For some, it’s just one port among many. For technophiles, on the other hand, the arrival of Returnal on PC is closely scrutinized. And for good reason: this is the first PS5 exclusive to be ported to a computer.
Sony continues the important work of porting its exclusives PlayStation on computer. A profitable bet, since apart from one Horizon Zero Dawn released in barely acceptable condition, all games that have so far received this treatment have done admirably well (God of War, Days Gone, Spider-Man and its spin-off Miles Morales…).
Only the case of Returnal is particular. Unlike all the other ports made so far, this is the first title that has been exclusively developed for the PS5 to come to the computer. Does the impeccable title of Housemarque, very demanding technically, keep its superb, so far from its home planet? Our verdict.
Test carried out on PC thanks to a code provided by the publisher. Our configuration includes an RTX 3090 graphics card, an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, 16 GB of RAM and an NVMe SSD.
atroce atropos
We will finally pass rather quickly on the intrinsic qualities of the game of Housemarque. A real gem from Finland, it is, following Demon’s Souls (which is a remake) and Destruction All Stars (that everyone has forgotten), the real first game exclusive to the PlayStation 5. A technological showcase, coupled with an excellent game, which notably left with the statuette of the game of the year during the Bafta 2021.
Returnal is a third-person shooter that fits into the very popular rogue-like genre. Understand: we are going to die. A lot. But rather than creating frustration, you learn from each failure and come back stronger.
Returnal is also part of this “new wave” of rogue-like. In the wake of the tidal wave Hades, Housemarque’s game does not forget the narrative dimension. In this case, Selene (the protagonist) is not accidentally stranded on the hostile planet Atropos. And discovering the reasons that led her there, as well as dissecting the mechanics of this strange time loop that brings her back to life following each death, is a pleasure that we wouldn’t spoil for the world.
The whole question behind the arrival of Returnal on PC is to know if the developers of Climax Studios (which took care of the port) have managed to do justice to the work of goldsmith carried out by Housemarque, precisely allowed by the technical specificities of the Sony PS5. First of all, its ultra-fast SSD, still without comparison today on computer. It is also not a surprise if Sony recommends a particularly muscular machine to take advantage of Returnal in good conditions.
Optimization with small onions
It’s not a whim: Returnal needs such punching power to display the many particle effects emanating from the shots, to properly handle the destruction of environments, but also to articulate the procedural generation of the levels. Indeed, apart from a few very specific corridors, most arenas in the game are generated when you open the door that leads you there. The speeds offered by the PS5 SSD offer gamers an instant experience, without any parasitic loading breaking the rhythm.
For the most part, the same is true on PC. At least if, like us, you have a fast enough SSD drive. In reality, apart from a few minor slowdowns during a too fast pivot, our experience with this port is very close to what we experienced two years ago on PS5. Returnal is a sumptuous game, quite dark (at least in its first biome), which benefits enormously from the compatibility of this port with ultrawide screens.
Difficult, however, to hope to exceed 60 frames per second with our test configuration – yet comfortably equipped. Moreover, we must activate the DLSS (the Quality setting is sufficient) to maintain a comfortable fluidity during the clashes. If you were going to enjoy the game in 4K at over 60 frames per second, we hope you have at least a brand new RTX 4080.
As a matter of conscience, we also attempted to launch Housemarque’s game on Valve’s Steam Deck. Unsurprisingly, the game is difficult to play. For the time being not certified for the portable console, it can however be launched. But you have to keep in mind that you can hardly exceed 30 frames per second, even with all the settings at the minimum and with the FSR set to a “performance” profile.
Throttles at full throttle
There was also, inevitably, the question of the support for the specificities of the DualSense controller. Reassuring, as on previous ports, it is fully supported on the PC version of Returnal. We find the excellent haptic feedback and the functionalities linked to the adaptive triggers which accentuate the immersion in this nervous shooter. But what regarding playing on the keyboard, or using another controller?
©Sony Interactive Entertainment
©Sony Interactive Entertainment
©Sony Interactive Entertainment
©Sony Interactive Entertainment
It’s quite simple, actually. With an Xbox pad, just press the left trigger halfway to aim and fully to activate the secondary fire. Exactly like on the PS5 controller, therefore, except that no resistance is opposed here by the trigger. On the mouse keyboard, it’s a separate key that allows you to select the secondary fire (a mouse key by default). It works, but Returnal is, in our opinion, a game that is much better enjoyed with the joystick. Indeed, the title is particularly rich in vibrations, and this absence of feedback when playing the keyboard we inevitably miss it.
Finally, we obviously wanted to highlight the presence of the “cycle suspension” feature which was long overdue on PS5. When it was released on the Sony console, it was impossible to quit the game in the middle of a game. Unless of course you agree to start over from the beginning! Deployed following several months on PS5, the suspension function is of course part of the PC version. As well as a very complete photo mode, of course.
All in all, a soft landing for a PS5 game’s first trip outside the walls, then. And we envy you for having the chance to discover it for the very first time.