Returnal for PlayStation 5 Goes Gold

Housemarque’s Returnal, a Playstation 5 Exclusive, has just gone gold. This means that work on the release version has been finalized and it will ship on April 30th of this year. This news follows the game’s previous delay.

Housemarque took to their official Twitter earlier today to share the news with fans. This is an exciting development for owners of the PlayStation 5 as it is one of the first big exclusives since the console’s initial launch window.

Trailers for the game so far look promising. Returnal aims to combine a rogue-lite structure with third-person shooter action set against strong science fiction and horror aesthetics. The third-person perspective and focus on its main character, Selena, and her story, also marks a departure from the company’s roots in arcade-style shooters. The player will be given the opportunity to play as Selena as she attempts to navigate the planet she is trapped on, all whilst stuck in a time loop. For a full description, check out Sony’s page for the game.

The fact that this game is exclusive to the PlayStation 5 will also make it an exciting demonstration of the system’s new technology. The game promises to utilize the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers to create an immersive experience. This new hardware exclusivity also ensures that the game will take full advantage of the PlayStation 5’s blisteringly fast SSD speeds.

The impending release of Returnal is also exciting because of the strong track record the company holds. Resogun, one of Housemarque’s older games, was generally well-received. Our own review of Housemarque’s Nex Machina here at Attack of the Fanboy, penned by Al McCarthy, was also extremely positive.

Returnal will release for the PlayStation 5 on April 30th, 2021.