I’m sure by this point we all know that, in space, nobody can hear you scream but that doesn’t make it any less chilling when presented with a scream-worthy scenario. Revealed today during the PS5 Future of Gaming Event, Returnal from Housemarque (there’s your bingo slot for those that called the return of Housemarque to a Sony launch) looks to be exactly the kind of instance that I’d want to be screaming my head off. Showcasing an impressive character model and an impending kind of doom that only comes with a combination of eldritch space horrors and the questioning of one’s reality. Space, am I right?
Sony describes Returnal as: “combining side-scrolling action with roguelike gameplay into a third-person shooter where players fight to survive a hostile planet that changes with every death. Players can switch instinctively between firing modes by using a single adaptive trigger and can get right back into the action after dying. PS5’s immersive 3D audio brings the alien world to life around the player, helping players navigate the intense positional combat. Coming to PlayStation 5.”
The added information about how DualSense’s adaptive trigger will play into the gun-heavy play of Returnal looks interesting and the game more than just a little bit of a Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice vibe. The voice-over from our main character stresses the losing of her sanity, with memories from the past seemingly becoming part of this strange planet that changes each time she dies and reawakens. Sure, it’s no Pixel Junk Eden but I guess it’ll have to do. That said, it’s cool to see a long-standing developer like Housemarque come out of the game with something new and exciting, as well as something we haven’t seen from them before.
Expect to hear more about Returnal as the year continues on, coming at some point to the PlayStation 5.
