Returnal's free Ascension update finally gives us a reason to go back
One of the biggest criticisms surrounding Returnal’s initial release was its lofty launch price of £70. Obviously you can pick the game up for much cheaper now but back in April of 2021 there was plenty of discourse surrounding the amount of content available for that price. This was especially true when you factored in the brutal difficulty of some of the later levels, something that was a definite turn-off for a large portion of players.
Returnal: Ascension DLC
- Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Developer: Housemarque
- Platform: Played on PS5
- Availability: Out now on PS5
Although I totally understood the arguments against the price at the time, I fell into the “it’s worth every penny” camp, as I was instantly taken in by Returnal’s dark sci-fi vibes, super slick gameplay and presentation.
In fact, I tumbled into such a deep Returnal hole that, 20 days after its April 30th launch, I’d completely rinsed the game for every last little secret and even unlocked the Platinum trophy, something that I normally have neither the time nor inclination to do.
This ended up being a bit of a double-edged sword for me though, as fully completing the game left me with little to go back for. Sure the combat is amazing but a large part of the fun for me was also found in hunting down the nuggets of lore, discovering new and unseen rooms and trying to make sense of Selene’s struggles.
