Return impressions: opening hours offer more risk than rewards

Despite having an infinite amount to solve the mystery behind The returnMany of them, which I have lost, have felt like the result of gambling at an inappropriate table.

Each death brings me back to where my journey began: alone, after a crash-landing on an alien planet. To understand what is going on and to return to safety, I have to delve into the unknown, which can lead to more deaths. Each new loop remixes the planet’s layout. No two lives end in the same way.

I learn more about Celine, the maroon space scout who is just trying to find out why she has heard a clue from her past, as I venture into the dark labyrinth and deep landscape The return.

The problem is that her story needs various temporary and permanent upgrade systems for the game to get her to come out, most of which require me to interrupt if I want the benefits too. Trade-offs are often unclear, opening up a lot more gambling than a calculated risk in the first hours of a game.

He died

Like other roguelikes, The return Creates repeated loops through randomly generated maps by adding in various risk / reward systems for upgrades and pickups.

The best implementation of this idea is the parasitic system. I sometimes come scattered through that parasitic planet that I can allow myself to latch onto, giving myself a random advantage and a random disease. For example, a parasite can begin to reestablish its health once it goes below a certain threshold, but whenever I open an item chest, I will take damage every time.

Picture: Housewife / Sony Interactive Entertainment via Reporter Door

I can, in fact, attach many parasites to my body, and I can see how many I am using by looking at Celine and counting the creatures associated with wrestling. My menu keeps track of each one, so I can see which buffs and debuffs I’m using during each run.

This parasitic system works well because it is optional, and because it tells what is going to happen. I can see each parasite gain and negatively before I cast it or discard it, and before I make a decision call on the spot. Do I take a parasite that lets me use an important health enhancer twice, but my melee attacks cause half the damage? This is a trade I am willing to make. If I don’t need a buff, or benefit from its negative aspect, I can ignore that parasite and move on.

The return There are some other upgrade systems that are not user friendly.

Random nuisance generator

The returnOther systems rely so much on randomness that everything in the early game feels like a risk, especially since penalties often seem as if they are an advantage.

Many of the game’s items, such as item boxes, resource pickups, and even healing boosts, can be “bad”. This means that I will be given a “malfunction” when I pick up the item.

Malfunctions are random, temporary debuffs. Someone can weaken my attacks, or use items like keys to harm me. By doing randomly assigned tasks such as defeating a certain number of enemies, these flaws can be overcome, but I am hurt by the loss until I do so. You have only a limited idea of ​​how likely a malfunction is to take place, and you are never told in advance what the malfunction will be.

Picture: Housewife / Sony Interactive Entertainment via Reporter Door

Accumulated items can also be cleaned using a rare item called ether. Once cleaned, a previously tarnished object or chest can be used without penalty. However, ether is much harder to come by, and has more valuable uses – such as unlocking new items – I rarely found myself cleaning up objects in the game.

The malfunction can be manageable if I choose to interact with a malicious resource pick. In that instance, at least I know what I will get in return for the malfunction. Of course, I do not know the seriousness of the debuff, but the reward is clear, at least for taking risks.

I mostly ignore the item box containing the merchandise, however, since I have no idea what is in the box and I cannot tell which malfunction I will check. Opening the box is in some ways a gamble: will the item be screwed, if it is, how bad will my malfunction be, and what item will I get in exchange for the malfunction?

I rarely find it worth my time.

Still a Worthy Gambling

While the balance of distorted objects and their benefits seems a bit skewed, I discovered ways to move through it The return In a way, I found it manageable to use game systems.

In some of my best runs, my body would be crawling with parasites. Knowing the risks and rewards of those creatures helps me to create specific and challenging plays. Understanding how I am helping and hurting myself, each cycle feels different and experimental.

Picture: Housewife / Sony Interactive Entertainment via Reporter Door

On the other hand, opening the chest that can hold deformed objects seems to have rolling dice that are weighted against me – and the items made most things more difficult, not easier. Removing the malfunction can feel more like a chore than an interesting back-and-front. For now, I will probably ignore these items until I learn more and get some permanent upgrades.

As i delve deeper The returnDark sci-fi story, I know if I’m betting right. In the meantime, I am more than happy to tie a handful of parasites to my spacesuit to help me bang further into the unknown.

The return Will be released exclusively on PlayStation 5 on 30 April.