A PlayStation Plus free game has been compared to a Nintendo GameCube masterpiece by those on PS5 who have checked out the game, which is currently free via the PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium tiers. Those with a PS Plus Essential subscription will be unable to check out the validity of this massive praise because the PS5 game is not available via the PS Plus Essential tier.
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The free PS5 game on PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium has specifically been compared to the two Metroid games on GameCube: 2002’s Metroid Prime and its 2004 sequel Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. The first of these two games is widely considered one of the best games of all time, as evident by its 97 on Metacritic. Meanwhile, its 2004 follow-up is not quite in this same category, but it’s still considered among the best GameCube games, as evident by its own Metacritic score of 92.
As for the PlayStation Plus free game drawing comparison to these two Nintendo greats, its Returnal, a 2021 roguelike third-person shooter from Finnish developer Housemarque and PlayStation. An early PS5 game, Returnal itself boasts a very solid Metacritic score of 86 and is held as one of the best games of 2021. To this end, it won Best Action at The Game Awards that year, and picked up nominations for Best Audio Design and Best Game Direction as well.
According to a new post over on the PlayStation Plus Reddit page, “Returnal is PlayStation’s Metroid.” This is high praise, but considering the post is atop the PlayStation Plus Reddit page, not too much of a hot take.
“I converted from Nintendo Switch recently (end of November) because the game selection was getting stale and I missed having a PlayStation. Went from having no games to play to having a huge backlog of different games thanks to PS Plus,” reads the post in question. “Jumped into Returnal tonight and man it feels so similar to the Metroid GameCube games from back in the day. Haven’t felt this level of thrill/eeriness/frustration in a long time.. the roguelike gameplay is also something. Pretty awesome game overall.”
Echoing the sentiment of the post are many of the comments that it has attracted, some of which warn players it’s much more difficult than these classic Metroid games and quite different, however, there are no doubt some striking similarities between the two from their environments and atmosphere to their narrative set ups.
“Had the game since day one. I am yet to defeat the first boss. 10/10 recommendation any time I have the chance,” reads one of the comments.
Another comment adds: “Returnal is truly one of a kind. I was blown away by the gameplay loop, the incredible story, the worlds, visuals, and sound design. Even though it’s been out for a while now, I still consider it one of the best releases of this generation.”
Those that decide to check out Returnal based on this recommendations from PlayStation Plus subscribers should expect a game, on average, that is about 20 to 30 hours long. The low end of this range is reflective of a mainline playthrough, while the high end is reflective of a playthrough that engages with side content in the game. Meanwhile, completionists will need closer to 60 hours with the PS5 game.
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