Returnal

Developer Housemarque Publisher SIE Format PS5 Origin Finland Release March 19

Few developers make things explode as spectacularly as Housemarque, and the Finnish studio has form for this on PlayStation. The fizzy pyrotechnics of Super Stardust HD lit up PS3, while the cascading voxels of Resogun gave PS4 an opening-day indie showcase that didn’t look out of place next to the expensive blockbusters. And if we’re generous enough to class four months as a launch window, it’s no doubt hoping Returnal will do similar for PS5 (though the studio has grown since the PS3 days, and it’s now making a game with triple-A looks and a price tag to match).

The big question is whether its brand of hectic arcade action, which in places veers close to bullet-hell territory, can translate to an overthe-shoulder thirdperson perspective. The signs so far are promising: the environments may be more complex, with greater verticality, but the action remains frantic, fast and, crucially, responsive. “Generally with all our games, we have strived to make the controls feel as tight as possible,” creative director Harry Krueger (director of Nex Machina and lead programmer on Resogun) has said. “There is a sacred and unspoken bond between the player and the controller, and that is something that always demands reverence.” With a grapple and a mid-air dash, our protagonist (think a middle-aged Samus Aran with less of a maternal instinct towards her enemy) is extremely nimble. And she needs to be to dodge the projectiles, splatters of luminous sap and flailing tentacles aimed in her direction.

In other words, despite the darker tone and psychologicalhorror theme of the story – for which Housemarque has drafted in a specific narrative team – there’s plenty of the studio’s arcade style here. But while Returnal remains somewhat faithful to the studio’s heritage, this is no leaderboardchasing credit-muncher, and there are no extra lives this time. This is a Roguelike, with the alien planet you’re on rearranging itself for your next visit, forcing you to adapt to your enemy and environment rather than relying on pattern recognition.

Beyond its obvious technical accomplishments, it’s exploring PS5’s hardware in other ways: squeeze the DualSense controller’s adaptive triggers gently for regular fire, or press them in all the way to activate your weapon’s alt mode. But the studio understands that controls should be intuitive, so you’ll be able to customise them. Krueger: “A good control scheme is like a good camera: if it’s working well, it’s entirely invisible.” The same can’t be said for Returnal, which might offer more bang for your buck than any other PS5 game this year.