Line #12 YMMV/Returnal


1	* AwardSnub: The game not being nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021 raised a few eyebrows due to ''Returnal'' being one of the better-received games of the year. It being passed over by the likes of ''VideoGame/{{Deathloop}}'' and ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilVillage'' and even fellow [=PS5=] exclusive ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankRiftApart'' didn't help either.
2	* CantUnHearIt: Selene is voiced by Creator/JanePerry, who is better known by many for playing Franchise/{{Hitman}}'s resident DeadpanSnarker and handler to Agent 47; Diana Burnwood, from ''VideoGame/Hitman2016'' onward. The accent is Perry's own Canadian accent instead of the upper-class English she uses in the latter games, however. Good luck getting that out of your head!
3	* DemonicSpiders: The flying rocket drones in the Derelict Citadel. On their own, the drones aren't that bad, since their salvo of rockets, while highly damaging and homing, isn't too hard to avoid. The problem is that the drones are never on their own, they tend to spawn in large groups and alongside other enemies, which tends to make things very hard very quickly.
4	* FriendlyFandoms:
5	** In the lead-up to and after release, it quickly formed one with ''VideoGame/{{Hades}}'', another high-profile {{Roguelike}} game released a year earlier. It also formed one with fans of ''[[VideoGame/Doom2016 Doom]]'' for its sci-fi aesthetics and similar fast-paced gameplay.
6	** After its release, with ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', due to both titles being [=PlayStation=]-exclusive NintendoHard games released early into their respective console generations and gained notable critical acclaim, launching after fellow exclusives that proved to be flops (''VideoGame/TheOrder1886'' to ''Bloodborne'', ''Destruction [=AllStars=]'' to ''Returnal''). This also extends to fans of Creator/FromSoftware and SoulsLikeRPG in general.
7	** Formed a bit of an overlap with ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' due to both featuring sci-fi settings centered around hardened and capable {{Action Girl}}s surrounded by horror elements. ''Returnal'' in general is seen rather favorably by the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' fandom as a whole for its slight similarities with the franchise.
8	* HarsherInHindsight: [[spoiler:The "HELIOS Abandoned" message that begins every run of the game becomes much darker once you realize that the central guilt of Selene's life is leaving her son, Helios, to die in the car crash depicted in the game's endings.]]
9	* ItsHardSoItSucks: One criticism directed at ''Returnal'' is its [[NintendoHard difficulty]] and lack of saving during a run.
10	* MemeticMutation: Selene sometimes being compared to a [[ObnoxiousEntitledHousewife Karen]] due to her middle-aged appearance and short haircut.
11	* ScrappyMechanic: The game launched with no save function, much to the consternation of many players. While you could pause your run in a pinch by putting the [=PS5=] into rest mode, an active run would get deleted if the console uses its auto-update functionality. This was finally addressed in the 2.0 update, which gave the player the ability to suspend the game and save their run without issues.
12	* ThatOneBoss: Phrike, the very first boss, is generally considered a WakeUpCallBoss that marks a significant DifficultySpike compared to enemies and obstacles that came earlier.

Context YMMV / Returnal