I’m struggling with ‘Returnal,’ and I play ‘Dark Souls’ to relax

It’s wonderful to see Selene, a female protagonist who isn’t fresh out of college, take center stage in a game. It’s important that her face and voice are prominent throughout, in the repeated introduction sequences after every failure, and through the audio logs left by different versions of her. But my first impressions of her didn’t inspire a desire to get to know her better. Early in the journey, Selene stumbles upon a “20th century house” on the planet, and she walks in to revisit old memories. It’s meant to be a moment of introspection, but I couldn’t help but think, “Oh great, here we go again,” as another survival horror protagonist longs for their farmhouse suburban dream.