'Returnal' is a PS5 winner that wraps an alien mystery in surreal cosmic horror

"Do you see the White Shadow?"

It's a question that comes up again and again over the course of Returnal, the latest game and first PlayStation 5 exclusive from Housemarque. Finding an answer, though, isn't really the point. It's the repetition that matters. Selene, the astronaut "Scout" at the heart of of this story, is caught in an inescapable loop that sees her living and dying again and again as she digs for answers in the hopes of breaking the cycle.

During the 30-odd hours it takes to see this full story unfold you'll make dozens and dozens of repeat trips through the hostile alien world of Atropos. It looks a little different each time, with map layouts constantly changing the hostile aliens and helpful gear you find along the way. Every time you die — it's an inevitability here, and intrinsic to Returnal's pacing — you're brought back to the site of the crash landing that left Selene stranded on Atropos in the first place. Read more...

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