Returnal gameplay: Dev details and more in nearly 30 minutes of new footage

In less than 24 hours, PlayStation 5 players will be able to step into the hostile and mysterious world of Returnal. From unsettling alien creatures to haunting musical themes, Selene’s journey through Atropos is one you won’t soon forget.

But what exactly is the flow to this cyclical adventure? You may have seen trailers and other gameplay clips that show a hectic run and gun, arcade-style adventure, while other footage looks a bit slower-paced and focused on exploration. The short answer is, Returnal is all of the above – and hopefully today’s deep dive from developer Housemarque helps drive this point home.

Mikael Haveri, along with narrative director Gregory Louden, and game director Harry Krueger narrate a handful of typical “runs” through Atropos, where modular aspects of the levels change but certain progress persists. This video picks up still fairly early in the process, where Selene has unlocked a melee weapon and made some initial inroads into the ruins. From there we get a glimpse of the first real “boss,” and then onto the Crimson Wastes, the second region of the game.

As you’ll see in the video, you can get back to certain areas even after dying and starting a new cycle – but given how tough some of the enemies can be, do you want to rush back, or take your time powering up your weapons and consumables? The choice is yours, which helps reinforce the whole “is it a shooter or is it an adventure?” question above. Take your time, or rely on fast reflexes to survive… up to you!

Returnal lands on PS5 April 30, which may very well be “today” for many of you!

* This article was originally published here