Buy Returnal PC Review

Returnal PC Review
PC versions of sony games are becoming a thing. How will Returnal fare on the PC after being a playstation 5 exclusive. Returnal, code provided by Sony, is a bullethell 3rd person shooter, one of a few with roguelike elements. Will that translate better to mouse and keyboard.
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Buy, wait for a sale, rent, or never touch it. The Patented Karak review system to see if a game is worth a buy upon release or if I recommend waiting.

[@ACGreviews]

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[@TheCudder4life]

Can you actually rate the game? You left it completely out of the video...

[@t-revstastetube8900]

Are you reviewing Blood Bowl 3 and Atomic Heart? Jw pre ordered Atomic Heart cuz I've wanted it since I first saw it years ago.

[@sferris33]

Will you be reviewing Metroid Prime 1 remastered or Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom considering that you reviewed Xenoblade Chronicles 3?

[@Cool_Adam]

ACG we getting an Atomic Heart review???

[@Tom-zw9jr]

Hey ACG, can u please try multiplayer of Max Payne 3, is so fun and still played. Thanks.

[@mattnewman1274]

I think this is my favorite game in many years, it itches my retro cravings and my next gen cravings in one game and has the game play to stand the test of time.

[@imonyourside8376]

Feels like a Mass Effect style(gameplay wise) Roguelike, perfect for me.

[@alegotronnortogela7695]

@@imonyourside8376 sort of like mass effect Andromeda, but a little bit of Metroid Prime, a little bit of Doom Eternal, with an Alien movie vibe. The art direction is pretty damn good at any setting bonestly

[@Rosa_Neco]

Try Risk of rain 2 :)

[@siemprepalante773]

Your summary makes me want to play the game more...lol. Can't wait. It's funny. I was a lot better at bullet hell games when I was younger, I'm talking about Nintendo days (I'm 45), but that next-gen flavor that this has is enough to make me want to dive in and relearn my skills. I hope mod support becomes a thing too, especially ReShade. Have fun.

[@exaltedreverse4463]

@@Rosa_Neco Retunral is better

[@DeadTempoPromotions]

This game nearly ruined gaming for me because after beating it, I couldn’t find another shooter that felt as good as this one haha

[@chrishastings7583]

Man I just got my ps5. I wasn't expecting much but after paying for an hour this game blew me away. It feels phenomenal to play

[@ImTheMan0fSteel]

Halo infinite and this are the best feeling shooters I've ever played.

[@nizaral-olovy1584]

doom eternal? borderlands 3? gears 5? battlefield 1? far cry 5? COD: WWII? titanfall 2? doom (2016)? Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus? Sir.. I think you're a 🤡

[@Scroolewse]

@@nizaral-olovy1584 Far Cry 5 is odd to see listed with the rest here. Doom Eternal is the gold standard imo, you could end the list there and never update it and it would always be accurate.

[@Scroolewse]

This is gonna sound like a weird recommendation but have you tried Mass Effect Andromeda? You can pick it up on sale for the low low and its gameplay feels amazing, one of the best third person shooters I've ever played. It only got panned by audiences and critics because it didn't really carry the torch of Mass Effect well in areas like story, characters and world building, but I think most people that have played would agree that its gameplay was amazing.

[@TheNatecrow]

First game I've ever preordered in my life. Although the studio's first game is quite different, I love bullet hells and shooters AND rogeuelikes, and there is literally no game like this that exists. Truly a unique mishmash of genres

[@Alienshade]

The differens is probaly the AAA feelig in Returnal.

[@AlChestBreachFan7]

Played it on my little brother’s PS5. This game is fucking awesome

[@tordb]

Why would you preorder? Do you think they won't have enough digital codes for you? lol

[@shoopdawoopppss]

I'd also recommend Risk of Rain 2!

[@shrinkshooter]

Literally no game is a 3rd person bullet hell roguelike? Bruh Roboquest has been available for like two years or longer (though most of the time you'll be wanting to play in 1st person). Oh I forgot it's ALSO co-op. Gunfire Reborn also definitely counts to a certain extent.

[@PhenomenoRonaldo9]

Just me or did he not give a verdict? He just talked about the stutters and then went like "well thats it from me" edit: He now added "Buy" in the title.

[@TheCudder4life]

I was going to say this too. It's not the first time he does this either...

[@jl6634]

he definitely didn't rate it. He also didn't put the rating in the title like he has been recently

[@CodenameDuchess1984]

Based on his opinions I would guess "Buy" or maybe "wait for a sale/patch" because of the micro stutter, but i don't think that would have effected it that much

[@nickh4354]

I mean, just listen to the review and judge for yourself of you should buy it or not. Its not that hard

[@boots4328]

U must be new here

[@brandtmiles2373]

Truly amazing and unforgettable gaming experience. If you get stuck in the Citadel level...just keep pushing yourself, despite any frustration -- you won't regret it!

[@benhawkins6510]

Took me a while to pass citadel too. But once I passed it I beat the game like 3 runs later. The citadel is really the hardest level in the game.

[@Ingel_Riday6690]

We appreciate you, ACG. Thank you for your reviews and coverage.

[@Scarygomez]

Your reviews are the best. Really appreciate your no BS!

[@DroneCorpse]

it’s not a review lol. This is a showcase.

[@arthurdent9281]

@@DroneCorpse the title literally says "review"

[@useresu301]

@@arthurdent9281 well, if the title says it, then that must make it so /s

[@arthurdent9281]

@@alexwalters35 He literally called it a review. Why would he do that if it isn't a review?

[@Scarygomez]

I think its still a review without the buy or don’t buy at the end. He’s still told you everything about the game for you to decide that for yourself.

[@imonyourside8376]

This game is right up my alley, love the fact it's so well done. I'm hoping to put thousands of hours into it.

[@lobster7799]

This is one of my favorite games of all time and look forward to playing it again on PC. If you haven’t played it this is a must buy!!! Warning its hard it gets easier the more you play.

[@Furzkampfbomber]

Which does sound very good in my book. This game does look fantastic, I am quite happy to see a game like this coming with a sci-fi setting and not being fantasy/medieval themed (although the lines seem to blur). Sci-fi is just my thing. Alas, I am becoming what one might call a 'senior gamer' and my reflexes are, there is no way around it, terrible. Which is one reason why I usually do not play bullet hell shooters, I am just terrible. So when you say that the game is getting easier while you play, this does actually sound quite good to me. But may I ask how forgiving this game is? Is this something you would still suggest playing to someone who is, well, really not good at this kind of game?

[@wcw07]

@@Furzkampfbomber it is not very forgiving! :) But, for some, reason, I wasn't too bummed when I died. If only simply because the gameplay and combat are super fun! Keep in mind that a run might take you 2 hours and you can die at the end and will have to restart the whole thing. If you are easily frustrated by that and not the kind of person that likes challenge or overcoming difficulties by repetition, you might not like it. This is not a chill game :) It does get easier with time, but not the game itself. You just get better through perseverance, improved agility, game understanding and just skill. For me that was not super fast, because one of the last biomes was incredibly difficult, and I thought I was already good at the game. This didn't help me to not die over and over :)

[@Furzkampfbomber]

@@wcw07 Sounds like something I will pick up sooner or later, but maybe I'll wait until a sale. Thanks a lot for explaining!

[@thecaptainpants335]

The storyline in Returnal is underrated. I genuinely got feels after reaching the 'real' ending

[@iNoScopedMLK]

Returnal is awesome. Glad it made the jump to PC well. Any plans on reviewing any of the new PSVR2 content coming out soon?

[@s1t2e3i4n5]

So.. he didn't actually give a rating in the video? He just says it was "as expected", but where's the actual rating?

[@sandeeptha5562]

I think since he already made a video for the playstation version a while ago, he just reviewed the added features on the pc version. You can probably find the rating in his original video for returnal

[@alyxoj1361]

This PC stutter struggle is just getting out of hand. Kudos for pointing it out, we need to keep ourselves from accepting it as the norm. If it is ignored in reviews we are doomed lol

[@Apollo-Computers]

Yea I'll refund a game real quick if the stutters happen a lot. I can't play with it at all. Even if it's a good game that I really wanted.

[@juancarlosalonso5664]

Alyx Oj Get ready to see that more often, especially as consoles move on from cross-gen games. Most pcs can’t handle full next gen games as well as the consoles do (for obvious reasons), and because of the insane prices of gpus people can’t upgrade their pcs as often as they used to.

[@alyxoj1361]

@@juancarlosalonso5664 Just curious what do you mean by "obvioius reasons" I just want to know what you think an obvious reason for consoles handling games better is. Shader Compilation and Static Hardware maybe?

[@Tha-King-Arthur]

I have a AMD RX 7900 XTX playing on Ultra 4K with ray tracing on and getting 50 FPS with stuttering..

[@bloodymeatballz2368]

Cannot wait! @acg I have a faster response time than most of your monitors.

[@brucek4681]

@scottgriffin5769 you got smoked my boy.

[@ThomasPetermann.]

Keep up the great work. Just a question is the text that u add something u think of atm that is missing in the review or is it cut from the vid in the editing process and just added again in text form.

[@Space_Pad]

Is the mouse raw input or does it have negative mouse acceleration? Uncharted had negative mouse acceleration at launch, and took a few patches to get that fixed. How is the mixed input experience for those who like to bind for example mouse to the gyro/touchpad but use analog joystick for movement? This is relevant for Steam Deck users for example. Do the icons flicker between keyboard and gamepad icons, or stay locked?

[@XiLock_Alotx]

Such a wonderful experience on PS5. Glad it’s making its way to PC! Even if the minimum spec req are a bit odd

[@juancarlosalonso5664]

Not odd at all, it’s a game that was made for PS5 and uses a lot of power, it’s not a cross-gen game.

[@user-zb8wb4vi3w]

@@juancarlosalonso5664 ps5 isn't even close to being as powerful as the minimum specs on PC.

[@DBTHEPLUG]

@@user-zb8wb4vi3w GTX 1060?

[@user-zb8wb4vi3w]

@@DBTHEPLUG sorry meant to say recommended

[@ghoststache]

Did you actually state where it falls on your rating scale? I feel like I'm going crazy but maybe I'm just missing it.

[@steamfeuver]

Yeah, he goes on microstutters and forgets the rating.

[@dijik123]

He actually did not rate it

[@PlayJasch]

Microstutter? WTF. Well there was an embargo.... And they want 60$ for a broken port.

[@TheeThunderGod]

Microstutter is far from broken. All games have an embargo. ALL other PC games lately have been launching with SERIOUS compilation stutter, these lil fixable microstutters aint nothing. Nowhere in this video does the game look broken or unplayable, now does it?

[@sartavin]

Incredible game, very fast paced and so tight in the gameplay. Yes, it starts out hard, but once you find the rhythm and land a good weapon early in, you can sometimes take it all the way to the end (or, at least, start from biome 4, which is an easier "prep" level to take you through the last two biomes). The tower is just icing on the cake.

[@silentwatcher4883]

This game is actually SERIOUSLY GOOD. Everything is tight and reactive. Wish there was more weapons bur that's my only concern. It's a head trip

[@samcs06]

Returnal is a game I had no interest in, then I played it. One of the best games I have played in a long time.

[@surft]

How is the loading and w/teleportation? That's one of the highlights from the streams I watched regarding Returnal.

[@J-Vill]

I've been looking forward for Returnal for PC for a while, so hyped yet I rather wait for performance fixes like all new games especially on PC, might even wait for a sale at this point

[@RageQuittersUKOfficial]

Game looks really nice. Were you using Game Ready drivers? If not, hopefully the stuttering is fixed, or with a Day One patch. Be nice if we could have a game that launches without performance issues!

[@matttheradartechnician]

Right?! Literally almost every aaa game that has released in the past few years has had rough performance issues on launch

[@brunoyuji9203]

It's the stupid unreal engine that requires caching and causes the stutters.

[@omarcomming722]

Game ready drivers never fixed stuttering in any game, they barely do anything aside from a minimal performance uplift and some graphical bugs

[@omarcomming722]

@@matttheradartechnician I wish it was just at launch..

[@cenciende9401]

It'd be nice if unicorns existed too... If you had a single clue about the complexity of game development, particularly for PC, you wouldn't say such silly things. It is literally not possible with small scale testing to perfect a releases, patches are necessary and are not something to complain about, this isn't the damn PS2/Xbox days anymore, devs now could make games that simple in a couple weeks.

[@MKPwrz]

I'm not much of a fan of roguelike becoz of the die / reset loop but really wanna play returnal. In this when you die do you start from the beginning/ first boss Again? Or is it just the level you was on

[@lgolem09l]

Is the microstutter just the usual DX12 shader caching?

[@bathsaltshero]

would you be able to add the specs of the machine u ran the title on (along with os version) to your reviews?

[@nintendude794]

It’s not listed or mentioned anywhere?

[@IGNNotFound]

Yeah, it would be interesting to know if the stutters being reported are with win10 or win11 due to direct storage support.

[@rdoggo9801]

does the PC version retain the PS5 controller features if I play with a PS5 controller?

[@9d7fish]

Game was pretty fun but there were multiple times where Imput lag was very bad. I would press aim or fire and they wouldn’t trigger until I pressed it 3-4 times which can be very frustrating in a game like this.

[@LuffyDaGoat]

Wait , I didn't catch whether or it's a buy it now, wait for sale etc?

[@benhawkins6510]

Returnal is frigging fantastic. Only better game I've played in the last few years was Elden Ring, and it was close. Something about hitting flow state in returnal is extravagantly satisfying. You can find yourself dashing, shooting, spinning, grappling, all in concert with the amazing soundtrack and PERFECT color design. The music, seriously, is so damn good. Variance from run to run is satisfying not repetitive, guns are strong but not overpowered or imbalanced. It's a perfect shooter in my opinion. I think the only thing in the game that might not quite be perfect is the item balance - there are two items that are far away better than anything else and almost guarantee more progress than anything else... Adrenaline leech and the "you can't pick up health items but heal on hit" parasite. What a game. If you get any joy out of action games pick this one up TODAY. I'm picky as hell (decades of gaming) and this one passed every test. I wish more people could have had access to PS5's so they would have been able to play it by now because it really should have been in game of the year running. 10/10

[@Tryhardblackguy]

Game is amazing. Plaything through it on ps5. My pc needs an upgrade so I’m sticking with that version for now, hope the port is good for people can enjoy the game, it’s a great ride

[@DatOneGuy901]

i was intrigued by Returnal when it dropped on PS5 last year, and was not originally expecting it to be ported to PC. when it got announced, i pre ordered, and man i been floored by how fun this game is..i cannot put it down and a video game hasnt grabbed my attention like this in years. the gameplay loop is so incredibly addictive and i'm always thinking/rethinking my strategy on how i could get farther the next time i play, even when i'm not gaming. game is gorgeous in 4k on my 4090 system, although i have disabled raytracing for more stable 1% lows and to reduced stutter. i also agree with you on the voice actress' job w the character, her performance really lends to the immersion of the game and the overall mood..

[@LOSTBHOY88]

After getting 100% in this game, each run after made me feel like Neo. One of the most satisfying games I’ve ever played. Up there with Bloodborne as a hard game I can just jump into and bask in the perfect gameplay

[@cirescythe]

Indeed. The learning curve is amazing. It has become one of the hardest and one of the easiest games i ever played lol. The first 5 hours i thought, ok thats it, third biome is the end for me. 50 hrs later i get angry at myself if i even get git once.

[@LOSTBHOY88]

@@cirescythe totally agree. At the start I thought I had made a massive mistake getting it. Then it all clicked and I fell in love. Not just with the gameplay but the actual story. The “real” story that is- when you get the secret ending etc. And haha yea getting hit was a real WTF moment for me too, like wow this isn’t supposed to happen! One run I went all the way to the final, final boss without using a health kit!

[@HeinSmit1]

Was slightly worried about the performance, but if it feels a bit more random than shader stutters etc then hopefully it can get patched quick enough. Hogwarts was pretty dreadful until the Friday patch, even Gotham Knights received an absolutely praise worthy performance patch yesterday, so fingers crossed for a quick fix. Ray traced audio is such an amazing feature to finally see, so many game have audio as an after thought, and the audio samples here just using my PC speakers already got me excited to listen to it later. As always thanks for the amazing in-depth reviews!

[@ActNasty5]

Hogwarts still is dreadful wtf happened friday????

[@HeinSmit1]

@@ActNasty5 I had hectic dips and stuttering when moving between doors and areas in Hogwarts, after the update it was much better. Game is super vram hungry though, so need to tweak settings until you get it right. Triple check that ray tracing is off, don't be afraid to drop settings (game put me on ultra, dropped it to high and everything is infinitely better, 3080 not enough vram for ultra @ 4k, even without ray tracing). If it helps I am NOT on the latest Nvidia driver, on the previous one. No performance mods or dlss swaps either. 3080 and 3700x @4k with DLSS Quality, very playable experience. Few drops below 60 but not often, only bad spot is in Hogwarts near the DAtDA class, where all the staircases are

[@ActNasty5]

@@HeinSmit1 damn we have the exact same pc haha. I have the 12 gb 3080 and im running mixed settings 1440p

[@HeinSmit1]

@@ActNasty5 ah man me having the 10GB 3080 and at 4k makes me really scratch my head. All I can say is maybe downgrade driver is you're running latest, turn off depth of field, motion blur, chromatic aberration and try running without vsync. Then your settings should match mine. Unless there is a sneaky resolution scaler set below 100 but don't believe so

[@frankiepollock7380]

@@HeinSmit1 it's nothing to do with peoples hardware at the moment. It's the unreal engines unoptimisation on the game. 2 PCs that are identical getting different performance shouldn't be the case

[@punishedbung4902]

This is a pleasant surprise, was the game on the PS5 I was most interested in. If I get the new DualShock to use on pc, will it do the cool trigger thing it did on the PS5, or will it just function like a normal controller?

[@BizzleBizzle321]

It will all work but it has to be wired though. Definitely worth it

[@jamako732]

As always, great work! Really excited to play Returnal on PC :)

[@dakkotalang-church1649]

Hell yeah! Been waiting for this one, thanks ACG!

[@QuantumAssassin]

So is it a buy or wait for sale you never said you just explained stutter?

[@serenevision1831]

how does it feel to play in keyboard and mouse?

[@pandarouge21]

Been super excited for this to drop on PC, thanks for the review! I'm curious about one thing, though, a lot of Steam reviews are downvoting this game because it apparently shadow-installs the Epic Games Launcher on your PC to then launch Returnal, but it's not mentioned in this video so is this something you ran into as well or not?

[@Spiggspud]

It only installs epic games overlay for the game not the whole launcher - from one of the game designers

[@NavyHuskie]

Not enough people talk about the story of the game. Hits a lot of the same notes as Silent Hill 2 and is layered in symbolism. Absolutely fantastic.

[@vigour6786]

Right?? I wouldn't be surprised if this is adapted to a series or movie in the future, the metaphorical aspects of what's happening in this game is so unique.

[@charanpalsingh6535]

What did you say in the beginning, Returnal originally launched on the Ps5 to the failure rally call of ? I don't understand.

[@sercanozfindik]

I only encountered the micro stutters when I activated ray traced shadows. When I disabled it the stutters disappeared too.

[@ACGreviews]

Mine did as well untillllll i got into kike the third area then boom back

[@sercanozfindik]

@@ACGreviews yeah unfortunately the second time at the citadel i started to notice it too. It is still smooth most of the time and honestly maybe that is the reason that stutters are annoying.

[@nusoul]

Looking forward to playing this again on my ultrawide with mouse and keyboard later this year (gonna pick it up on a sale). One of my favorites Sony exclusives, very happy the PC crowd gets to experience it now!

[@silverlabguy9670]

Thanks, I wanted good info on that one! I'm glad you did this review!

[@SadMachine777]

Another great review, except for you didn't actually say which category it falls in for you. Buy now, wait...etc (you listed the categories but didn't say which one...)

[@frozenninja4030]

Whew. This game is a real ball buster. Very cool, but hard as hell. I only got through that horrific 3rd biome once and that ended up being the run I beat the game on. That was also the biome that caused me to say: 'yep, that's all I care to get out of this game.' The Hyperion battle is still one of the coolest boss fights I can remember.

[@ProjectPhoenix21]

No, you stopped after Hyperion???

[@frozenninja4030]

@@ProjectPhoenix21 Nah, I made it all the way through. I just thought the Hyperion fight was the best of the boss fights. The build up all the way up the tower and Don't Fear the Reaper on the massive organ thing. It was just a really high point in a very good game.

[@wcw07]

What an absolutely amazing game! 80 hrs in, multiple playthroughs and can't stop. The feel, the combat, the atmosphere, the visuals and boss fights, the amazing feeling when you finally made decent progress... The videos will not tell you what this game is! It has to be experienced. If you beat it, you will feel like a true gamer. :)

[@benhawkins6510]

Gotta say, beating returnal was tremendously satisfying. Difficulty curve essentially perfect.

[@khashayarmohammadi3651]

Dear Karak I lovelovelove everything you do, and I do understand maybe what I'm asking may be too much, but I'm wondering if you can integrate some Steam Deck info on your reviews from now on? I see so few reviewers delving into Steam Deck performance!

[@uhurunuru6609]

Well that's easy for this game, it's an Epic Exclusive. Not on Steam.

[@khashayarmohammadi3651]

@@uhurunuru6609 Its on steam.

[@uhurunuru6609]

@@khashayarmohammadi3651 Had to search on Google to find a Link, just now.. Steam wasn't showing it for me, not even with "Unfiltered Results". DuckDuclGo didn't know I use Steam, and I onlyu So Epic for PC. My mistake, thought that first check should have found it.

[@Brioshie]

One of the rare games you can simply enjoy now and then. Never uninstalled it in years.

[@Harvester88]

Same this is will go nicely along with Dead Cells for me.

[@cygnusx7]

It hasn't even been out for 2 years yet...

[@flataffect]

Pumped to try this, that’s what it’s like with Hades for me! Not usual for me to play games years after I’ve been them or played them a ton but I still go back here and there cause the gameplay is phenomenal.

[@cirescythe]

Same here.

[@ohnoitisnt666]

Couldn’t agree with you more man. Very good review. Colour palette looks amazing even on KZbin.

[@ntmetroid]

Returnsl is still my favorite game this generation. Excited for more people to have the chance to play

[@beyondthefog2561]

whats the replayability like after you beat it and around how long did it take you guys to beat returnal?

[@cirescythe]

I got my platinum trophy after roughly 80 hours and put another 100 in the tower mode and replaying the game in coop. Replayability is great.

[@JYMBO]

You didn't actually say if it was Buy or Wait for Sale? ...but i'm guessing it's a buy going off the overall mostly positive review.

[@DJTempa]

Yeah it's definitely a buy, The "micro stuttering" he mentioned will probably get smoothed out soon enough, other than that the only other downside i can see is the game size (60GB)

[@Blottingpaper]

Thanks for the review, been looking forward to this and glad it's working well on launch.

[@SaithMasu12]

I played through Sekiro a couple of times, played trough Dark Souls a couple of times and the fun came from learning bosses and their movements. But i can definetly see getting myself frustrated to redo hours of progress. That doesent sound particulary fun to me. Im quite unsure if i should pick this up. Sound and Graphics look dope though.

[@AHUMANCORPSE]

Sekiro is more difficult than Returnal. You never really have wasted runs as you learn more and more as you play and your weapon upgrades you unlock are permanent so get yourself a Rotgland launcher with explosive rot or an electropilon launcher and go to town!

[@IIISentorIII]

Buy it. One of the best game I played in 40 Years! And yes, I did finisch it on Ps5. The later biomes( levels) are breathtaking with new gameplay features. And the first time you beat the first boss and enter the 2nd biome is the best game expirience you can have😊

[@BTMaverick707]

Hopefully they can get this playable on the Deck. They've been good at updating games that weren't on release.

[@mariusclaudiu3146]

How about the controls?

[@hiyasuamv9776]

0:52 that had me cackling for some reason

[@KasiresHK47]

Def one of the biggest wishlist games, have to wait for a good sale though. /patientgamer. Thanks for the PC release review

[@scaps2200]

Played on PS5 and loved the enemy design, environments and gameplay. Story was ok. I played for quite a while but never seemed like I could get too far in the game.

[@C-M-E]

While I'm overjoyed to finally get a chance to play some formerly exclusive PS games on PC like GoW and Spiderman, still holding out for Ghost of Tsushima! Guess we'll see if Returnal might be worth a spot of the ol wishlist.

[@lags7164]

I absolutely love Arkane & really enjoyed Deathloop (though not on the level as their Lyon studio's Dishonored outings), BUT Returnal was my personal GotY for 2021 while elevating Housemarque's next game as a definite Top 10 Anticipated eventual buy.

[@AHUMANCORPSE]

Sound 10 Music 10 Atmosphere 10 Gameplay 10 Story 9 Replayability 9.75 Fun Factor 9.75 (Verdict) 9.75 Tip: Play the game solo your first time through because co op can ruin the feeling of being alone on a desolate planet. Also, play the game with a headset. It brings out a lot of the creepy smaller sound effects and music that might get lost without it. Still My favorite game on PS5, a must buy!

[@zbigniewiksinski]

got consant 50-60 fps on medium settings on medicore pc then game randomly drops to 10 and/or freezes completely. if its not freezed to crash i move my mouse up/down and it regains 60 fps again. just pc things. on ps5 on release it run flawlessly.

[@andreichetan4694]

Just saw this, need a break from Nioh 2, reached a point it breaks me so hard. Thinking of buying this on steam, liked it when they announced it on ps5

[@mandrews6282]

I thought I wouldn’t like this game when it launched on PS5. Picked it up as a filler game and ended up loving it so much I platinum’d it, and later it’s dlc, and have put in a ton of hours just doing runs. Game is excellent, and feels fresh. It’s actually what got me into FromSoft titles as well as while they are totally different types of games, the tough but fair aspect and sense of satisfaction had me wanting more like it. Def picking this up for Steam Deck. Don’t mind double dipping to support a title like this.

[@tikurai4970]

The info with the most value for me thinking about buying it on PC would be.. has it FPS Drops / Freezes / Stutters like many PC Ports have.. Elden Ring and Hogwarts Legacy for example both have problems on PC. Hard FPS Drops or Stutters, graphical Issues like ghosting etc. .. I just want to play it right away and don't want to wait until *maybe* the Devs put out patches.. Elden Ring is one year out and still has problems like the weird SSAO "glow"

[@8-bitbenzu529]

always appreciate the PC info ACG, particularly performance issues

[@Uni0nDirect0r]

Returnal is THE prime example of tight gameplay. Love it. Also, is it me or are micro stutters becoming na unwanted PC "feature"? All major PC releases of 2023 have lesser or bigger problems with it.

[@austintse5719]

Denuvo is the unwanted feature which causes stutter?

[@Uni0nDirect0r]

@@austintse5719 If only that was the only reason...

[@KatalistProductionsKozzySasha]

MOST... but not all Major releases of 2023. Hi Fi Rush is a Unreal 4 engine game and doesn't have unwanted stutters. It comes down to the devs doing a good job

[@Uni0nDirect0r]

@@KatalistProductionsKozzySasha I wouldn't call it a major release and it's not as technically advanced as the rest. It still looks nice, but can't be compared to, let's say, Dead Space and its advanced dynamic light/shadows features.

[@KatalistProductionsKozzySasha]

@@Uni0nDirect0r It has been a 'major' release to start 2023, it has outsold Forspoken on steam (and has better rating from owners, 98% vs 59%), loved by gamers and critics alike. A game doesn't need tons of marketing to be a big release, maybe AAA would be a better wording? (I consider a game like Valheim to be a Major release despite being an indie, its influence was felt all over). I love the Dead Space remaster but it is one of many (not all) Unreal Engine 4 releases that have shader compilation issues. I am just saying that Hi Fi Rush deserves some props among the stuttering mess of releases of late (Major and smaller both), for coming out looking wonderful but being one of the few Unreal Engine 4 releases of late that doesn't have Shader issues on pc. I can still enjoy games that have performance issues but I also like to call it out when I see it, even if I love the game.

[@LaymensLament]

im playing epic rt off fsr quality 4k angd had no microstutter on amd. didnt try rt bc amd but mb no rt is enough to make it almost 100% smooth.

[@Massproduce201]

Greatest generation launch game of all time!!

[@Dick_Valparaiso]

I've yet to play Returnal on my PS5 and my PC is too puny to run it properly. However, after watching this review I'm thinking I'll give it a go sooner than later. I'm playing GoW Ragnarök atm. It's definitely a great game to experience, and worth every penny. But, sometimes you just --want-- *need* to blow things up all the time.

[@Dratio]

Calliso, Hogwarts, Returnal. I'm getting nervous. Is stutter going to be the norm for pc going forward?

[@Crimsongz]

For unreal engine games yes

[@PCGGC]

Gonna buy this again just to support this dev. Masterpiece of a game, better Metroid than any recent Metroid and with better scifi. Fluid and fast and visceral

[@kilroy987]

In recent years, this is the most compelling game I've played. If you think you might enjoy a very fast paced 3D shooter bullet hell, get it. I died 115 times and played 60 hours to beat the whole game (while needing to do an internet search to figure out what I really needed to do towards the end). After that, though, I kept replaying to unlock all of the weapon traits (that took a LONG time, and I refined my playstyle along the way). Now I can get through the whole game dying maybe 3 times and finishing the story in 6 hours. But you can continue on to the Tower of Sisyphus and see how far you can get - at best, with a good weapon, I could play for a little over 2 hours and get to phase 8 (that's beating 140 rooms). By the time I'm killed, I'm exhausted.

[@ZachFett]

Am I missing something or did you forget to include your score/rating at the end? You didn't say whether it was a buy or wait for sale. Also uh, maybe slow down a little bit, it's hard to follow when you're going a mile a minute..

[@Cube2the3rd]

so what was the final review?

[@WbosonLP]

And how much was the VRAM usage on 24GB 4090? 6GB? Loading the game from Virtual Memory from HDD all the time? Todays technology...

[@BaronVonSTFU]

How similar to risk of rain 1 or 2 would you all say this feels like? I loved both games and am getting a vibe

[@Thiloyeah]

Never heard of, but will check it out. Thx for these awesome reviews(Y).

[@madzombie6101]

This game was a grind! I finally beat it after a three month break from it haha

[@mightymochi6320]

Love this game. Just recently beat it on ps5 after letting it sit on the shelf for more than a year.

[@ouroboroswyrm]

another excellent review...you always supply all the info. looks like i have a new game to try.

[@Tronjheimr]

I've just platinum'd this game last night. What a gaming experience! It's been a while since I enjoyed such a good gameplay. There were even a few instances where I feel that I won't beat this game ever.

[@MaynesWorld]

For folks who are saying that “Karak isn’t rating the games.” When looking at the title and it tells you what his verdict is. Scrolling through the videos he’s titled videos as “Buy Returnal” or “Wait To Buy Midnight Suns”…etc. It’s a great idea that tells you upfront and saves a bit of time on the creator and viewer. You already know his opinion, but you can watch to learn why he came to that decision. Hope this helps.

I scrolled through his videos and you're wrong. At least it's not as consistent as you claim it is. So, from his titles I can tell nothing.

[@Anthonyelmio2]

Karak being awesome and fast as always with reviews ❤

[@scottgriffin5769]

I did it... I'm first. Also, Returnal is such a hidden gem

[@bloodymeatballz2368]

Actually I was 3 seconds faster.

[@Scarygomez]

2nd 😂

[@MarzSanctum]

2nd my boi

[@IcanSeeMyselfOutThanks]

Does it work on the Deck?

[@eiadtarabulsi]

Returnal was an amazing experience on the PS5. The same goes for the PC version, aside from some stuttering issues. Thanks, once again Karak for another honest, unbiased and detailed review! I really appreciate it!

[@dipsetkory7964]

Yo ACG... I know you don't do Nintendo Stuff often. But I really hope that if you're a Zelda fan, you review TOTK. Which comes out May 12. I looked everywhere to see if you reviewed Breate Of The Wild but nothing was found

[@RickLag8514]

I wish House Marque would port all their games on PC, especially Dead Nation. Great review, maybe PC will get Ghost of Tsushima next

[@pomps8085]

Yeah I've been praying for ghost of tshushima. It's the only thing left for me to bring to pc (I'm assuming gow ragnarok and wolverine will come to pc)

[@ryanpongracz8051]

This game is insanely under rated.

[@Xatalion]

Haven't got a PS5. So excited to play this on PC

[@SunnySoCal]

if they can patch the stutters which is pretty simple to do i’d say it’s well worth it if you never played it

[@wintermintmojo2418]

So disappointed to hear about the Microstutters. Really seems to be happening in more and more titles these days.

[@cirescythe]

I did not notice any. Some very minor hitches when changing rooms now and then. Those where on ps5 as well though. Other than that 100fps all maxed out and raytracing on max.

[@wintermintmojo2418]

@@cirescythe Oh if its just on the room transitions I can deal. Like you said it was the same thing on the PS5. Appreciate the info.

[@cybervoid8442]

@@cirescythe appreciate the info. Mind sharing your pc specs?

[@stilt3d146]

nice review. Loved this game on PS5. Stoked that it's transitioned well.