Returnal (Zero Punctuation)

[@theescapist]

Watch this week's Zero Punctuation episode on Biomutant. www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/biomutant-zero-punctuation/ Watch it early on KZbin and support our content via KZbin Memberships for $2 / month.

[@samwritesmusic5402]

will do chief

[@The_Presitator]

Hey, Yahtzee's end of video email doesn't seem to work anymore. Thought you might want to know that.

[@chriscangelosi9438]

The complexity of these reviews is mind boggling, as soon as it ends i have to immediately rewatch it lol

[@LightStrikerQc]

If he likes SyFy, he should try Hellpoint! :)

[@Psychol-Snooper]

That EA crack was spot on!

[@bird3713]

"It's more spite than anything that's carrying me" I've never heard a more concise explanation of Yahtzee's viewpoint on being a game reviewer

[@stillmorereviews9114]

That’s just how I operate in general

[@ThrottleKitty]

Sounds like an apt description of any American political party.

[@junkelist]

I was also surprised to hear a positive game review!

[@GodOfOrphans]

@@ThrottleKitty More like western politics in general, everyone involved in that is motivated less by genuine desire for good or to improve things than just pure puerile hatred and spite.

[@BrunoMaricFromZagreb]

Sure,cinicysm is sometimes necessary,especially given the things he has to put up with.But i sometimes worry about Yahtzee given the only game he actually liked was Portal,AND NOTHING ELSE.Not being able to have fun and criticise the game at the same time isn't good.

[@alt0799]

'Paying your respects to Newton' as a description for falling is hilarious.

[@FireTalon24]

I am absolutely going to use "You pay your respects to Newton at terminal velocity" next time a player falls to their death in my D&D campaigns.

[@dotanuki3371]

"The literal meaning of life is whatever you're doing that prevents you from killing yourself" - Camus "Spite" - Yahtzee

[@GodOfOrphans]

You say that like a joke but I've legitimately pulled myself back from the brink with spite as a motivator and I know I'm not alone in that, so spite is legitimately a viable and dare I say even good reason to live.

[@dotanuki3371]

@@GodOfOrphans spite is not a good reason to live. reexamine and restructure your life and head if you think so

[@GodOfOrphans]

@@dotanuki3371 Nah you have a very myopic view of things if you cannot see its value. When one is on the brink of the abyss grasping for any reason to hold on, it doesn't need to be anything grand it just needs to suffice, that is the true value of spite and other strong negative emotions they are enduring and can give people the strength to save themselves when fleeting positivity fails. That you cannot see that means you have never faced true hardship, you have never stared into the face of the abyss and had to find a reason to keep going, never fallen into said abyss and had to pull yourself back out. You have a dangerously oversimplified view of things from always looking down from your ivory tower, come on down to Earth sometime, you might learn something.

[@Npi13O7]

@@GodOfOrphans The power of Spite is a strong one. So go on, be spiteful against the universe, show it how little it is against you...

[@GodOfOrphans]

@@Npi13O7 I can't tell if you're joking or serious.

[@bas24live]

All hail the Pigeon Religion.

[@martincann5052]

Coo! Coo! Coooooooooo!

[@LowPolyPigeon]

All hail the Food Button! All hail the Food Button!

[@joshuacannar607]

hail

[@xshadowscreamx]

Hail

[@zegreatpumpkinani9161]

Hail

[@2CPhoenix]

As we’ve learned over the last several months, Yahztee has an extremely strict daily schedule, including his one page of a novel per day, his one bit of Starstruck per day, working on Zero Punctuation, Dev Diary, streams, and more, and he ends up having an allotted one hour of free time per day to play a game he actually wants to play, so I can definitely imagine this game hit him pretty hard.

[@aidanpage2458]

and yet he still quite liked it, so i guess that speaks to the quality to the game

[@bottomlefto]

@@aidanpage2458 he did say it's more spite than enjoyment carrying him. i don't think that bodes well for any game described that way

[@Bruno-cb5gk]

@@bottomlefto it's like me and War Thunder

[@bemersonbakebarmen]

@@aidanpage2458 did he? In the end its an unremarkable game from his review

[@RobGordonJC]

@@bottomlefto What Yahtzee described is that despite the pure rage that is driving him to play it, he still likes it enough where he doesn’t outright say he dislikes the game. So he likes it.

[@Tzen03]

"So what game am I playing next?" "How about you do Returnal?" "DOOM ETERNAL!?"

[@n147258noah]

"Do Maternal?"

[@GirlypopShotgun]

Goddamnit

[@RiggedFem]

[@KamenriderCrusher]

Ok i commented "doom Returnal" thinking im funny, but you have clearly made the better joke

[@davebanaster8904]

“DON’T MIND IF I DO”

[@oppenz3723]

Looking forward playing this 5 years from now when ps5 will be available for decent price

[@greatgoblin3065]

You said it.

[@nikkohewitt8848]

Around the time the next console comes out

[@saintallison]

Bargain bins will be our best friends~

[@OhSoLiliana]

And actually available

[@BugsyFoga]

499 isn't that bad

[@Gnoggin]

Loved this game, but the difficulty of the first area... struggled for 10+ hours to beat the first boss, and then once I did beat the first boss I proceeded to beat the rest of the game without any difficulty at all, 0 deaths from that point. Hmm.

[@dangerouslydubiousdoubleda9821]

Thats nice my rng for the second level raped me for months

[@clockworklemon9243]

i beat the first boss on the second try and then the next 3 on the first try. now as for the actual maps. god damn. im into the second half of the game and its kicking my ass like id only just started it.

[@dangerouslydubiousdoubleda9821]

@@clockworklemon9243 I just keep getting the worse fucking guns in the game and I keep dying. but the gameplay was so addicting man.

[@DaeDaLuS015]

@@clockworklemon9243 I'm having the same issue, just keep levelling up those weapon perks and unlocking stuff for ether. Now i am finding weapons with rank 2 and 3 perks on more reliably it's getting easier.

[@ponderingForever]

Same! Pretty wild. After the first forced reset it kinda just flew by. Found it becoming easier if I leave behind the RNG and just play and let the guns level up.

[@Karakuioshi]

Yahtzee sounds like he wants to hate this game but can't because he likes it too much.

[@serban031]

I think this comment wins the internet today.

[@jholotanbest2688]

@@serban031 It is just too damn accurate

[@biscuitboi9478]

To be fair, that’s how he sounds all the time

[@zenith5048]

@@biscuitboi9478 No no I think we all know that he can really tear some games apart , so much so that they look like the demons from doom after you’ve curb stomped them by the time he’s done.

[@DarkAngelEU]

It appeals to his masochism.

[@Atypical-Abbie]

Pigeon Religion is my favorite 80s punk rock band.

[@GreatFox42]

"There's a line between hard and unfair." I wish more people understood this.

[@sebs-shenanigans]

I wish the devs of dying light understood this.

[@jackgebhardt2932]

@@sebs-shenanigans Really? I didn't feel like it was either, but I did feelike there were issues.

[@sebs-shenanigans]

@@jackgebhardt2932 In one of the reviews I witnessed a man cutting a zombie in half whilst being tired (he was doing one of the early side quests), while I literally had to smack someone with Tahir's blade up to 6 or 7 times, which would still not be enough to take them down. On hard difficulties It felt like trying to crumble a wall with your pinky finger was task monumentally easier compared to the melee system. It also felt uttery jarring that a single kick in the face could finish everything off, while a swing with a heavy axe redeemed with premium dockets could not do so in 3. The end result was me completely abusing the finishers, camo, neck snaps and stuns, whilst barely utilizing my weapons. This created a sort of metronome system where combat was either Piss easy or Piss difficult. I completely refuse to talk about the bloody human enemies (especially those armed with guns).

[@illuvattula5017]

@@sebs-shenanigans One word. The Following DLC, hardest difficulty, driving at night. OK, that was more then one word.

[@sebs-shenanigans]

@@illuvattula5017 Which is why I never drove in the night. Running and Grappling. Driving was clunky as is, no need to complicate things further with bloody volatiles.

[@finbarrdarcy5929]

Didn’t expect the consistent John Major cameos, but I’m not complaining.

[@Jimmyinvictus]

After all these years, I'm reasonably comfortable in listing thing Yahtzee likes: Dark Souls, Creme Eggs, and Tummy Rubs. Still mulling it over if he-like Lord Dunsany-is more droll or more wry.

[@sunnystrathern8396]

Didn't he claim to like Breath of the Wild once??

[@MandleRoss]

Also, potentially, hand-jobs from people dressed up as Long John Silver.

[@turbonerdo6838]

Loves portal, and gave quite a lot of praise to minecraft.

[@hypersonic2180]

Don’t forget Twix

[@ArgenteonYT]

@@sunnystrathern8396 yea, his fenyx rising video was basically a second review of botw where he says zelda is good

[@TheM4v3r1cX]

"Returnal pulls off its intention very well, but bear in mind that its intention is to hurt you". Oh so this is what I feel when I play Drakengard

[@reizak8966]

Hurts so good.

[@azzzanadra]

you masochist boy/girl

[@tomjack1000000]

I think he meant intentionally hurt you instead of y'know drakenguard mechanics

[@JackgarPrime]

No game has been able to fulfill that goal quite as well as Drakengard before or sense.

[@KeithFraser82]

"THIS HURTS YOU" -Harbinger, Mass Effect 2

[@serduncan6933]

So it's one of the games that tests the concept of "there is nothing you can't overcome with enough spite"

[@thepicswin]

"I am powered by spite, through which all things are possible"

[@TCPPoetry]

I recognize your genius, Yahtzee. "Every enemy looks like a prebuilt gaming PC going Super Cyan."

[@nathanweast4397]

The term "Pigeon religion" is oddly satisfying; his pronunciation of "Saiyan" is not.

[@MrAndrewaziz]

"Cyan" like the color lol

[@fireiron369]

You cannot deny he said it right. Sai-Yan

[@takatotakasui8307]

@@fireiron369 Yes I can

[@Ayeloo]

pidjin relidjin

[@TheParappa]

But... his pronunciation of "Saiyan" is correct.

[@larynx46]

The end credits gag: well played, Yahtz. Well done, sir.

[@CteCrassus]

It actually reminded me of a 2D Souls-like called Death's Gambit, where there's a room that gets filled with corpes the more you die, and at one point (like 30 or 40 times) the pile gets high enough that you can use it to reach some rather nice loot.

[@thekrakenexperiment280]

"Pay respects to Mr. Newton" is definitely something I need to use next time I trip.

[@Paludion]

You've been at this for more than 15 years and yet you still find enough jokes and gags to make us roll on the floor. Hat's off to you !

[@vonwux]

It's about time John Major took his rightful place in video game review videos.

[@thats4thebirds]

It was fun but really kicked my ass, then I came across an insane gun in the opening area and cruised through like 3 biomes. I wish each run felt different beyond “did you get a decent gun” Deff loved the vibe tho!

[@lnt305]

Dude. Currently wearing a shirt with your icon printed on it. Catana ftw

[@dangerouslydubiousdoubleda9821]

I can never get a good gun :(

[@TheTriforceDragon]

Once you unlocked and leveled the various traits it kinda felt like nearly every gun was a decent gun. Starting pistol with nothing, sure, that things sucks. Pistol with scatter ammo, burst fire and homing rockets (which is rather common to get once unlocked), now you are cooking with gas. I think the problem is that the game doesnt tell you that a weapon can only spawn with unlocked traits and if no traits are unlocked the gun only spawns with one trait, which you then can unlock. But then when you have that trait unlocked, the next gun can spawn with the unlocked trait + one that still needs to be unlocked. So by the time you have 3-4 traits unlocked on a gun, you will regurlarly find guns with 2-3 traits (rarely 4) and one locked trait that you can unlock by using it. This massively ups the power of each weapon type, but requires a bit of use when the gun is less effective and might cause you to simply search for the gun type you have a ton of traits for which might screw you over if you dont find it.

[@francesco8000]

It's been a while since Yatzhee made a review where i'm not sure if he liked the game or not. I think the answer is "Yes" but i wouldn't bet too much on it.

[@AlwaysSomeone]

I kind of got "it's good, but I really didn't have time to enjoy it fully because I needed to make this review."

[@HubertCumbadale02]

The bit where you get to the John Major boss in the game got me. Having to dodge garden peas from his dinner plate. Its even worse when due to luck you run into Margret thatcher in the game.

[@squatcobbler4703]

As a counterpoint to Yahtzee’s review, and from the perspective of a gamer not particularly good at Roguelikes (I’ve never finished Binding of Isaac or Curse of the Dead Gods), I don’t find Returnal as punishing as he makes it out to be in the review. My first play-through took around 16 hours and there were massive spans of the game where I had a build so strong that I stayed alive for multiple bosses at a time. One thing he does not mention is that unlike other roguelikes, in Returnal you can quickly travel to previous unlocked areas via the interconnected map, and doing this automatically balances the level of weapons you find with the difficulty of the area. So, you can quickly loot the early zone for trinkets and health upgrades while largely ignoring enemies, then travel to the area you previously progressed to and find suitable weapons. I think this makes it much less frustrating than other roguelikes. For anyone jumping into the game I strongly recommend entering the boss arenas with at least one healing item and preferably a revival artifact. That said, Returnal is a complete breath of fresh air, as it has the all-around polish of a AAA game, with popping graphics, general fluidity, and score by a film composer, all fused with the go-for-broke wild nonsense gameplay of an indie game. This game was a pleasant surprise-I thought it’d be shiiiiit based on the title and early gameplay reveals.

[@TheKrossRoads]

To be fair, Yahtzee did say that the difficulty was all over the place because of procedural generation. You seemed to get a pretty nice and easy roll for your first play, but I suspect that your feeling toward the game may be different if you had rolled up an equally likely "prepare to get sodomized like a school girl" level of difficulty.

[@squatcobbler4703]

@@TheKrossRoads Lmao that is fair. When I say first play through, I meant playing until the final boss. There is no difference between your first run through and new game cycles besides harder enemy types showing up earlier during new-game cycles. Regardless, every-time you die you lose everything, and I personally died around 30 times (I usually die exponentially more lmao). I will clarify that perks are not as random as in other roguelikes, especially when the most helpful items are those that heal and revive, which you can purchase for the same price on every run. Also, there are only about 5 or 6 weapon variants with randomized upgrades, but on every single run it is extremely easy to find one that can sustain you during a boss fight. So I disagree with him in regards to run randomness, which is a problem I generally have with the genre. Especially harder roguelikes such as the ones I mentioned in the first comment where healing is especially hard to come by. Basically what I’m saying is don’t be afraid of Revival if you find roguelikes frustrating, because you don’t have to endlessly grind for perma-upgrades like others in the genre, and you won’t have to keep restarting to find some crazy god weapon. Very fairly balanced most of the time. (Clarification: when you kill a boss in Returnal you can literally waltz through that area to the next, and when you get to the final areas, you can waltz from the starting point to those areas. Again, no grind like other roguelikes where you have to kill thirteen cunting bosses in one run.)

[@maxwell9561]

Honestly the only thing that matters with naming a product is how memorable it is, how well it rolls off the tounge, and that people don't burst out laughing as soon as they hear it.

[@bird3713]

After all these years, I finally see the game that we're always referring to when we say "Rogue-lite"

[@bhaveshramdaursingh4325]

they say rogue like, not lite

[@colincarpenter3549]

@@bhaveshramdaursingh4325 nah they definitely said rogue-lite here. Rogue-likes and Rogue-lites are different.

[@bhaveshramdaursingh4325]

@@colincarpenter3549 must have misheard then. My bad

[@thepicswin]

@@ileutur6863 rest in peace brother.

[@RobinClower]

For clarification, rogue-like means each run is completely new and nothing carries over, think Spelunky, Binding of Issac, or Slay the Spire. Rogue-lite means some things may help you in future runs, think Hades, Rogue Legacy, or this.

[@SuperWolfman9]

the last minute of the review should have just been the first minute again but said and done slightly differently.

[@linkueicatastrophe9727]

I'm sure plenty other YOutubers have done it and he didn't want to

[@jenweatherwax7113]

I get a "Groundhog's Day" but depressing, vibe from this plot.

[@lunebadru5997]

It never truly ends

[@scottsymonds5649]

Or Happy Death Day without the gallows humor.

[@Khaim.m]

You know "Groundhog Day" was pretty depressing too; he was completely trapped for the entire movie with no way out, but it just randomly stopped at the end.

[@Relocklabs]

@@Khaim.m try the book.. he was trapped long enough to master piano and learn many languages I don't remember the exact timeframe but decades stuck in a single day.. the movie was super light hearted compared even with the suicide mentions

[@realtalk13]

that's kind of the point of rogue-lites/likes as a genre of gaming. more recent games tho have really started integrating the gimmick into the plot/making it actually a plot point instead of just a game mechanic. happy to see this is the latter, like Hades was

[@Thisisthegreatestatofalltime]

I wonder if Yahtzee’s back still hurts from all those years of being the only reason the Escapist is still relevant.

[@chuckfriend589]

I also thought it was Brienne of Tarth at first.

[@TheMasterBT]

Am I crazy or did yahtzee kinda like this game? He was decently less scathing than usual

[@oddcrafter1270]

You may well be crazy, but I also got the impression that he likes it.

[@P1kk3]

By yahtzees metric he absolutely liked it

[@JetStream0509]

Yeah I was honestly expecting him to dislike it a lot more considering he doesn’t like rogue-likes and Returnal’s weakest aspect is it’s rogue-lite qualities

[@SirSaladhead]

A lot of what he says about roguelites is exactly why Enter the Gungeon annoyed me greatly after a while...

[@Frrk]

I do believe you can beat it with starting weapons if you're good enough....it would take forever though. But yeah, it matters a GREAT deal if you get a lucky überweapon or some lame buff in the starting chests.

[@bluemooninthedaylight8073]

That game's difficulty spike is so crazy. I uninstalled it when it came out, after becoming annoyed by the bullet hell bosses, and decided to wait and see if they would tweak things in a patch. I reinstalled it recently, and nope, it still has that uneven difficulty spike. If they would have put more care into having gradual difficulty instead, I would have loved that game.

[@gavinlee6196]

@@bluemooninthedaylight8073 I mean, it's not a uneven spike sprinkled throughout for me it felt more like a solid wall, and after the wall everything is easy again, besides a few of the pasts and extra modes. But the moment u build the bullet that could kill the past u essentially mastered the game and got over that wall. The balance felt alright it s more about the player that needs improvement. Cause even with the shittest guns and items I've beat the game bf, and sometimes with the best of luck I get killed 2 levels in. Idk, it's just a really grindy game that u need to get in the zone for.

[@user-ux4gu2lh8c]

Enter the gungeon is a completely different game after you beat it once. It’s kinda insane how much you improve from learning the enemies and mastering the dodging. Once you get over that hurdle it’s incredibly good.

[@gavinlee6196]

@@8Kazuja8 eh, counter point, rainbow chest runs. If u r that good at the game and know all the characters and starter guns and weapons by heart u probably already unlocked rainbow chest runs. Granted it cost currency but it is still a good alternative. U can also manipulate rng early game to get better guns and items. Or u could do the alternate floors. Best of all there is couch coop, which shakes up early game a lot. There are tons of options if the game gets stale, not to mention the modding community on pc

[@Gentlemenpickleesq.]

I feel like the orginal dead rising started this idea. Since in there it gives you a random level upgrade everytime you level up and if it gets to hard the game let's you restart at your current level back to the beginning.

[@realtalk13]

nah Yahtzee rightfully points out that indie games have been running with this for so long (the game the roguelike/lite genre got its name from, Rogue, came out in the 80s) it has created entirely new subgenres

[@bbb136]

You have to play through the game several times to get a sense of the story. Multiple play throughs. I watched this game utterly bewitch my friend and I was terrified.

[@elberethgilthoniel1397]

You heard it here 1st. Yahtzee's Neo Grunge Electronic Metal Band's name will be : Smear of Organic Paste Featuring the hit single : Jacob Creams his Crackers When Brie Branstons his Pickle

[@ajskyrender486]

Truly one of your best reviews. I cried twice!!!

[@darcangel7752]

I love these Zero Punctuation videos so much, there's some sort of strange satisfaction to watching Yahtzee rip the guts out of some of my favourite games and toss them across the room like a hot frisbee.

[@FireFox64000000]

I'm confused Yahtzee you start out by comparing this game to Prometheus, which I automatically assume means it's absolutely horrible and pointless (just like that movie), and then you talk like it's actually somewhat enjoyable.

[@tofuteh2348]

Maybe he meant the themes/visuals/concepts and not the execution?

[@kaalionrjest1059]

Bloody hell, I was waiting for your review and I feel like this is going to be as honest and good as I can hope for from anywhere. Just like I expect from you. Thanks Yahtz for the psychosis and review! Entertaining and illuminating as always! @The Escapist

[@Lysander45]

I enjoy Yahtzee occasionally revealing just how old he is with his references. This time it was the John Major, who hasn't been a thing in British politics for two decades.

[@Overloaded45]

"Makes you feel like an unacknowledged smear of organic paste on the bootheel of the universe. You know, as practice for when you get a job at EA" Damn that's beyond SAVAGE! 10/10

[@akadamaru]

I like how yatz pronounces Super saiyans as "Super Cyan"

[@WakiTheCroc]

He pronounces it closer to an actual Japanese pronunciation than the Western dubs tbf

[@ChrisPhelior]

"Aren't we all trapped in cycles of some kind?" Yes, for I am trapped in the cycles of guilt, but at least my legs are okay.

[@CogDisso]

It's included in Playstation Plus Extra subscription for those with a PS5 who are a bit on the fence about it.

[@kadosho02]

Tried to get into it. But it does not feel fun. I put a few hours in. I just felt drained after awhile

[@WarrenEBB]

i do think the game sets up solutions to the malfunctions. like, there seem to be little puzzles to overcoming them, which can be rewarding if you think about them instead of dismissing them as unfair randomness. (like, everytime i died I had a "ah, should have done that" moment.)(or maybe i broke my brain and i'm seeing puzzles where there was just RNG. would love for developers to address this)

[@Codes__]

5:11 - Hey, I resemble that remark!

[@hackcubit9663]

Can't tell if the line around 4:22 is supposed to be, "prebuilt gaming PC going super sayian" or if he deliberately said "going super cyan."

[@vidmuncher]

I don't know how to deal with the fact that Yhatze essentially agreed with my "Metroid Prime: Returnal" joke

[@permeus2nd]

You know it must be really odd and of putting finding a dead body that looks exactly like you in every way, I can think of quite a few things that could drive a person insane but that’s got to be high on the list.

[@kadosho02]

All of her reports throughout definitely show a sign, she is losing it even more with every reset Also some of the bodies can be corrupted, and turn into monsters

[@desireesatterlee1070]

Ah Returnal. The new bane to my existence. I love it!

[@JohnA...]

I love the breakfast cereal suggestion, that could be quite humorous so long as you get the dosage right.

[@bubba1682]

Kinda surprised he didnt talk about the feedback controls at all. It's pretty great.

[@danquaza9275]

Holy crap he actually liked a new Triple A game?!? That’s almost as uncommon as finding a good gun with the perfect perks in Returnal

[@hunterwoodlee3000]

He didn’t mention the music. But it’s one of my favorites in recent memory.

[@AlbertaTrailCams]

Is it possible to determine how many people are actually playing the PS5 vs how many PS5 sold?

[@danquaza9275]

I just saw recently that the amount of active PS5-PSN accounts is about 60% of the total consoles sold. Which sounds bad but I guess it’s pretty common, the Xbox 360 had 45% for the first 6months of its release. They will be back in supply soon, I believe Sony has definitely realized that if they had just had enough to begin with they would have sold probably double the consoles.

[@AlbertaTrailCams]

@@danquaza9275 they've sold every console they made and will fail to meet demand for at least a few more months and then I suppose they will have oversold with the number in scalpers hands collecting dust until they sell for fair price.

[@melimsah]

And now I have Random Documents And Audio Logs stuck in my head, THANKS VISUAL GAG

[@elberethgilthoniel1397]

1:09 Shite Planet "Hnugh!" Returnal Ah, the famous Yahtzee dry heave, air escaping tortured lungs after a gut punch, grammar police onomatopoeiaic joke. This is the kind of comedy unique to ZP and what I haven't been able to get enough of for a decade and a half.

[@kiba775237]

i love watching Yatzeessss vids when i am drunk... its words

[@ToyKeeper]

The most notable part of this game for me is that the main character has my name... which is oddly uncomfortable because it has never happened before and my brain thinks someone is talking to me every time they say her name.

[@KeithFraser82]

Zero Punctuation prog rock album of the week: *The Uncaring Vastness Of The Infinite* by the *Faceless Collection* (tracks include *Is Any Of This Real?* , *Paste On The Bootheel Of The Universe* and *Trapped In Horrifying Cycles* )

[@BroAnarchy]

That *_EA_* joke at the end was pure Gold. 👌

[@AdamChan318]

When it comes to roguelikes with their sorta random difficulty curves, I think the best the designer can do is make sure each challenge generated will still be fair for even a skilled player, though it should also scale with progression as well

[@Wolfrover]

Fun fact: Selene is voiced by Jane Perry, also known as the voice of Diana Burnwood in the _Hitman_ series of games. More recently, she was the voice of Rogue Amendiares in _Cyberpunk 2077_ . Fun fact 2: _Returnal_ makes a ton of allusions to classical mythology. Selene was a goddess of the moon, Helios a titan of the sun, and Atropos... well, Atropos was the last of the three Moirae, the Fates. Klotho (spinner) spins the thread of life. Lachesis (fate) measures it out. And then comes Atropos, "inevitable", with her shears... Fun fact 3: Yes, there is an ending. Be advised that the mind-screwdriver is in use.

[@zacharybarteky3040]

The storytelling in this game is phenomenal. You didn't beat it, so you didn't actually get to the good parts. It's a work you have to enjoy in full to appreciate.

[@NekoiNemo]

0:41 Yep, you are, Rogue, you are... P.S. Anyone else thinks that pipse at 0:18 are actually the the same looping pipe?

[@asherhardin4178]

Thank you Yahtzee for describing my feelings on the Roguelike/lite genre, it feels like they're allowed to get away with a lot of bad or downright lazy game design just because that's how the genre is "supposed to be."

[@metalsonic66]

Super Cyan was a very unexpected pun but I approve

[@Culpritx12]

Too bad Yahtzee didn’t have enough time to finish the game before this review bc the hidden story is really really good and thought provoking.

[@TheKrossRoads]

If you make a nice dinner but pour manure all over it, can you really hold it against someone if they choose to not dig through the crap to finally get to the good stuff?

[@samanthaB98]

@@TheKrossRoads god that's exactly my experience with this fucking game i was really interested with the story but i do not fucking care enough to slog through this garbage

[@shawklan27]

@@TheKrossRoads good point...

[@jacobbalzer8755]

I can’t help hearing a few points that might be precursors to the (hopefully) eventual review of Nocturne Remastered. A game that I didn’t think Yahtz would like, but now my suspicions are confirmed.

[@juanfranciscovillarroelthu6876]

Nothing can inspire you more than pure spite

[@Sleksin]

The main thing I want to know about this game is how well it understands roguelikes. A AAA game doing something the indie scene has been dominating comes with worry that it's just cashing in on the genre. Also, Yahtzee seems to specifically say roguelite, but I don't know if Returnal is a roguelite or it's just what he was saying.

[@donshinobi84]

I just finished Returnal, after 80+ hours. "This game wants to hurt you" is spot on, across gameplay and story. Thematically brilliant.

[@ultr0shot440]

The way you fix the "enemies sneak up from behind" issue is using a tempest audi system compatible headset. The audio is what makes you aware of your surroundings. They really did try to use everything the PS5 has that makes it great... unfortunately that kinda hurts the gameplay when you have to charge the headset.

[@kilroy987]

This prompted me to look up Skinner's experiment, which I haven't read about in a while. Apparently the pigeons that were given a variable reward for pecking started pecking obsessively. Rats did the same thing, and the same concept works on humans. Slot machines make more money than many entertainment venues. Update: I picked up this game. I've probably died 30 times. Haven't made it past the first boss yet. I don't hate it... yet. Update 2: I definitely ran into some frustration areas, and if I played too long I just got incapable of dodging shots properly despite my intent to continue to play. So I had to take conscious breaks. I finally finished the game - 115 deaths, 59 hours of playtime. Great, well put together game, but the story points are too vague - not enough answered questions.

[@Yuhara_rev]

Don't know why, but I like the quiet "and, ʷᵉˡˡ, ᵃⁿᵈ ᵐᵒⁿˢᵗᵉʳˢ ᵒᵇᵛᶦᵒᵘˢˡʸ" at 1:34

[@nohomers100]

You go in the side quest doors until you get the load out you want and then proceed to follow the objectives. Cmon Yahtzee you’re supposed to be smart. The game is incredibly fun and addictive

[@slambangaction]

My only experience with roguelikes so far was the Mooncrash DLC for 2017's Prey. Unlike the main game, I did not enjoy playing the DLC very much; I guess I just prefer being able to place save points to try again when I inevitably fuck up.

[@JamesBrophy]

interesting. never thought I'd see the game that Girlfriend Reviews could finish but Yahztee was outdone by.

[@BugsyFoga]

Got this game with my ps5 , and it's certainly a fascinating experience ( my first rogue like).

[@yvetteszentesi6077]

4:12 - "..and proceed to pay my respects to Mr. Newton at full screaming volume .. " I spat out my tea! XD .. That was .. awesome in its razor edge cynical delivery.

[@berrim26]

Did he say 'Super Saiyan'... or 'Super Cyan'

[@sgtjohnson49]

"It's more spite than enjoyment that carries me" I feel personally attacked.

[@Caulderain]

3:01 I thought I was having a stroke for a second there

[@Peoples_Republic_of_Cotati]

That spaceship llooks like it's wearing a Tall Lady's Hat

[@aaronstafford2446]

I’m gonna be dying over “Gaming PC going Super Cyan” for the rest of the day, thanks.

[@Dr_Monitor]

Yahtzee's pronunciation of Saiyan is like how AR12 pronounces Porsche and how Itonmouse pronounces Reese's.

[@kylerivera3470]

I think this was my favorite end animation so far.

[@CloudianMH]

being serious for a moment, roguelikes do not have a place in triple A. The reason they exist is for indie companys to create gameplay loops without creating content. It work for indie games. It's just another excuse for triple A to not make a game.

[@ramp8536]

Housemarque is basically still an indie developer so I can't bring up much malice towards it. And hey, if it's good and the devs aren't overworking themselves, who cares?

[@jub8951]

@@ramp8536 he said the game was better than Most rogue like

[@Starkiller5121]

I have Returnal, and I can't help but keep playing it, since I get better after every death, and unlock more items for me to find on the next cycle. That's the appeal, like adding an extra handhold on the ladder of progress to help me climb further and further.

[@First-Last_name]

Rqqeminds me off binding of isic. Still trying to finish that 1.

[@darkheart273]

I am both amazed and horrified that Yahtzee pronounced saiyan right

[@xcellentcreations3312]

0:53 well to be fair, its quite new to see a triple a powerd rougelike game with 0 monetization!

[@SolaScientia]

I'm still on the fence about getting this one since I've never had an interest in rogue-like/light/etc games much. I get frustrated enough in Dark Souls/Bloodborne/Sekiro with all the dying repeatedly that I'm sure I'd get very frustrated with Returnal; and I do know that's the point, but that's also why I have a bunch of games where I'm not constantly dying, rinsing, and repeating. I will say that as a Hitman fan, Selene's voice actor being the same as Diana's is a bit of a draw and any gameplay I've watched has me immediately just connecting her with Diana and thinking that this is what Diana has gotten up to in the far future, lol.

[@El-Duderino-His-Dudeness]

The difference is, everything in Dark Souls is static. If you grind enough to get yourself to a certain power level it can be enjoyable. The enemy placements don't change. I'd argue dying all the time in Dark Souls isn't the point, once you get to a certain skill level and get the reflexes for it, you don't die as much. I'm not great at video games but I beat plenty of Dark Souls 2 or 3 bosses or other Souls like bosses on my first try, because I knew how to react. Roguelikes are just a random mess.

[@SolaScientia]

@@El-Duderino-His-Dudeness Can't argue with that since I beat Gascoigne and the Blood-Starved Beast on my first attempt at each. The common enemies in Bloodborne give me more trouble than bosses so far.

[@shawklan27]

@@El-Duderino-His-Dudeness this, if people find souls games difficult WHOLE BOY are they in for a nasty treat when it comes to this game's difficulty and bullshitery

[@El-Duderino-His-Dudeness]

@@shawklan27 I just have a hard time imagining getting good enough to deal with the rng of a Roguelike. Where Dark Souls is kind of the opposite. I get it's a different type of progression. I just never really understood the appeal. I will say I think Returnal looks like one of the better ones.

[@shawklan27]

@@El-Duderino-His-Dudeness cause it is genuinely one of the better ones in the genre

[@MINI_JasperJunior]

Only £780 in CeX. 🤔 Still about 700 too dear for me but it's getting there. 😐

[@PanAndScanBuddy]

Pigeon Religion is an incredible phrase, Yahtzee!

[@superguy183828]

Super-cyan is a great pun

[@TheCreepypro]

and that is when you know a game is actually hard when even Yahtzee talks about it

[@novabella4422]

Ok I need a link to any explanation of that bird experiment.

[@frightspearpsn6038]

Funny thing: once i've had completed act 2, first biome felt like childs play. It feels unfair at the beginning, but once you git gud at avoiding damage, not so much. And that randomness that requires luck is just what a rogue-like does. Returnal should be classified as a rogue-lite because of persistent progression, but it hugs the border to rogue-like IMHO. If you don't know what a real rogue-like feels like, play nethack for a change - and die of hunger or food poisoning, because you didn't find any food items soon enough.