Returnal

Its roguelike runs are too long and it needs a way to save in the middle of them, but Returnal's third-person shooter action, clever story, and atmosphere are excellent.

Returnal blends elements of shooters, roguelikes, action games, and horror to redefine bullet hell and conjure a mysterious, moody masterpiece.

In Returnal, Housemarque builds a game on both euphoric highs and confounding lows.

Demanding but excellent combat and gorgeous visuals sit awkwardly in a half-baked roguelike structure.

Housemarque’s PS5 exclusive elevates the time loop genre

Returnal can be messy, tough, and perhaps a little too uncompromising for a $70 game. And yet, despite the moments of pad-clenching exasperation, it remains a moreish experience even after you've plummeted its depths.

Returnal brilliantly meshes roguelike mechanics with precise combat and enigmatic exploration, making for an excellent game

Exceptionally hostile creatures are round every corner on a glorious, punishing quest through the perilous landscapes of another planet

But as someone who went out and got a PlayStation 3 just to play “Demon's Souls” (2009), and, moreover, loved Housemarque’s last two games, Returnal makes me rue the influence that Souls games have exerted on the industry. In my view, Returnal’s severe difficulty level does a disservice to its entertainment value.

Returnal's constant action and clever semi-procedural structure make it an engaging adventure, not to mention a visually stunning one. The lack of any difficulty levels may unfortunately exclude less experienced gamers, but anyone who doesn't mind dying a bunch of times will thoroughly enjoy themselves.