Returnal is an upcoming PS5 exclusive title where players must escape an alien world of bizarre creatures while the character is stuck in a gameplay loop of death and rebirth. It is a large-scale project for Resogun developer Housemarque, and the studio intends to take full advantage of the PS5's new hardware.

Housemarque spoke to PlayStation Magazine, as reported by GameSpot, about how Returnal will be taking advantage of the faster processing power of the PS5's solid-state drive (SSD) to improve its respawn mechanics. Using the SSD will allow Housemarque to make dying in Returnal less frustrating and have quicker respawns, which will also play into the game's hook of the main character dying and being reborn.

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Housemarque says it is capitalizing on the PS5's SSD by allowing players to respawn almost immediately after they've been killed, much faster than with previous consoles. Since the game will have rogue-lite elements, it's expected that players will have multiple runs in the game. When players die, the rebirth element will change both the character and the alien planet too, so the PS5's SSD means each run in Returnal will have the chance to feel different each time players start the game and respawn in it.

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The instant respawns will work well with Returnal's fast-paced gameplay as players will be running and gunning alien enemies at a quick pace. This is part of Housemarque's method to translate its arcade-style gameplay over to the third-person format. The SSD's instant respawns will allow the game to maintain momentum for players, that way they can fight enemies, die, respawn, and get right back into the thick of it without delay.

Housemarque will also be using the PS5's new DualSense features in Returnal to help bring the developer's arcade gameplay to the new title. This was revealed in the third episode of Housemarque's online series HouseCast, where the game director Harry Krueger explained the game will be using the DualSense adaptive triggers to add dual functionality to weapons with a single trigger. The adaptive triggers let players use both, and make switching between them during combat seamless.

The controls will be fully customizable and players can tailor them to their play styles or a more traditional format. The instant respawns and DualSense features will help Housemarque make Returnal have "unlimited replay value," according to Krueger, and using the PS5's SSD will make Returnal a faster experience for players.

Returnal releases exclusively for the PS5 on March 19, 2021.

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Source: GameSpot