Returnal PS5 Review: 9 Ups & 3 Downs

4. Risk/Reward Systems Keep Each Run Fresh

Returnal encourages replayability through its focus on risk-reward gameplay as well. On top of regular upgrades you find in the world - resin to increase your health, weapon parts to upgrade weapon proficiency - there are malignant items scattered around.

These will offer helpful buffs, but will leave you vulnerable to a suit malfunction. You’ll still get the perk, but a malfunction will knock you back a peg, maybe halving your weapon damage while in the air, or making you take fall damage. These malfunctions come with their own criteria to fix, whether it’s performing a certain amount of melee kills or picking up x amount of obolites, the game’s currency.

And then there’s parasites you can attach to your suit, another system which will give you a buff in exchange for a trade off. Unlike malfunctions these are permanent stat alterations. One might give you 10% weapon damage in exchange for lowering your melee cooldown, or increase the alt. fire cool down while lowering your defence.