MeinMMO editor Dariusz finally caught up on a shooter he has had on his list for years – and suddenly he wants to buy a PlayStation 5.
The year 2026 starts off rather weak for shooter fans. After the end of last year was mainly in the hands of ARC Raiders, the extraction shooter continues to be the driving force in the shooter market at the beginning of 2026. Exciting new releases are taking their time.
In the evenings, I currently play 1-2 hours of Overwatch every day to satisfy my PvP cravings. However, before I torment myself with friends in Blizzard’s hero shooter, I like to spend an hour playing something more relaxed. In my case, that usually means shooters, but without PvP. In September 2025, I opted for Borderlands 4 in these situations, followed by a bit of Destiny 2, Warframe, Witchfire, and other games.
Since no PvE shooters were released at the beginning of January that interested me, I took a look at my pile of shame and found a game I’ve wanted to play for years but kept postponing:
Returnal by Housemarque
Two of my favorite genres in one
Anyone who regularly visits MeinMMO knows that shooters are my great gaming love. In 2025, I also wrote an article about how much I enjoy playing games with my girlfriend where I really get beaten up.
I’m talking about so-called roguelites.
Roguelites are games that derive from the 1980s dungeon crawler “Rogue.” In this now 45-year-old game, you must explore a dungeon and find treasures. All roguelites have one thing in common: if you die, your run ends – death is an integral and intended part of these games. While a roguelike must meet certain criteria like permadeath and turn-based gameplay, roguelites only need to include some components of the original. Many roguelites like Hades, Cult of the Lamb, or Dead Cells, therefore, offer the possibility of achieving permanent progression in the form of leveling up, new weapons, or abilities.
Returnal combines these two genres. What looks like a classic third-person shooter actually conceals the typical gameplay of a roguelite – but unlike Hades, Windblown, or Cult of the Lamb, it is a shooter.
Returnal is a roguelite shooter that tells the tragic story of Selene, an astronaut who crashes her spaceship on an alien and mysterious planet and cannot escape her confusing fate even in death.
With each failed attempt, we crash back down with the spaceship – over and over again.
And every day greets… the crash with the spaceship
Warning, mini-spoiler: In the following paragraph, I will discuss the first minutes of the game. I assure you that I will not reveal any story-relevant developments or twists after the first run. But if you want to start completely without prior knowledge, it is best to skip to the next image.
Here I am, crashed in the dirt, on a planet about which I know nothing. I climb out of the spaceship wreck, grab a little pistol, and begin to explore the alien world. It quickly becomes clear that I am completely on my own and cut off from any communication to the outside world.
Just a few meters in, I encounter alien creatures that attack me. Although I emerge victorious from the fight, I soon stumble upon a corpse. My corpse. The lifeless body is clearly Selene. The name is even on the spacesuit of the corpse. Selene’s pistol is also there. But how can this be?
It remains unclear what is happening on this mysterious planet and what lies behind the corpse. That is now to be found out.
Throughout her journey, Selene will die multiple times, which means I lose my earned progress. Whether a random NPC kills me or a powerful boss – in the end, Selene wakes up back in the spaceship.
A failed attempt is not in vain, however. With each time, Selene becomes a little stronger, as we typically gain permanent progress in the form of new equipment, improved abilities, or knowledge.
A grand gameplay loop that suddenly becomes very intense at the right moment
I love everything about Returnal. The gameplay loop is fantastic. I don’t get upset at all when I die in a run. Instead, I rejoice in the progress I’m making and know that I’ll make it further in the next attempt and get one step closer to my goal.
I am happy about the progress I make and the new things I unlock.
The cycle of the game works excellently for this reason as well, because the fundamental gameplay is simply well done. The gunplay is fun, even if it is very simple and intuitive. There is a dash that allows me to dodge enemy attacks, and I must be careful to deftly avoid the partially overwhelming attacks that rush towards me in large numbers – because healing options are limited, which is typical of roguelites.
Overall, the battles are simply enjoyable, and while I play a run, I wonder where the time has gone again. Suddenly, it’s 1:00 AM. Rooms filled with many enemies or boss battles are, of course, the highlights because the intensity and tension increase significantly. If you’re not careful, you’ll quickly bite the intergalactic dust.
An optical masterpiece with enemies inspired by some of the most interesting creatures on our planet
Long before I developed a liking for roguelites, one thing fascinated me particularly about Returnal: the design of the game world and the creatures.
A mysterious planet, with huge mechanical gates of an alien civilization, overgrown nature, fog clouds, bewildering apparitions, and very importantly: bioluminescent enemies.
Returnal has drawn from the characteristics of deep-sea life forms like jellyfish in the design of its alien creatures.
And it simply looks fantastic.
When glowing projectiles in blue, red, yellow, or whatever fly at me from the side, I just want to stop every time and open the photo mode.
The modern graphics are one thing, but this eerily atmospheric and simultaneously darkly mysterious planet combined with the glowing life forms is just a design concept that I really like. Returnal will still stand out visually in 10 years and still look great – no matter how advanced video game graphics will be then.
Not even through and yet craving more
I haven’t played much of Returnal yet and still have most of my journey ahead of me. However, I wanted to write this article already because I am completely captivated. I’ve had the game in my library for years, and I regret starting it only now. I already knew that I would love the design, but the gameplay has exceeded my expectations.
The main reason I finally started Returnal was the Game Awards 2025. There, Housemarque, the developer studio behind Returnal, presented their new game “Saros” (more about it on housemarque.com), and I really liked it from the trailer already. It was the perfect time to finally catch up on Returnal.
Now I am completely hooked and upset: Saros will be released exclusively for PlayStation 5 on April 30, 2026 – and I don’t have a PS5. While Returnal also started as an exclusive title and came to PC about 2 years later, I want to be part of it when the gaming world dives into Saros in April.
Unfortunately, I am extremely stingy and had no intention of getting a console that I will hardly use, but Returnal is really making me want to buy a PS5 for Saros.
Returnal was only an “Honorable Mention” on my list of the best shooters so far. I will probably rethink that and change it during the next revision of the list. But which game will be removed from the PvP section for that? If you would like to discuss this, you can read the full list again here: The 25 best shooters of 2026 – These PvP and PvE games impress with their gameplay
