Returnal Dev Talks Customizable Controls, Translating Their Style And Philosophy To 3D

Barring delays, Sony has an interesting 2021 lined up for their new console with their first party line up. One of those is what looks to be quite a unique new IP with Returnal, set to release this March. The game has a roguelike structure alongside the backdrop of a woman stranded on an ever changing world that seems to be stuck in a timeloop. It’s from the folks at Housemarque, their first fully 3D title.

In a new episode of the HouseCast series, Game Director Harry Krueger spoke about this transition. In the past, Housemarque’s biggest games have been ‘bullet hell’ style shooters, and Krueger talks about translating that to having this extra dimension. Even something as simple as having the ability to jump over bullets changes how you have to tackle certain aspects, but he says they want to keep their idea of gameplay first alive, even if the game has a more narrative focus than past titles.

He also spoke about the importance of controls, and there is a brief example of how the adaptive triggers will work to switch firing modes, something that’s been mentioned before. Krueger says he sees it as important as controlling the camera and that there will be lots of customizable control options. In the video, there are also tidbits of new gameplay thrown in. Check it out below.

Returnal is set to launch exclusively on PlayStation 5 on March 19th.