Returnal has an issue with the player being struck by projectiles that hit them from blind spots, making it impossible to dodge enemy fire in areas with lots of foes. In Returnal, the player can only see what is ahead of them at any one time, while enemies fire volleys of bullets and send laser shockwaves toward them from all angles - something that the top-down approach of many other bullet hell titles solves with perspective. The bullet hell gameplay style has the potential for some electrifying combat encounters, except there is one major problem. The game is pretty stingy in how it doles out the currencies used to purchase items and upgrades, so there are always hard choices about what benefits are needed. Overall, there are a lot of interlocking systems in Returnalthat work well together and never feel too complicated. There is a lot of variety in how the weapons work, although they don't alter the player's tactics too much, as Returnal has a much bigger focus on defense than offense. The weapons in Returnal are a mixture of Earth firearms (shotguns, rocket launchers) and alien weapons.
The player also has a Proficiency skill, which goes up over the course of a run and ensures that Selene finds better weapons.
There are several currencies in the game, which Selene can use to buy Artifacts (buffs that last until she is killed) and Consumables (one-off items, such as healing potions). Selene has an Adrenaline mechanic, where she gains special powers for killing enemies without taking a hit, but the meter resets and the powers are lost whenever she is struck. Selene won't last long on Atropos with her pistol, so the player needs to scour each region for items and upgrades. Most disturbingly of all, Selene finds a house hidden in the jungle that resembles her own home. Atropos is littered with the corpses of Selenes that failed in their mission, some of which have left audio recordings of their findings. Every time Selene dies when exploring the planet, she is reborn at the moment of the crash and must start over. Atropos is filled with hostile lifeforms, but that's not what scares Selene the most. Selene's ship is ruined in the crash, so she ventures out in search of a mysterious broadcast playing over her communications device. Returnal stars an astronaut named Selene, who crash lands on a strange alien planet named Atropos.
The game might be the best demonstration yet of what the PS5 is capable of, but its extreme difficulty and punishing design might be off-putting to those who can't keep up with the horrors that await on its alien world. Returnalis a PS5-exclusive roguelite shooter that is developed by Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.