[GameSpot] - Returnal's Terrifying Enemies Required New Tentacle Technology

[343iBot]

The latest developer deep-dive for Housemarque's Returnal focuses on the terrifying enemies you'll be encountering. The studio has taken some inspiration from Lovecraft, with tentacle-sprouting monsters that look like they're capable of destroy Selene in two seconds, and it required special tentacle technology to make it possible. The future is now.

The various environments in Returnal--set on the planet Atropos--are meant to all stand out, and they include dark, damp areas that show clear horror roots. Some of the organic enemies you'll fight in these ares sport tentacles and have bioluminescence, and they can make use of the tentacles to pull off unusually-timed attacks.

The designs required Housemarque to create its own tentacle technology, and the studio aimed to make these enemies challenging in multiple ways. For example, one enemy type is the Titanops, which only has tentacles on one arm. The other has a larger piece of bone that can land slower, devastating attacks, so you'll have to watch out for both. Others will have long-range attacks in addition to tentacle-based melee blows, forcing you to stay moving or risk getting overrun.

Despite the AAA production values and third-person camera perspective during combat, Returnal retains much of Housemarque's signature shooter gameplay. You'll still be dash past attacks and avoiding walls of projectiles while you take enemies down, but there is a new level of verticality to the environments that should make it even trickier.

Returnal launches exclusively for PS5 on April 30.

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