Returnal
Returnal is a 2021 roguelike third-person shooter video game developed by Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It follows Selene Vassos, an astronaut who lands on the planet Atropos in search of the mysterious "White Shadow" signal and finds herself trapped in a time loop. After crash-landing on a shape-shifting alien planet, Selene finds herself fighting tooth and nail for survival. Every time she’s defeated, the player is forced to restart the journey.
What it feels like
A crushing atmosphere of an alien world pressing down on the player, with mounting dread and helplessness. Slow-building anticipatory fear of what lies ahead on the hostile alien landscape. The White Shadow signal and the nature of the loop create an enigmatic pull driving exploration.
What it's about
The game explores psychological horror through Selene's fractured reality, time loop, and the mounting dread of her situation. Set on an alien planet with sci-fi crash-landing premise and mysterious signals central to the narrative. Selene is stranded and alone on a hostile alien world, cut off from rescue or help.
How it plays
The game explicitly features bullet-hell-fueled combat with dense, patterned enemy fire as a defining challenge. Third-person shooting with ranged weapons and tactical aim is the primary combat system throughout. Death resets the run and forces restart from the beginning, raising the stakes and weight of each encounter.
How it looks and sounds
The entire experience is presented from a third-person camera following Selene through the environment.
How it's structured
The core loop of Returnal is structured around discrete runs that reset on death, with progression carried between attempts in a roguelike framework. Selene is trapped in a time loop where each death forces her to restart, with knowledge and some progression carried across loops. The planet's layout shifts and regenerates between runs, creating algorithmic variety in exploration.
Kindred games
Shares Bullet Hell, Run-Based, Gunplay, Permadeath.
Both lean into Bullet Hell, Run-Based, Gunplay, Permadeath.
Shares Run-Based, Bullet Hell, Permadeath, Gunplay.
Both lean into Run-Based, Bullet Hell, Permadeath, Gunplay.
Shares Run-Based, Gunplay, Permadeath, Bullet Hell.
Both lean into Run-Based, Gunplay, Permadeath, Bullet Hell.
Closest hidden gems
A lesser-known kindred — Run-Based, Gunplay, Procedural Levels, Loot & Drops. 91% positive across 4,562 Steam reviews.
Both lean into Run-Based, Gunplay, Procedural Levels, Loot & Drops.
A lesser-known kindred — Run-Based, Time Loop, Science Fiction, Psychological Horror. 94% positive across 4,960 Steam reviews.
Both lean into Run-Based, Time Loop, Science Fiction, Psychological Horror.
A lesser-known kindred — Time Loop, Science Fiction, Dread, Oppressive. 86% positive across 4,772 Steam reviews.
Both lean into Time Loop, Science Fiction, Dread, Oppressive.