WHAT A LOAD
Fast loading times are great, but they don’t make a game good, right? Often, no, but Returnal proves that the SSD can improve the moment-to-moment experience. Without it, this would be a very different game. The core idea of Returnal is that Selene ends up back where she started each time she dies, and she can suffer an infinite number of deaths. Death can come with cruel speed, so it’s vital that you aren’t left to stew while waiting to jump back in. Although the flashback sequence between each death and resurrection lasts seconds, the SSD still allows you the option of skipping it almost immediately. The portals which load in totally different areas instantaneously are the icing on the alien cake. PS5 lets the developers explore the story they want to tell in the way that they want to tell it.