Games

In Returnal for PS5 you will meet your own corpses -apkrig

Developers from the Finnish studio Housemarque presented their new project last June. However, Returnal differs significantly from the previous production, which includes arcade hits such as Super Stardust, Resogun or Alienation, so that even the recent postponement from March to the end of April did not quench our curiosity and considerable expectations. Who is Selene? Under what circumstances will it fail on an unknown planet? And what role does the time loop play in all this, which begins and ends with the death of the main heroine? Although it is not always desirable to know the answers to all the questions in advance, the current information about Returnal was still relatively unclear, so we were happy to take the opportunity to ask the developers a few questions of their own. Two months before the release, we talked with screenwriter Greg Louden and producer Pedro Sousa about the fascinating world of Atropos, as well as the troubled fate of the protagonist, links to Housemarque’s previous plays, and last but not least, several unexpected sequences.

As can be seen at first glance from the trailers and pictures, Returnal goes its own way in comparison with other items in the studio’s portfolio. Still, just take a moment to notice the familiar particle effects, sparkling explosions, and other little things you’ll find in older Housemarque titles. “It’s our game, look at those neon colors or hell that create projectiles around you. This is Housemarque, “Pedro Sousa reassured us with a smile at the outset. It’s not just about the look, but also about the sophistication of the gameplay, which, according to Greg Louden, is revealed by anyone who invests a little more time in Returnal and delves into the systems that his colleagues are preparing. An important component is also the difficulty and challenge that players will have to face, but at this point, both representatives of the developers confirmed that the game will be intended for players who do not have much experience. Not through a hypothetical story level of difficulty, but through objects and abilities that can be worked on through gradual and persistent play.

The developers anticipate that if you reach certain turning points in the game – typically you complete an action in one of the available biomes – shortcuts will remain open the next time you go.

“It is not possible to determine exactly how many times a player will have to die to reach the end of the story, because there are a lot of influences involved. It’s going to be a lot of deaths, “says Louden, coming across another important aspect. Every time the protagonist dies, the scenery of Atropos changes and things don’t be what you and Selene remember. “With the start of each cycle, the world will be completely different. We have prepared parts that we created by hand to guarantee trouble-free playability, but they are always arranged differently. There are hundreds of thousands of combinations, “adds Sousa. By translating into a more specific genre setting, we get to a randomly generated roguelike formula, where you will always have only one attempt to move forward. But the developers understand that if you reach certain turning points in the game – typically you complete an action in one of the available biomes – shortcuts will remain open the next time you go, and you will be able to pick up where you left off shortly after starting a new cycle.

You will have to procure the basic equipment again, but you should remain a certain part of the inventory until the next passes through the game, mainly related to the raw materials for the gradual improvement of the heroine’s properties and her equipment. You will typically get to these items after successful boss fights, which will formally close the individual chapters of the game and to some extent reflect your current progress. “The further you get in the game, the more enemies you will encounter, which can then appear in other cycles and in other places,” says the screenwriter, another most interesting element in the category of reactions of the game world to the player. , however, it relates to the character Selene herself. “One of the things I really like is the opportunity to come across evidence from other Selene or other Selene players during the game,” Louden reveals. However, it will not be just hologram corpses, but another part of the gameplay and a form of socialization. If you find a corpse, you can either master its equipment or try to avenge it. “When you decide on the second option, an elite enemy will appear in front of you, almost like a smaller boss. When you beat him, you get a reward, and with you, the one whose Selene you avenged, ”the developers explain. On the other hand, they did not want to immerse themselves too much in similar online functions and when asked whether it would be possible to enter someone else’s game, for example, they answered in the negative.

New trailers are proving that the planet Atropos is not exactly a friendly place, and both developers have pointed out that it is not always appropriate to interact with anything you find. One such thing is parasites, which can literally cling to Selene despite her futuristic suit and affect her properties. Not always just negatively or positively, mostly in a combination of both of these impacts and some attributes reduced and others for change increased. In addition, unexpected events, which can arise from too much curiosity, can be accompanied by small tasks, which sometimes decide the death or survival of Selene. All the information obtained will then be stored in Selena’s databank, where it will be possible to find further answers to what is happening at Atrope and how to break out of the time loop mentioned several times.

It is very likely that the end of the game, or an explanation of what is happening at Atrop, can be very surprising and we would not be surprised at basically nothing.

This brings us to the story, which, unlike the previous Housemarque production, is to play a very important role and should give a deeper context to the whole game. “I would describe the game as a dark sci-fi action thriller with elements of psychological horror,” says Louden, a bit complicated. As a result, however, this means that the action passages will be regularly intersected with moments that at first glance resemble horror games such as Resident Evil, PT or better Silent Hill. In the case of Returnal, the perspective will also change here – the camera switches to a first-person view – and Selene is waiting to discover her own past. Of course, the addressed developers did not comment on what will happen in these sequences, but Selene moved in them inside a completely ordinary earthly house, in which everything was not completely right. however, we will also feel concerned in these places thanks to the full use of the haptic response of the DualSense driver. In addition, it is very likely that the end of the game, or an explanation of what is happening at Atrop, can be very surprising and we would not be surprised at basically nothing. The whole game seems like one big psychedelic dream, in which the heroine will sometimes proverbly collapse.

But according to Pedro Sousa, the Returnal – regardless of the horror or slower platform passages – should be a very action-packed affair that will test the player’s abilities and entertain him in a way that Housemarque has not yet tried.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *