The next addition to PlayStation’s lineup of upcoming AAA blockbusters is set to launch next week, with Housemarque’s sci-fi roguelikeReturnaldebuting on April 30. As the game is one of the first exclusively next-generation experiences to feature on Sony’s hardware, players are expecting to see a striking visual spectacle, and a new post on thePlayStationwebsite suggests they won’t be disappointed.
According to the site,Returnalwill boast ray-traced lighting and 60 FPS gameplay, offering a striking visual experience with seamless performance. Toeing the line between both technical enhancements has been a struggle for a lot of games currently available on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, with studios instead offering a performance mode or a resolution mode, with the former favoring a higher frame rate and the latter offering crisper visuals and ray-tracing.
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Luckily, it seems those looking to getReturnalwon’t have to make that choice. Speaking on both additions, the site claims that game runs consistently at 60 FPS and offers “high-fidelity ambient lighting” that can react in “real-time to Atropos’ dynamic environment.” The studio specifically praises thePlayStation 5’s technologyfor allowing the game to look and run the way it does, similarly claiming that the exclusive’s ability to create realistic weather, enemies, and environments all comes down to the hardware. The post covers several other aspects of the game, including its story, combat, traversal, and multiplayer.
As those who’ve been following the game will know,Returnaltakes place on the planet of Atropos and sees players assume the role of Selene: an astronaut who crash lands and must find a way to escape. Her journey won’t be an easy one, as the planet is infested withan array of intimidating extraterrestrial creatureswho will stop at nothing to kill her. Worse yet, Selene is stuck in an infinite time loop, with the ill-fated astronaut returning back to the moment she first crashed whenever she dies. The ensuing experience looks to be filled with moments of horror, surreality, and action, as players traverse through hostile environments and attempt to flee the sinister planet.
The game appears to come loaded with plenty of weapons, enemies, and bullet-hell boss battles, with a recent trailer going through all the creepy fauna players will have to face. It looks as though it’s going to be just as challenging as it is visually striking, coming loaded with tons of tricky combat scenarios and forcing players to adapt or otherwise be forced to try from the beginning once again.Returnalmarks the first big exclusive experience for PlayStation 5 players this year, with titles likeRatchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Deathloop,andHorizon: Forbidden Westslated to launch in the months to come.
