Finnish developer Housemarque has put out its latest HouseCast dev diary, which you can watch above. We suggest you do, because as well as two members of the team discussing Returnal, we get some glimpses at brand new gameplay footage too.
As before, the game itself is looking really slick. The studio’s penchant for intense action and colourful, screen-filling effects is present and correct. With plenty of manoeuvrability and crazy alien creatures to fight, it’s looking like a lot of fun.
Game director Harry Krueger discusses bringing Housemarque’s signature gameplay from 2D or top-down perspectives into a third person view, mentioning the challenges of adding verticality and having threats coming from multiple angles. When it comes to controls, Krueger speaks of a desire to have responsive, tight, intuitive gameplay. This is something Housemarque has nailed in the past, so we have faith this will play wonderfully.
He also reiterates how the game will use the adaptive triggers of the DualSense controller. The team is using the L2 button to give you two functions instead of just one; squeezing the trigger half way will aim down sights, and pressing it fully will switch the weapon to its alternate fire mode. It’s designed to be “intuitive and seamless”, reducing the amount of inputs a player will have to remember. If you prefer a more traditional button layout, the game has fully customisable controls, too.
It’s looking great so far — we can’t wait to get a proper look at it soon. Returnal is due for release on 19th March. Will you be giving this game a shot? Hook shot into the comments section below.
