Returnal

Last updated

Returnal
Returnal cover art.jpg
Developer(s) Housemarque [a]
Publisher(s) Sony Interactive Entertainment
Director(s) Harry Krueger
Producer(s) Jari Hokkanen
Designer(s) Henri Mustonen
Programmer(s)
  • Ari Arnbjörnsson
  • Markku Velinen
Artist(s)
  • Ville Kinnunen
  • Suvi Järvinen
Writer(s)
  • Gregory Louden
  • Luke Maulding
Composer(s) Bobby Krlic
Engine Unreal Engine 4
Platform(s)
Release
  • PlayStation 5
  • April 30, 2021
  • Windows
  • February 15, 2023
Genre(s) Third-person shooter, roguelike
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Returnal is a 2021 roguelike third-person shooter video game developed by Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game was released for the PlayStation 5 on 30 April 2021 and for Windows on 15 February 2023. It follows Selene Vassos, an astronaut who lands on the planet Atropos in search of the mysterious "White Shadow" signal and finds herself trapped in a time loop.

Contents

Returnal received generally positive reviews from critics for its visuals, combat, audio design and technical achievements, though its difficulty and roguelike design were met with mixed opinions. It won several end-year accolades, including Best Game at the 18th British Academy Games Awards. The game had sold over 560,000 units by July 2021.

Gameplay

Pre-release gameplay of Returnal Returnal gameplay.gif
Pre-release gameplay of Returnal

Returnal is a third-person shooter video game [1] featuring roguelike elements and falling under the psychological horror genre. [2] [3] In a futuristic science fiction setting, the player controls Selene Vassos (Jane Perry), [4] 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 foreign environments and combating extraterrestrial entities with growing visions in an ever changing world. [5]

The game is split into two halves, each consisting of three biomes. If the player dies during a run, they are sent to the beginning of the half. Selene has the ability to dash and can later unlock a grappling hook that lets her shoot to predefined points in a room. The xenomorph enemies launch arcade-like geometric arrangements and colors of energy, lines, fireballs in expanding spiral, square and spherical arrays, hoops, lasers which require strategy to navigate. Players can find a variety of weapons in the game, ranging from a basic pistol to an Electropylon Driver. [6] Each weapon has unique traits that can be leveled up to unlock enhanced perks that can deal more damage. Selene additionally has a melee weapon that can be used to attack enemies, destroy resource geodes, or destroy barriers.

The Ascension update introduces online cooperative multiplayer, which allows up to two players to complete the game's campaign together. [7]

Plot

Disobeying orders, ASTRA Corporation pilot and explorer Selene Vassos attempts to land on the off-limits planet of Atropos to investigate what she dubs the "White Shadow" signal, which somehow seems familiar to her. Upon arrival, Selene's ship, Helios, suffers heavy damage and crash lands. Unable to contact ASTRA, Selene explores the planet and is shocked when she comes across corpses of herself. She learns that every time she dies, time loops back to the moment she crashed, sending her back to her starting point. The planet seems to change with every loop, and Selene begins experiencing vivid visions.

Resolving to find the source of the White Shadow, Selene presses on, fighting hostile alien lifeforms and scavenging alien technology left over from the advanced, extinct alien civilization that used to reside on Atropos. As she tracks the White Shadow, Selene comes across what appears to be a replica of her childhood home. Every time she enters it, she recalls old memories and repeatedly encounters an astronaut wearing an antique space suit. Selene eventually learns that she apparently used an alien weapon to paradoxically shoot down her own ship, thus making herself responsible for her being marooned on Atropos.

Eventually, Selene tracks down the source of the White Shadow. Afterwards, ASTRA is able to receive her distress call and sends a rescue ship. Selene returns to Earth and eventually dies of old age, only to reawaken back on Atropos, having looped back to the crash. Dismayed that she has failed to escape Atropos, Selene continues to explore the planet. Eventually, her search leads her to an underwater abyss below the planet's surface, where she finds a replica of an old car.

She proceeds to the bottom of the abyss where she encounters a massive, octopus-like alien creature. She is then shown a vision of a middle-aged woman, who looks similar to Selene, driving through a forest at night with a young child [b] in the back seat. While passing over a bridge, the woman sees the astronaut standing in the middle of the road and swerves to avoid it, driving the car off the bridge and into the lake below. The woman attempts to reach the now unconscious child but is pulled out of the car by dark cloud-like tentacles. A first-person perspective of the lake surface from below is then shown. The cloud-like tentacles reappear, pulling the viewer away from the surface and deeper into the lake.

If the player then continues the game after the closing credits, and collects six artifacts called "Sunface Fragments", Selene can then return to her home and recover a set of car keys. She then opens the car and confronts a pregnant humanoid creature seated in a wheelchair. Selene fights off the creature and is transported back to the car crash from the perspective of the astronaut, implying that she is the astronaut that the driver swerved to avoid. Selene then finds herself underwater and swims to the surface, crying out the name "Helios" [b] as she does.

Development

Returnal was developed by the Finnish firm Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. [8] The game was in development for more than four years. [9] It takes advantage of the PlayStation 5's DualSense controller and Tempest Engine to support advanced haptic feedback, 3D spatial audio, and real-time ray tracing effects, enhancing the player immersion experience. [10] [11] With the increased processing power and inclusion of a custom solid state drive storage in the PlayStation 5, the game features reduced loading times and a wide variety of enemies, visual effects, and objects within gameplay scenes. [12] Additionally, the game runs at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second. [11] Returnal's native resolution is around 1080p. The developers used temporal upsampling to get to 1440p and then checkerboard rendering to get to 4K. [13] Returnal also features an original score composed primarily by Bobby Krlic. [14]

The game's look relies heavily on a number of visual effects that the development team built in-house as extensions to Unreal Engine: The core visual style of the game relies heavily on particle systems and volumetric rendering. [15]

Returnal was revealed at Sony's PlayStation 5 reveal stream on 11 June 2020. [16] The game was exclusively developed for the PlayStation 5. [17] [18] The game was initially scheduled for a release on 19 March 2021. [19] On 28 January 2021, it was announced the release date was pushed back a month to 30 April 2021. [20] On 25 March 2021, it was announced that the game had gone gold. [21] A free update titled Ascension, which introduces a cooperative multiplayer mode and an endless mode known as the Tower of Sisyphus, was released on 22 March 2022. [7] On 8 December 2022, at The Game Awards 2022, it was announced that the game would be ported to PC in "early 2023". [22] It was released for Windows on 15 February 2023. [23]

Reception

Returnal received "generally favorable" reviews from critics according to review aggregator website Metacritic. [24]

In a review for IGN , Mitchell Saltzman enjoyed how the gameplay integrated with the story, writing that "It makes Selene an interesting protagonist who's in this weird repeating-but-different scenario along with us." Saltzman criticized the need to replay sections in order to reach a higher weapon proficiency, saying that it made the game "ridiculously difficult" and the only way the player could succeed was by grinding to reach a higher level. [36] Writing for The Guardian , Keza MacDonald gave the game a positive review, praising Returnal for its challenging difficulty, its rewarding combat, and engaging gameplay loop. MacDonald also praised the game for its visual and audio design, writing that "The planet looks and sounds extraordinary, each new area a distinctive biotechnological nightmare." [37]

The game's roguelike gameplay, which requires players to repeatedly play through levels following an in-game death, has been a divisive point among critics and players. In particular, Returnal has received some criticism from players for its lack of a save feature, while critics have been more mixed on its absence. Jon Bailes of GamesRadar+ wrote that the lack of a save feature should be understood as a deliberate choice which highlights the game's themes of mortality. Bailes stated that "Selene's traumatic endeavours were in tune with my attempts to finish the game. The lack of a save feature and extra stuff to do added another dimension to the emotional experience." [38]

Eurogamer 's Chris Tapsell wrote that "checkpoints only work once per run, so you better be sure when you spend half a day's resources on one." [39] He also noted that at one point during his time with Returnal, "I'd paused the game while on my best-ever run, and came back not two minutes later to find my loaner PS5 in the middle of an auto-update. I lost all progress on the run, roughly a whole morning of my life. Turn auto-updates off!" [40] Criticism of the save system from players and reviewers alike resulted in developer Housemarque issuing a statement that they were working to address the issue but did not know what form a save feature may take. [41] In October 2021, Housemarque released Update 2.0, which allows players to "suspend cycle" to save their game during a run. [42]

Sales

Returnal sold 6,573 physical units within its first week on sale in Japan, and was the 15th-best-selling retail game of the week in the country. [43] Based on physical sales of the game in the United Kingdom, the game debuted at no. 2 on the sales charts for the week ending 1 May 2021. [44] As of 18 July 2021, the game had sold over 560,000 units. [45]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryResultRef.
2021 Golden Joystick Awards Best AudioNominated [46] [47]
PlayStation Game of the YearNominated
The Game Awards 2021 Best Audio DesignNominated [48]
Best Action GameWon
Best Game DirectionNominated
2022 Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time ProjectNominated [49]
22nd Game Developers Choice Awards Best AudioNominated [50]
Best TechnologyNominated
25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Game of the Year Nominated [51]
Action Game of the Year Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design Won
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition Won
Outstanding Technical Achievement Nominated
18th British Academy Games Awards Best Game Won [52] [53]
Artistic AchievementNominated
Audio AchievementWon
Game Design Nominated
MusicWon
NarrativeNominated
Original PropertyNominated
Technical Achievement Nominated
Performer in a Leading Role (Jane Perry as Selene Vassos)Won
2023 Game Audio Network Guild Awards Best Physical Soundtrack ReleaseWon [54]

Notes

  1. ↑ Additional work and Windows port by Climax Studios
  2. 1 2 It is implied that the young child travelling in the car is named Helios by both the motion capture credit in the end credits and the name spelled out on the child's door in the house.
  3. ↑ Based on 115 scored reviews of 126 total reviews
  4. ↑ Based on 43 scored reviews of 46 total reviews

Related Research Articles

<i>Strange Adventures in Infinite Space</i> 2002 video game

Strange Adventures In Infinite Space is a roguelike video game created by the indie developer Digital Eel and released for Windows and Mac on March 15, 2002, by boardgame developer-publisher, Cheapass Games. Releases for Pocket PC and Palm by British developer-publisher Astraware followed. In 2020, the game was updated to run on current computer operating systems of the day. It remains free to download and share.

Housemarque Oy is a Finnish video game developer based in Helsinki. The company was founded by Ilari Kuittinen and Harri Tikkanen in July 1995, through the merger of their previous video game companies, Bloodhouse and Terramarque, both of which were founded in 1993 as Finland's first commercial developers. Housemarque is the oldest active developer in Finland and has about 110 employees as of 2023. It was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment in June 2021, becoming a part of PlayStation Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PlayStation Studios</span> Group of video game developers owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment

PlayStation Studios is a division of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) that oversees the video game development at the studios owned by SIE. The division was established as SCE Worldwide Studios in September 2005 and rebranded as PlayStation Studios in 2020.

<i>Super Stardust Delta</i> 2012 video game

Super Stardust Delta is a twin-stick multidirectional shooter video game for the PlayStation Vita handheld console. It is part of the Stardust series of games developed by the Finnish company Housemarque.

<i>Earth Defense Force</i> Science fiction shooter series

Earth Defense Force, known in Japan as Chikyū Bōeigun, is a science fiction third-person shooter video game series by D3 Publisher, originating as an offshoot of the Simple series. As of 2024, it consists of eleven entries and six main installments, developed and published by various studios and publishers since 2003, primarily Sandlot. The series follows the titular Earth Defense Force (EDF), an international armed force that fights to defend Earth from alien invasions by extraterrestrials that field massive insectoids in their war against humanity. Individual Earth Defense Force releases generally receive mixed or average reviews, but the series has been lauded for its simplistic but entertaining premise and campy tone, and it maintains a strong cult following.

<i>The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth</i> 2014 indie video game

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a roguelike indie game designed by Edmund McMillen and developed and published by Nicalis. Rebirth was released for Linux, Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in November 2014, for Xbox One, New Nintendo 3DS and Wii U in July 2015, for iOS in January 2017 and for Nintendo Switch in March 2017. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions were released in November 2021.

<i>Borderlands 3</i> 2019 video game

Borderlands 3 is a 2019 action role-playing first-person shooter video game developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K. It is a sequel to 2012's Borderlands 2, and the fourth entry in the main Borderlands series. Borderlands 3 was released on 13 September 2019 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, and released for macOS on 30 October 2019. A Stadia port was released on 17 December 2019. Versions for the Xbox Series X and Series S and PlayStation 5 including free upgrades for users on the prior console versions were released on 10 and 12 November 2020, respectively. A Nintendo Switch version was released on 6 October 2023.

<i>Hades</i> (video game) 2020 video game

Hades is a 2020 roguelike action role-playing game developed and published by Supergiant Games. It was released for macOS, Nintendo Switch, and Windows following an early access release in December 2018. It was later released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in August 2021, and was released for iOS in March 2024 through Netflix Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PlayStation 5</span> Sonys fifth home video game console

The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North America, and South Korea, and was released worldwide a week later. The PS5 is part of the ninth generation of video game consoles, along with Microsoft's Xbox Series X/S consoles, which were released in the same month.

<i>Deathloop</i> 2021 action-adventure video game developed by Arkane Studios

Deathloop is a 2021 first-person shooter immersive sim video game that was developed by Arkane Lyon and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is set on an island named Blackreef. The player assumes control of Colt Vahn, an assassin who is stuck in a time loop he must destroy by killing eight targets known as Visionaries before midnight when the time loop resets, while being hunted by the island's residents and a Visionary named Julianna, who wants to protect the loop. Each day is divided into morning, noon, afternoon, and evening, and moving between the island's four districts causes time to advance. Using Colt's diverse arsenal of gears and powers, the player must identify the optimal way to kill all targets in one day to execute the "golden loop", in which Colt breaks free.

<i>No More Heroes III</i> 2021 video game

No More Heroes III is a 2021 action-adventure hack and slash video game developed and published by Grasshopper Manufacture for the Nintendo Switch. Marvelous published the game in Japan. It is the fourth installment in the No More Heroes series and is the third mainline entry in the series. Set eleven years after the events of No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (2010), the game stars professional assassin Travis Touchdown and follows his return to the fictional city of Santa Destroy, as he must defend the world from a powerful army of alien invaders led by the galactic overlord prince FU and his nine soldiers who adopt the façade of galactic superheroes.

<i>Arknights</i> 2019 tower defense video game

Arknights is a free-to-play tactical RPG/tower defense mobile game developed by Chinese developer Hypergryph. It was released in China on 1 May 2019, in other countries on 16 January 2020, and in Taiwan on 29 June 2020. Arknights is available on Android and iOS platforms and features gacha game mechanics.

<i>Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart</i> 2021 video game

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a 2021 third-person shooter platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The sequel to Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus (2013) and the ninth main installment in the Ratchet & Clank series, it was released for the PlayStation 5 on June 11, 2021. A Windows port, developed by Nixxes Software, was released on July 26, 2023. The game received positive reviews from critics, with particular praise given to its visuals, combat, and technical advancements. It had sold over 3.97 million units by June 2023.

<i>Stray</i> (video game) 2022 video game

Stray is a 2022 adventure game developed by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive. The story follows a stray cat who falls into a walled city populated by robots, machines, and mutant bacteria, and sets out to return to the surface with the help of a drone companion, B-12. The game is presented through a third-person perspective. The player traverses the game world by leaping across platforms and climbing up obstacles, and can interact with the environment to open new paths. Using B-12, they can store items found throughout the world and hack into technology to solve puzzles. Throughout the game, the player must evade the antagonistic Zurks and Sentinels, which attempt to kill them.

<i>God of War Ragnarök</i> 2022 video game

God of War Ragnarök is a 2022 action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released worldwide on November 9, 2022, for both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, marking the first cross-gen release in the God of War series, and was released for Windows on September 19, 2024. It is the ninth installment in the series, the ninth chronologically, and the sequel to 2018's God of War. Loosely based on Norse mythology, the game is set in ancient Scandinavia and features series protagonist, Kratos, and his now teenage son, Atreus. Concluding the Norse era of the series, the story follows Kratos and Atreus' efforts to prevent the nine realms from being destroyed by Ragnarök, the eschatological event which is central to Norse mythology and was foretold to happen in the previous game after Kratos killed the Aesir god Baldur.

<i>HyperParasite</i> 2019 video game

HyperParasite is a roguelike shooter video game developed and published by Troglobytes Games. Early prototypes of the game were distributed through Steam's early access program in 2019. The game was released on 3 April 2020 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, which was followed by a physical release for the Switch on 19 February 2021. The game received generally positive reviews, earning praise for its uniqueness and design and criticism for its difficulty.

<i>Rogue Legacy 2</i> 2022 video game

Rogue Legacy 2 is a platform video game developed and published by Cellar Door Games. It is the sequel to 2013's Rogue Legacy, and the game was released for Windows via early access in August 2020. The full version was released in April 2022, for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, followed by a Nintendo Switch port in November. The game was released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in June 2023.

<i>The Persistence</i> 2018 video game

The Persistence is a survival horror video game developed and published by Firesprite. Originally released for the virtual reality headset PlayStation VR in July 2018, the game was released for PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One in May 2020. An Enhanced version of the game was released for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S in June 2021.

<i>Endless Dungeon</i> 2023 video game

Endless Dungeon is a tower defense twin-stick shooter video game developed by Amplitude Studios and published by Sega. The game is a successor to Dungeon of the Endless (2014) and was released on October 19, 2023, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and Series S.

References

  1. ↑ Fingas, Jon (11 June 2020). "'Returnal' for PS5 is Housemarque's most ambitious game yet". Engadget. Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  2. ↑ Makedonski, Brett (11 June 2020). "Housemarque's first PS5 game is Returnal, an alien psychological horror third-person shooter". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 27 December 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  3. ↑ Purchese, Robert (11 June 2020). "Housemarque reveals PS5 science-fiction mind-bender Returnal". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  4. ↑ Louden, Greg (17 March 2021). "Returnal: Four mysteries from the new story trailer answered". Playstation official site. Archived from the original on 5 December 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  5. ↑ Gilliam, Ryan (11 June 2020). "Resogun creators announce PlayStation 5 game, Returnal". Polygon. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  6. ↑ James, Ford (21 December 2021). "Returnal best weapons and guns to try out in Atropos". gamesradar. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  7. 1 2 Gartenberg, Chaim (9 March 2022). "Returnal is getting co-op and a survival mode in a free 'Ascension' update". The Verge . Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  8. ↑ Walker, Alex (20 April 2021). "Returnal Continues To Look Like The PS5's Coolest Exclusive". Kotaku Australia. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  9. ↑ Lyons, Ben (20 May 2021). "Returnal was in development for "four years plus some"". gamereactor.eu. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  10. ↑ Saed, Sherif (11 June 2020). "Returnal is Housemarque's new PS5 shooter". VG247. Archived from the original on 19 December 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  11. 1 2 Doke, Shunal (21 April 2021). "Returnal Will Support Ray Tracing and 60 Frames Per Second at 1080p Resolution upscaled to 4k". IGN India. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  12. ↑ Pepito, Christan (4 July 2020). "Returnal to Take Advantage of PS5 Hardware and Peripherals for Relentless and Immersive Gameplay". Sirus Gaming. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  13. ↑ Birch, Nathan (30 April 2021). "Returnal's 4K Image is Upscaled from 1080p, Performance Mostly 60fps With Some Drops". Wccftech. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  14. ↑ "The music of Returnal: an interview with composer Bobby Krlic". PlayStation.Blog. 9 April 2021. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  15. ↑ "Returnal - VFX Breakdown | PS5". 16 September 2021. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023– via www.youtube.com.
  16. ↑ Faulkner, Cameron (11 June 2020). "Watch the 24 biggest trailers from the PS5 event". The Verge . Archived from the original on 10 October 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  17. ↑ Carr, James (11 June 2020). "Returnal Is An Upcoming PS5 Shooter From Nex Machina And Resogun Devs". Gamespot. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  18. ↑ Stedman, Alex (11 June 2020). "PlayStation 5 First Details Revealed: New 'Spider-Man,' 'Horizon' Games Unveiled (Watch the Trailers)". Variety . Archived from the original on 27 December 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  19. ↑ Sheridan, Connor; Wood, Austin (20 December 2020). "Returnal release date confirmed in new gameplay trailer at The Game Awards". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 10 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  20. ↑ Gilliam, Ryan (28 January 2021). "PS5 exclusive Returnal delayed to April". Polygon. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  21. ↑ Williams, Callum (25 March 2021). "PS5 Exclusive Returnal Has Gone Gold". GameRant. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  22. ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (9 December 2022). "The Game Awards 2022: Everything Announced". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  23. ↑ "Returnal launches on PC February 15". PlayStation.Blog. 18 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  24. 1 2 "Returnal for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  25. ↑ "Returnal for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  26. ↑ Carter, Chris. "Review: Returnal". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  27. ↑ Tack, Daniel. "Returnal Review – Haunting Harmony". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  28. ↑ Epstein, Mike. "Returnal Review - Live Die Repeat". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  29. ↑ Tyrer, Ben (29 April 2021). "Returnal review: "Sony's most beguilingly weird blockbuster in a long time"". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  30. ↑ Saltzman, Mitchell (29 April 2021). "Returnal Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  31. ↑ L'avis de Silent_Jay (29 April 2021). "Test Returnal : Le roguelite exclu PS5 serait-il la vraie bonne surprise ?". Jeuxvideo.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  32. ↑ Valentine, Robin (15 February 2023). "Returnal review". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  33. ↑ Tailby, Stephen (29 April 2021). "Returnal Review (PS5)". Push Square. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  34. ↑ Grubb, Jeff (29 April 2021). "Returnal review — like beating your head against a fun wall". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  35. ↑ Billcliffe, James (29 April 2021). "Returnal Review Housemarque's PS5 Exclusive is all about Control". VG247. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  36. ↑ Returnal Review - IGN, 29 April 2021, archived from the original on 25 December 2021, retrieved 19 June 2021
  37. ↑ "Returnal review – epic dance of death with beautiful, brutal aliens". the Guardian. 12 May 2021. Archived from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  38. ↑ May 2021, Jon Bailes 24 (24 May 2021). "Returnal doesn't need a save system, it needs you to embrace mortality". gamesradar. Archived from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  39. ↑ Tapsell, Chris (29 April 2021). "Returnal review - magnificent and monstrous". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  40. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (1 May 2021). "Housemarque says "we hear the community" as Returnal players call for save and quit option". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  41. ↑ "Returnal Devs Are "Actively Trying" to Address Save Concerns". Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  42. ↑ Rivera, Joshua (26 October 2021). "Returnal's latest update fixes the game's biggest problem". Polygon . Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  43. ↑ Romano, Sal (13 May 2021). "Famitsu Sales: 4/26/21 – 5/9/21 [Update 2]". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  44. ↑ Square, Push (3 May 2021). "UK Sales Charts: PS5 Roguelike Returnal Off to Slower Start Than Other Sony Exclusives". Push Square. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  45. ↑ "PlayStation 5 Surpasses 10 Million Units Sold, Remains the Fastest Selling Console in Sony Interactive Entertainment History". businesswire. 28 July 2021. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  46. ↑ "The Game Awards Nominees: 'Deathloop,' 'Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart' Lead 2021 List". Gamesradar. 19 October 2021. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  47. ↑ Tyrer, Ben (23 November 2021). "Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2021 winners". GamesRadar+ . Future plc. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  48. ↑ "The Game Awards Nominees: 'Deathloop,' 'Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart' Lead 2021 List". Deadline. 16 November 2021. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  49. ↑ Tangcay, Jazz (18 January 2022). "'Dune' and 'Encanto' Lead Visual Effects Society Nominations". Variety . Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  50. ↑ Van Allen, Eric (11 January 2022). "Nominees for the 2022 Game Developers Choice Awards have been revealed". Destructoid . Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  51. ↑ Fanelli, Jason (13 January 2022). "Ratchet & Clank Leads 2022 DICE Awards With 9 Nominations". GameSpot . Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  52. ↑ Purslow, Matt (3 March 2022). "BAFTA Games Awards 2022 Nominations Announced". IGN . Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  53. ↑ Reitman, Alex (16 March 2022). "BAFTA Games Awards: Performance Nominations Unveiled". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  54. ↑ Flam, Charna (23 March 2023). "'God of War Ragnarök' Leads Game Audio Network Guild Awards With 14 Wins (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.