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Returnal Hands-On Impressions (PS5) – A Roguelike Of AAA Quality That Isn’t Pulling Any Punches

Bramble

Member
I was looking forward to this but somehow missed the fact its a roguelike which is one genre I really dont enjoy unless it has the 'lite' elements where over time you get more powerful to make it easier. £70 saved for me, will buy Judgment instead and possibly pick this up in a sale.

And somehow you also missed your character get's better after each run and you retain some of the skills/equipment you earn along the way. Also boss enemies just require to be defeated a single time.
 

Raonak

Banned
Always wanted to see what a AAA rougelike felt like. Really keen for this, the gameplay looks amazing and the dualsense features sound so fucking hype.

And I don't really understands the complaints about it being rougelike. It's just a natural evolution of the arcade games housemarque used to make.

This gonna have tons of replay value.
 

Bojanglez

The Amiga Brotherhood
But, there is one baffling oversight that made me shake my head in disbelief when I discovered it. Most roguelikes have a built-in save feature that allows you to save at specific points or in the middle of a run, so that you don’t lose your progress and can pick back up from where you were, even if you had to run and complete an errand. Well, Returnal doesn’t.

Instead, if you quit the game or turn off your PS5 in the middle of a cycle you will lose all progress you have made in that cycle, starting back at your ship with nothing but the permanent progression upgrades you have made.
It all sounds awesome, but this is what will probably stop me from getting it day 1. I have a kid that wakes up and switches on the PS5 to play first thing in the morning, if I'm on a long run late at night but can't get it done, I suspend the game, I could find it wiped the next day (if he boots another game). This is where a 'Quick Resume' feature like on XSX|S is great (if it works reliably). It might not be an issue, I'll have to see what people say about the loop when it comes out. The game looks incredible and I love every Housmarque game I've ever played so want to support it, but we will see.
 

Zok310

Banned
Game looks good, glad it’s getting glowing previews.
That being said, it’s still don’t look like something I would enjoy.
 

Shmunter

Member
The Control parallels are music to my ears. The Gigeresque environment is also highly appealing. The mystery and plot sound compelling, I do enjoy high concept sci-fi.

The procedural nature is a bit of an eyebrow raiser however, but I do understand this is central to the gameplay.

Not familiar with the genre, but am looking forward to partake at the next opportunity.
 

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
returnal-hands-on-impressions-ps5-a-roguelike-of-aaa-quality-that-isnt-pulling-any-punches-1.jpg


UMMHHH, just no, it looks like upscaled face from PS2, does not look 3D or how to put it, otherwise games looking good.
 

Orpheum

Member
Did anyone catch if we can remap buttons? i enjoy dodging mapped to a shoulder button a tad bit more than circle in shooters
 

whattheduck

Banned
I think this is one of those games that looks fairly nice in a console's launch window but will look utterly dated by the time we are 3-4 years into the PS5's life. That doesn't matter much though - game looks cool.
 

Shmunter

Member
Looks like Sony has a sizeable hit here.....Eurogamer

“Returnal shows that Sony can still be weird and daring”

“...brilliantly, deliriously video game-y”

“Like Death Stranding this is an indie that's epic in scope, and likewise it's not a game that comes up short when it comes to spectacle. Is it triple-A or isn't it? I'm not sure if there's a scientific way to determine that one way or another”

 

Bo_Hazem

Banned


That is the best preview among all of them, very comprehensive and deep. I'm happy that it's not a rushy game and has so much exploration going on. Also I like the idea that although you respawn from the beginning you can easily transport to a shortcut to your last place. Also it looks to be decently balanced in terms of difficulty, I thought it would be overwhelmingly difficult. I think they could've pushed difficulty more without the respawn-from-the-beginning mechanic. Also great to see that older places are reshaping and there is a lot to explore and revisit them regularly. The square doors for main goal and the rest for optional are smart as well.

Overall looks like a wonderful game.
 
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skit_data

Member
I was looking forward to this but somehow missed the fact its a roguelike which is one genre I really dont enjoy unless it has the 'lite' elements where over time you get more powerful to make it easier. £70 saved for me, will buy Judgment instead and possibly pick this up in a sale.
It is a roguelite, upgrades and weapons are permanent. The story progression is linear, and you unlock shortcuts.
 
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FunkMiller

Member
I was out of this one as nothing was really doing it for me... but these previews are tempting me again. It sounds like a decent rogue lite and I’m interested to see one done on a triple AAA budget. Very pleased it looks to have a decent storyline, with some mystery and a good amount of exploration. Rogues can be a little shallow on those aspects, so pleased this one looks to have a bit more depth.

Still way too fucking expensive in the U.K. though. Seventy quid (or about 97 US dollars) is fucking obscene.
 

Papacheeks

Banned
Are you?

Psu and ps blog are the only hands on impressions.... oh and push square. Obviously pro sony sites.

Edit: Kotaku is the only one that doesn't have a PlayStation reference in its name. But hands on didn't even initially pop up on search.

Literally there is a thread that has GAME INFORMER playing the first 45 minutes, Ign has 17 minutes of it at 4k/60.
 
You can’t fix something that is not issue lol
You need to learn to speak for yourself, mate. Saying that the game doesn't need a saving feature because you got rest mode is just completely missing the point. Not only is it socially irresponsible, but I personally like to turn my consoles off if I'm done using them so this is an issue for me whether you approve of it or not lol

That being said, the game itself looks quite good -- and I didn't now they included a sort of "shortcut" mechanic after you die. Perhaps that helps soften the blow a little bit, especially if the game is not that long? Either way, I'm waiting for more robust impressions from you lads (especially regarding mechanics) once it launches and everyone has a chance to give it a go.
 
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ethomaz

Banned
You need to learn to speak for yourself, mate. Saying that the game doesn't need a saving feature because you got rest mode is just completely missing the point. Not only is it socially irresponsible, but I personally like to turn my consoles off if I'm done using them so this is an issue for me whether you approve of it or not lol

That being said, the game itself looks quite good -- and I didn't now they included a sort of "shortcut" mechanic after you die. Perhaps that helps soften the blow a little bit, especially if the game is not that long? Either way, I'm waiting for more robust impressions from you lads (especially regarding mechanics) once it launches and everyone has a chance to give it a go.
I do think the rest mode workaround seems to be a issue that they can fix later.
The game is suppose to not have savings at all.

It forces you to die and back to start every time you will play it.
You should start from beginning by design.
 
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azertydu91

Hard to Kill
Why do you guys even bother to reply to him.

He's a known Xbox fan and often trolls PS threads. Just have a look at his post history and it will tell you all you need to know.

Just don't engage him in any discussions. Nothing good comes from it or use the ignore button.
And miss him stumbling with poorly thought points that are irrelevant at best in a pedantic tone?Why miss it, it's so funny, like a kid caught lying that dig deeper and deeper in its own confusion.
I've had more coherent discussions with seniors suffering from dementia.
 

GamesAreFun

Banned
The gameplay looks very solid, but the price for a rogue-like is absurd. Sony need to learn a harsh lesson, and I feel sorry that Housemarque will be the victims of this new policy.

They also missed a trick making the character unattractive - a pretty face & a bit of fan-service would have gained a bunch more sales.
 

reinking

Gold Member
It is starting to look like all of the Concern Concern was for nothing?


I do wonder if they will patch an easier play mode once the masses gets their hands on it and complain that it is too hard. That worked for the Souls games but I am not sure the majority of people like getting abused by rogue-type games. Especially if they have amped up the difficulty.
 

Mr Hyde

Member
Looks so fucking good. Can't wait. Was unsure about buying day one but this looks right up my alley. I also crave for more games utilizing the DualSense and Returnal looks like it does it perfectly. Every preview has been positive, and it seems to deliver that high concept, intense sci fi gameplay. I'm hoping for a challenging experience. PS5 is on fire with its launch, first Demon's Souls and now Returnal. Good times ahead.
 
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