Returnal PS5 Review: 9 Ups & 3 Downs

2. Story Is Fascinating (And Scary)

This is on top of the story too, which provides its own incentive to keep pushing on. Replaying levels and pushing further into different biomes unlocks more about the wide-reaching narrative, and for the most part it’s a fascinating one.

Like Selene, you initially know nothing about the planet or its inhabitants, and slowly uncovering the reality of what the time loop is, why you’re there and the culture of this alien race gives each run a narrative purpose as well as a mechanical one.

The existential horror of the story gives Returnal another appealing dimension as well. It can be a genuinely frightening game when it wants.

Selene is tormented by a creepy Astronaut - an unknowable figure whose presence usually spells disaster. Likewise, following in the footsteps of your previous selves and listening to their audio tapes is a suitably grim way to meld the story with the actual gameplay, as it narrativises every failed run. As does returning to a mysterious house that swaps the camera to first-person for more narrative-driven horror sequences.

These, along with flashes of a potential future and past every time you die, constantly peel back new layers of the story. Again, the developments act as positive reinforcement, and contributes to the feeling that every run matters.