Returnal is a 2021 roguelike third-person shooter video game developed by Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5. It follows Selene Vassos, an astronaut who lands on the planet Atropos in search of the mysterious “White Shadow” signal and finds herself trapped in a time loop. It won several end-year accolades, including Best Game at the 18th British Academy Games Awards.

Returnal is one of a handful of PS5 games that I really enjoyed in the past few years, and rank high among my other favorites like Horizon Forbidden West, God Of War Ragnarok as well as The Last Of Us Part II. The game features some very moody level and stage designs, beautifully complimented by an excellent soundtrack/sound design that makes an extremely immersive gameplay experience. The game’s shooting mechanics and weapons design system is also highly inventive and innovative.

This 208 pages art book showcases a comprehensive collection of concept art for the game, from character designs for Selene, creature and weapons design as well as an exhaustive feature of the stage and level designs. The architectural designs of the game is a particular highlight for me; just like CONTROL, Returnal pays great tribute to Brutalism designs, with huge, monolithic structures dominating the landscapes. The creature designs are also a delight, with nods to H. P. Lovecraft Cthulhu universe.

Publisher book synopsis – A hardcover art book chronicling the development of the dark science-fiction time-looping roguelike bullet hell adventure shooter!

When Selene Vassos crash-lands on a mysterious alien planet while in search of a cryptic signal, she’s made to face treacherous landscapes, hostile creatures, and a ceaseless time loop that returns her to the moment of her crash each time she would otherwise have died. This oversized volume collects concept art of the volatile biomes and terrifying enemies, as well as insightful commentary from the game’s creative team.

Dark Horse Books and Housemarque collaborate to present The Art of Returnal. Journey alongside Selene through a beautiful and dangerous world with art and anecdotes from the developers of the BAFTA-winning game.

Returnal is not and easy game and can be frustrating because of its Roguelike nature, but the game-play experience is extremely satisfying for me because of the amazing level designs and soundtrack, the former which is fully explored and showcased in this book. Fans of the game will find a lot to like in here, and if you have yet played the game, I highly recommend it.

“The Art Of Returnal” art book details :

– Dimensions – 11.26 x 0.92 x 10.28 inches
– Hardcover, 208 pages
– Full color

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