Is Returnal coming to PC? Why is the game so hard? What is the mode?

Returnal

Returnal is a third-person shooter roguelike video game developed by Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released for the PlayStation 5 on April 30, 2021. The game 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.

Returnal received generally favorable reviews for its visuals, combat, audio design and technical achievements, though its difficulty and roguelike design were met with mixed opinions. It won several end-year accolades, including Best Game at the 18th British Academy Games Awards.

Is Returnal coming to PC?

Housemarque’s critically-acclaimed sci-fi roguelike Returnal could be coming to PC. As logged by SteamDB (via VGC), there’s a listing for a new product codenamed “Oregon.”

While Returnal isn’t specifically listed, there are various clues that indicate it very well could be the game. There listing has multiple tags such as “bullet hell,” “rogue-like,” “sci-fi” and “female protagonist.” But perhaps the clearest indication is the reference to Atropos, the game’s main setting.

There are also references to Tower of Sisyphus and co-op. Tower of Sisyphus, an endless game mode, and co-op gameplay was added to Returnal with the Ascension update in March of this year.

While Sony hasn’t yet confirmed Returnal for PC, the title was part of the huge leak of unannounced games from Nvidia’s GeForce Now streaming service last year. Plus, Sony has been working to bring a number of its PlayStation games to PC over the last couple of years.

God of War, Day’s Gone and Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition are just a number of PlayStation exclusives you can enjoy on PC right now. Uncharted: A Thief’s End and its expansion, The Lost Legacy, are also expected to come to PC this year. PlayStation boss Jim Ryan said earlier this week that Sony expects half of its annual releases to be on PC and mobile by 2025.

PlayStation will be hosting a State of Play this week on June 2. While the 30-minute livestream will focus on reveals from third-party partners, including games in development for PlayStation VR2, it’s possible Sony could sneak in an announcement for Returnal coming to PC.

Why is Returnal so hard?

While many games use this time-loop mechanic (and to great applaud from both critics and fans), Returnal’s difficulty level caused many to give up on their journey. However, despite the looping mechanic serving as a key source of frustration for players, this was a deliberate move by Returnal’s developers. Speaking to game-centric magazine EDGE, Returnal’s director Harry Krueger, Housemarque’s (the studio behind Returnal) marketing director Mikale Haveri and Returnal’s narrative director Greg Louden revealed that the challenge “… [brings] the player into the same emotional space as Selene.” Louden told EDGE, “We are very aware the game is hard.

If Returnal was easier and (Selene) was always talking about how she dies all the time, it wouldn’t really connect with the story that we’re telling.” Haveri also feels that players are connecting with Selene, even if they don’t actually realize it, and explained, “When you get onto forums and Reddits, there’s a lot of players that have also expressed their frustrations. They’re sort of reliving Selene’s story, without knowing it, in public.”

Thankfully, Returnal does actually get a bit easier once players have passed the halfway point. After defeating Nemesis, players are then subjected to an unexpected plot twist, that (spoiler alert) sees Selene finally making it back to planet Earth where she grows old and dies. However, despite seemingly living her life to the full and being free of the loop, Selene wakes up once more on Atropos next to her wrecked ship. From here on in, Louden says Returnal becomes less about skill and more “mysterious and psychological.”

These are some bold tactics by the Returnal team. While there is no doubt that Selene herself would be feeling overwhelmed and resentful of her ongoing battles on Atropos, it is quite another for gamers to feel this same level of anxiety and frustration.

Returnal Gameplay

After crash-landing on this shape-shifting world, Selene must search through the barren landscape of an ancient civilization for her escape. Isolated and alone, she finds herself fighting tooth and nail for survival. Again and again, she’s defeated – forced to restart her journey every time she dies.

Through relentless roguelike gameplay, you’ll discover that just as the planet changes with every cycle, so do the items at your disposal. Every loop offers new combinations, forcing you to push your boundaries and approach combat with a different strategy each time.

Brought to life by stunning visual effects, the dark beauty of the decaying world around you is packed with explosive surprises. From high stakes, bullet hell-fuelled combat, to visceral twists and turns through stark and contrasting environments. You’ll explore, discover and fight your way through an unforgiving journey, where mystery stalks your every move.

Designed for extreme replayability, the procedural world of Returnal invites you to dust yourself off in the face of defeat and take on new, evolving challenges with every rebirth.

Co-op mode in Returnal

Fight to break the cycle with another Selene from a branching timeline. In Returnal’s co-op mode, you can share your entire journey* through the shifting labyrinth of Atropos with another player.**

The hostile nature of Atropos is unwavering, but the possibility of teamwork adds a whole new dimension and means of survival. Instead of scouting alone, try coordinating your onslaught with another player – especially when the odds continue stacking up against you.

Tower of Sisyphus in Returnal

Prepare for a new kind of challenge in the Tower of Sisyphus, a nearly endless ascending gauntlet with a pure focus on combat. Build up your score as you progress, while searching for exclusive items, Scout logs and as-yet-unseen fragments from Selene’s story.

Be ready for anything. With threats old and new waiting as you ascend the Tower, you could find yourself encountering echoes of things you’ve seen before, or something entirely new. Other new surprises also await, only available to you in the Tower of Sisyphus.

Next time you wake at the crash site, look up. You should be able to see a gate towards the Tower of Sisyphus, accessible as long as you’ve unlocked the Icarian Grapnel.

It consists of intense phases of increasing danger, each made up of 20 floors. Upon entry, eliminate all the enemies on each floor and secure your passage to the next one up.

Returnal Leaks

The simplest clues come from the game tags that SteamDB lists for Oregon. There are things like “roguelike,” “bullet hell,” “third-person shooter,” and “sci-fi.” But many games could fit that bill. However, the game’s update history on SteamDB paints a slightly more convincing picture. On that page are mentions of the Tower of Sisyphus, Returnal’s endless mode, and Atropos, the name of the game’s main planet.

While Returnal currently remains a PlayStation exclusive, Sony has spent the last several years moving its first party games to PC. The move started with Horizon Zero Dawn on Steam in August 2020, and has continued with games like God of War, Days Gone, and soon Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection.

With all these games on Steam already, it would be no surprise to see Returnal join their ranks. For now, however, this remains unconfirmed until Sony releases official word of a PC release. Polygon has reached out to Sony about the listing and has not heard back prior to publishing.

Is Returnal hard?

Returnal released in April as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, and received favorable reviews from critics. However, the game is notorious for its high level of difficulty, causing Returnal to fall off people’s radars in recent months. Although its gameplay is challenging, Returnal’s concept is fairly straight forward.