Returnal director Harry Krueger has addressed the game’s difficulty, saying it’s integral to the narrative.
Interviewed by Kinda Funny Games, Krueger was asked by Greg Miller for his thoughts on the difficulty of Returnal and its impact on accessibility.
“I think we can always do more, could always add more support for different ways to play the game and different control methods and so on. I think when it comes to difficulty, I think it is a question of what kind of experience you are having with Returnal,” said Krueger.
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He explains that in Returnal, the story and gameplay are inseparable.
“The character, Selene, she is talking about dying over and over and how this is insurmountable odds, and she can’t keep going on, and there’s this descent into madness that is happening purely because of the challenges she’s facing, and her challenges are the player’s challenges as well.