter isn't a snap.

If the view from above of a Nex Machina offers the player optimal visibility of enemy projectiles, it is not the same in Returnal, where the camera is placed behind the character. Thus, it is not uncommon to misjudge the distance at which an enemy orb is, or to be surprised by a shock wave coming from behind you. A small hitch in this mesh yet well braided, to which we end up fortunately getting used to dint of knowing (and recognizing) the pattern of the different enemies.

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Bullet hell : illustration

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Oddly enough, bosses aren't the most insurmountable stages in the game.

A rather uninspired artistic direction

If we are generally enthusiastic about Returnal, we must still temper our opinion with remarks on its artistic direction. It's simple: she takes no risks. Some enemies stand out of course, but the environments are very agreed and especially already seen elsewhere.

On the graphics side, Housemarque's game is not a slap in the face. But in any case, it ensures a dynamic 4K resolution and a constant 60 frames per second. What make the clashes even more frenetic.

Fortunately, the refined (and never aggressive) compositions of Bobby Krlic (author, in particular, of the soundtrack of the film Midsommar) are there to raise the level and captivate our ears while our eyes are a little bored. .

There is no need to worry, in Returnal, to find yourself confronting new adversaries or to evolve in completely unknown territory. Each biome has a set number of rooms which, while rearranging between attempts, are not procedurally generated. We assure you: you will end up knowing the different arenas of the game by heart, and you will only be more effective in overcoming your opponents.

And it is also when you feel most comfortable to apprehend a fight that Returnal offers this rush of adrenaline specific to frantic shooters. There's DOOM: Eternal in Housemarque's game. This feeling of being overwhelmed by enemy troops, with at the same time tremendous mobility that allows you to get out of a bad patch using a dash or other tools that we keep secret.

Also, that players who fear too high a difficulty can be reassured.

Returnal is never unfair, let alone insurmountable. Proof of the magnanimity of the Finnish studio: you can leave a room in the middle of a fight if you find yourself in difficulty. You are free to play like a coward by posting yourself at the edge of the door, which you will only open to fire a salvo of lasers before going back to hiding. Not very sporty, but functional.

In any case, the best among you will also have the opportunity to “avenge” their fellows. Indeed you will occasionally fall on the corpse of other players and will be able to face the enemies who got the better of them if you wish. If so, you'll get a nice reward in the form of 5 Ether, a particularly valuable second currency.

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Various manufacturers allow you to spend in-game currency to buy items or consumables.

Finally, if Returnal does not have a multiplayer mode strictly speaking, players can compete every day in the daily challenge ranking. The concept is simple: a biome, an imposed weapon, and a score counter. Each room explored, each enemy beaten and your timer increases it, and each hit suffers it decreases.

A ranking is thus set up to compare yourself to your friends or other people on your server, but in the end it matters little. All participants who manage to complete the mission leave with a small batch of ethers to spend on the builders of the game.

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The daily challenges bring a small dose of welcome scoring to the initial formula.

The hut at the bottom of the garden

Fortunately, Returnal also knows how to slow down the tempo. We told you about it above: Housemarque's action game is not just an alien genocide simulator. Several stories mingle in the background, starting with that of the indigenous people of the planet Atropos who, it seems, have known a tragic destiny. Like the latest opuses of Tomb Raider, or even No Man's Sky, you will be able to unearth lexical references which will allow you to decipher steles which chronicle the decline of the Sentients – the small name of the premises.

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It's up to you to decipher the xenoglyphs to reconstruct the history of Atropos.

Returnal also offers some very narrative sequences in the first person; you could see snippets of it in several trailers. It turns out that a mysterious house will sometimes appear between two rooms filled with monsters. Not just any: Selene's. Scenario passages between delirium and dreamlike, essential to put together the pieces of the puzzle that has been playing out before our eyes since the beginning of the adventure.

It's in these moments of pure drama that Returnal offers something rare for a rogue-lite: genuine purpose. Always ending with a cliffhanger, these sequences call for others, which themselves will push you to continue your exploration of Atropos in the hope of obtaining more answers.

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Purely narrative, the sequences in Selene's house are very successful.

To add depth to all this, Returnal also knows how to draw inspiration from the masters of sibylline storytelling. As in a Souls or Hollow Knight, you have to think about observing the description of certain objects to get clues about Selene's past. In short, an action game not only very well designed for members of the gameplay school, but also a screenplay varnish that is not just there to look pretty.

The payoff for this emotional investment in Selene's quest is obvious. Difficult, once the adventure is complete, to find an interest in restarting the game despite the promise of infinite replayability. We have already said it: at this stage of the adventure, you will already know the biomes, the enemies and the bosses at your fingertips.

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Returnal has a beginning, a middle, and an end, contrary to what its rogue-lite label would suggest.

Returnal: Clubic's opinion

We looked down on it, Returnal. Signed from a studio that had never before been able to prove its worth on a major project, we only gave it a polite smile before turning our eyes to supposedly more exciting titles for our PlayStation 5. brand new.

Cruel mistake. Housemarque initials its best game here. Infused with the expertise of the Finnish studio in frantic shooters and other bullet hells, it also knows how to draw inspiration from the most beautiful crowned heads to offer a nice reinterpretation of the rogue-lite genre which we were almost beginning to weary.

But Returnal is not just that. It will be savored both by players looking for arcade-style gameplay and by people who come to find a mysterious story, which they and they will take pleasure in dissecting.

Also, we should not misunderstand the intentions of this new PS5 exclusive. However “rogue” it is, Returnal will not necessarily encourage you to set foot there once the infernal cycle in which Selene is trapped is broken. Even if daily challenges can keep you going, you will always be faced with the same rooms, the same enemies and the same bosses, thus cutting short the infinite replayability sketched by the studio.

A proposal that will nevertheless suit those allergic to the genre, or players intimidated by the time investment required by Hades or Binding of Isaac. With Returnal, you sign for thirty hours, maximum. But damn it, what a trip.

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We didn't see it coming, but Returnal is an excellent action game with multiple layers of gameplay. It will suit fans of frenetic shooters as well as rogue-lite fans or people who seek above all to immerse themselves in an intriguing universe full of mysteries. A great exclusive for the PlayStation 5.