Housemarque's PS5 exclusive Returnal is one of the most anticipated games of this year. Ever since being announced during Sony's PlayStation 5 reveal event back in June of 2020, the game has become the subject of many expectations and speculation, mostly due to the game being one of the console's earliest exclusive titles.
Developer Housemarque is known for its work on PS4 twin-stick shooter Resogun, and fans believe that Returnal could have a lot of potential to show for itself. Many details about Returnal are available already, and fans can now do a quick rundown of all the available trailers at once.
Returnal Announcement Trailer
Sony's PlayStation 5 event brought many new announcements, and Returnal was one of the highlights. The announcement trailer is a meaty two-minute long video, which sheds light on many facets of the game's story, characters, and gameplay. The trailer's opening shows a peculiar spaceship crashing into an alien planet and the protagonist's imminent death repeating to the tunes of a dialogue that dictates the game's clockwork time loop.
Returnal puts a familiar spin on the formula with the addition of roguelike elements, which make the planet different with every run. The overlying dialogue states that the player would need to explore the planet and fight its many threats in an effort to escape the titular loop. Many gameplay aspects including exploration and third-person shooter combat are teased here, with the final shot revealing the game's name and the fact that Returnal would indeed be a first-party console exclusive.
Returnal Gameplay Trailer
The Game Awards' 2020 live stream showcased Returnal's next trailer, this time focused more on showcasing the full breadth of the gameplay systems. This trailer in particular shows off a lot of the game's systems quite beautifully. The trailer starts off slow, with the familiar cinematic of the spaceship crashing and the protagonist Selene waking and exploring the seemingly abandoned, alien-infested planet. It picks up pace quickly, however, as fans are treated to numerous fast-paced combat scenarios.
Returnal's combat looks to be extremely fast-paced, and players would need to master the systems to be able to complete the game. The enemies shown are also diverse and sport a wide array of attack patterns that test the player on timings, accuracy, and spatial awareness. From the looks of it, Returnal's combat could be the key factor to making the title highly replayable. In addition to the gameplay information, this trailer also reveals the initial release date for Returnal to be March 19 which has now been delayed to April 30 instead.
Returnal Combat Trailer
Returnal's combat trailer wastes no time in setting up the game's pace, taking fans directly into the deep end. This trailer shows how the combat systems and Selene's arsenal will fit into the gameplay loop. The weapons are seemingly scattered around the planet, seemingly a great nudging factor to incentivize thorough exploration. In addition to this, many artifacts can be seen throughout the trailer, which can have any effect from an alternative firing mode to a new shield attachment in the space suit.
The diversity of the weapons and abilities on offer is stunning, which is another great incentive to keep pushing run after run to find a new piece of loot and inch closer to escaping Returnal's loop. Melee weapons also seem to be a part of Returnal's combat systems, with a peculiar sword being shown off during the trailer.
Returnal Atropos Trailer
This trailer focuses on Returnal's setting, the alien-infested planet of Atropos. Ever since crash landing on the planet for the first time, Selene seems to be in a constant endeavor to explore the myriad secrets of this mysterious land. Developer Housemarque has put a lot of effort into making this place a lore-heavy and varied setting, one that players want to explore every nook and cranny of.
Returnal's planet of Atropos will feature six distinct biomes. The first and the most heavily shown off is the Overgrown Ruins which is akin to a forest and a swamp. In addition to the numerous horrors that exist here, Selene's home can be found here which does point to a deeper and personal connection with Atropos and the crash landing.
Derelict Citadel is an abandoned city with a distinctly recognizable tower, and exploration here seems to reveal more about the alien race and the architect of the city. Crimson Waves is akin to a mountainous region, which can feature either snow or sand and changes with every subsequent run.
Returnal State of Play First Person Horror Trailer
Housemarque showed off a new Returnal gameplay trailer during the Sony's State of Play in February 2021. The trailer has an overlying developer commentary, which stated the various gameplay facets in Returnal and how mobility and adapting to the situation at hand is key to survival.
In addition to this, the developer commentary explains the combat systems and alternative fire modes of weapons in Returnal. In addition to this, fans get a tease of the first-person gameplay in Returnal. This tease showcases the developer's effort in making Selene a complex character and diving more into her personal life by means of diving into her nightmares.
Returnal Story Trailer
This Returnal story trailer dives deep into the game's narrative, and the lore surrounding Atropos, the game's setting. It seems that Housemarque has gone the extra mile in creating a richly realized world ripe with secrets.
The titular mansion seems to tie in with Selene's personal nightmares and horrors, and could even shed a light on how she got tied into the time loop. This does seem to provide a much-needed break from the breakneck combat and shake up the gameplay. The mansion has a lot of similarities to P.T. and it'd be great to see Returnal faring great during these sections as well.
In addition to this, players also get a look at Returnal's online features. Players will be able to see corpses of fellow survivors in their world, which when interacted with, would play a clip of how the player in question met his/her demise. It's interesting to see a feature from Dark Souls make an appearance in an entirely new space, and particularly interesting to see how it meaningfully pans out in Returnal.
Returnal releases for PS5 on April 30, 2021.