So many gamers are excited about the release of next-gen consoles from Microsoft and Sony. Both have a lot of exciting features and specs. What could be the deciding factor for gamers weighing their next-gen options is exclusive games.
Both systems have announced a couple, but the PS5 could be edging the Xbox Series X — at least for now. There are a lot of great exclusives coming and one of the more promising is Returnal, a third-person shooter featuring sci-fi and psychological horror elements.
The game is being developed exclusively for the PS5 from Housemarque. It currently doesn’t have a release date, but just recently, a breakdown of how the game will play and what it will be about was included on the official PlayStation store.
First, let’s revisit the game’s premise. It centers around a female heroine named Selene. After crashing on a mysterious planet featuring ancient ruins, she comes into contact with threatening alien life. They’re menacing and will force Selene into some precarious situations.
A pretty big hook in Returnal is each time Selene dies, she starts her journey over in hopes of having better success next time. It’s like Groundhog Day and Happy Death Day, only with sci-fi themes incorporated throughout. On paper, it sounds like a very intriguing concept.
Another highlight from this recent gameplay description is the game will have roguelike elements. Each time you play, the planet changes dramatically. That means Selene will have to use different resources and systems each time. That makes gameplay highly re-playable. Each time you go through the planet, you never know what threats, environments, or items you’ll find.
If you’re a player that likes using the same strategies and keeping a consistent pace, you’ll have to drastically switch up tactics in Returnal. No one strategy is a cure-all for the alien threats and mysteries Selene is forced to figure out in hopes of surviving.
The journey in this game seems like an unforgiving one. Just as you think you have momentum, variables change and you have to start all over. The haunting elements also make this game quite unique. You’ll be walking on egg shells figuring out which way to go and how to take out the alien life that you’re not sure how will respond to your presence.
There are a lot of great games coming out for the PS5, but Returnal seems like a must-own title for this advanced console already.