Con-Z-epT
Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
It will get even better!
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Returnal |OT| Live. Die. Repeat.
- Thread starter cormack12
- Start date
Salmon Snake
Member
Just finish Biomes before that and grind it out.
You'll eventually get so powerfull that it's not that difficult.
I was once like you but now I own the game.
You can do it!
Arthimura
Member
I got the platinum trophy for this game on the weekend.
Really cool experience, arcadey and fast-paced.
I had to repeat Biome 6 a lot to get the room with the last gryph, in the end I was having success in almost every run, finishing Act II really fast and killed Ophion a fair amount of times. From my experience, Hollowseeker and Electric Pylon Driver are a bit OP because of the very powerful traits, but an upgraded Tachyomatic Carbine with the right traits can melt Ophion really fast.
Really cool experience, arcadey and fast-paced.
I had to repeat Biome 6 a lot to get the room with the last gryph, in the end I was having success in almost every run, finishing Act II really fast and killed Ophion a fair amount of times. From my experience, Hollowseeker and Electric Pylon Driver are a bit OP because of the very powerful traits, but an upgraded Tachyomatic Carbine with the right traits can melt Ophion really fast.
Last edited:
Con-Z-epT
Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
Don't go to the challenge room immediately and save that for later. If you've played through biome 5 you can even skip that room if you don't feel comfortable in the run. Remember to stagger enemies with the sword for crowd control. The drones can be cheesed when they appear near a door. But it is risky!
Otherwise it is just a matter of getting accustomed to the enemy behaviour and being lucky with the RNG side of things.
Trust me, soon you're gonna have other problems.
Last edited:
Urban
Member
Thank you! Today i will try again. Btw i can only finish one Biome before ? And thats 4!? Never finished the Game complete
Salmon Snake
Member
Yeah finish Biome 4 competely. Try to get your skill high and the best weapon as possible.
As
Con-Z-epT
said previously: The more you grind, learn the enemy behaviour and if the Returnal gods are on your side then eventually you'll get on the top.
Salmon Snake
Member
Awesome and congratz!!
now your next challenge is to unlock the secret ending and then we can talk about the ending
saintjules
Member
That fight was insane when I first went into it. My favorite Boss of the whole game tbh.
Urban
Member
So i have done it. And finished all my tasks. Ill be straight with you: I dont get it!?!? But this one is my theory:
So in the First Ending you see the Mother with Helios in the Back having the accident.Because the News said the Mothers Name and said she has some serious back injury(thats why she is in the Wheelchair).The Mother was that time pregnant with Selene. To save her unborn child the mother couldn't rescue her son. With all the years all the guilt build up and she was pretty bad to Selene and blame her for the Death of her Brother. Thats why in the True Ending you see Selene as the Astronaut because she blames herself for it. After Selene grown up she is bad to her mother too and became just like here. Thats why she has this horrors!? I dont know..
What do you think?
P.s. i think there is a DLC coming. Ever noticed the Door on the right of the ship direct at the start? you cant reach it. There must be something.
What do you think?
P.s. i think there is a DLC coming. Ever noticed the Door on the right of the ship direct at the start? you cant reach it. There must be something.
Last edited:
Dr Bass
Member
I'll just briefly say what I think the story is getting across. I think most people are trying to think too literally, like it's a plot that has to be unraveled, but I don't think it is. It's more about themes, ideas, relationships.
Here is my brief breakdown, but this could be explained in more depth using evidence from the game. I COULD BE WRONG. But I also feel like it's all pretty explicit enough that I am at least very, very close:
Selene is dead. She died from the car crash, as did her son Helios. This is explicitly stated at the very end of the game after the second run through. The game itself is her continual punishment, that she cannot escape, and will never end. She pretty much states this as well ("This is where I will stay, as will you" or something to that effect). Her punishment reflects themes/events/people from her life. She continually relives "the crash", where Helios (the ship, representing her son) is permanently lost (it's clearly revealed her son dies in the crash). In a theme similar to "The Monkey's Paw" she finally got her wish, to travel to the stars, but it's in a dark twisted and violet way that she didn't want where, again, she has to relive her darkest memories over and over.
Story wise, Selene was in a car crash as a child with her mom. She was fine. Her mom was paralyzed, or at least wheel chair bound. It was also her mom's dream to go to space. She couldn't because of the crash. Selene had to take care of her, while her mother was mentally abusive towards her as a result of her shattered dreams and wheelchair-bound life. Selene comments on this ("Why was I so afraid of you when you were so small") reflecting a common life theme of how scary parents can be when we are children, but when we grow up we realize they were very normal people with sometimes obvious flaws. The game looks like Selene either breaks away from her mom, or actually murders her by torching the house with her mother still in it. This is a bit ambiguous but there is a definite "leave me alone" scene at the end.
The White Shadow seems like a metaphor for Selene's constant dream of being an astronaut. It guides her life, as it guided her moms. Something she never attained.
There is more to the story, related through the logs and alien monuments she finds. Again it all ties into the ideas I stated above. Abusive relationships. Shattered dreams. Regret. Lost opportunity. There is hardly anything positive to the story, and it's incredibly dark when viewed through that lens. Also doesn't really leave room for a Returnal 2. Which I hope they do not do. This game is perfect as is, and is an under-the-radar masterpiece IMO. The story telling parallels the execution of Silent Hill 2 which is about the highest personal praise I could give it. A thoughtful story, executed in a mature manner.
Don't think of it as "this happened, then this happened." It's more like "These were the characters hopes and dreams. This is what their relationships were like." All wrapped up in a killer sci-fi atmosphere and gameplay package.
Story wise, Selene was in a car crash as a child with her mom. She was fine. Her mom was paralyzed, or at least wheel chair bound. It was also her mom's dream to go to space. She couldn't because of the crash. Selene had to take care of her, while her mother was mentally abusive towards her as a result of her shattered dreams and wheelchair-bound life. Selene comments on this ("Why was I so afraid of you when you were so small") reflecting a common life theme of how scary parents can be when we are children, but when we grow up we realize they were very normal people with sometimes obvious flaws. The game looks like Selene either breaks away from her mom, or actually murders her by torching the house with her mother still in it. This is a bit ambiguous but there is a definite "leave me alone" scene at the end.
The White Shadow seems like a metaphor for Selene's constant dream of being an astronaut. It guides her life, as it guided her moms. Something she never attained.
There is more to the story, related through the logs and alien monuments she finds. Again it all ties into the ideas I stated above. Abusive relationships. Shattered dreams. Regret. Lost opportunity. There is hardly anything positive to the story, and it's incredibly dark when viewed through that lens. Also doesn't really leave room for a Returnal 2. Which I hope they do not do. This game is perfect as is, and is an under-the-radar masterpiece IMO. The story telling parallels the execution of Silent Hill 2 which is about the highest personal praise I could give it. A thoughtful story, executed in a mature manner.
Don't think of it as "this happened, then this happened." It's more like "These were the characters hopes and dreams. This is what their relationships were like." All wrapped up in a killer sci-fi atmosphere and gameplay package.
That was a little longer than I meant to go, but IMO it sums it up.
Urban
Member
I'll just briefly say what I think the story is getting across. I think most people are trying to think too literally, like it's a plot that has to be unraveled, but I don't think it is. It's more about themes, ideas, relationships.
Here is my brief breakdown, but this could be explained in more depth using evidence from the game. I COULD BE WRONG. But I also feel like it's all pretty explicit enough that I am at least very, very close:
Selene is dead. She died from the car crash, as did her son Helios. This is explicitly stated at the very end of the game after the second run through. The game itself is her continual punishment, that she cannot escape, and will never end. She pretty much states this as well ("This is where I will stay, as will you" or something to that effect). Her punishment reflects themes/events/people from her life. She continually relives "the crash", where Helios (the ship, representing her son) is permanently lost (it's clearly revealed her son dies in the crash). In a theme similar to "The Monkey's Paw" she finally got her wish, to travel to the stars, but it's in a dark twisted and violet way that she didn't want where, again, she has to relive her darkest memories over and over.
Story wise, Selene was in a car crash as a child with her mom. She was fine. Her mom was paralyzed, or at least wheel chair bound. It was also her mom's dream to go to space. She couldn't because of the crash. Selene had to take care of her, while her mother was mentally abusive towards her as a result of her shattered dreams and wheelchair-bound life. Selene comments on this ("Why was I so afraid of you when you were so small") reflecting a common life theme of how scary parents can be when we are children, but when we grow up we realize they were very normal people with sometimes obvious flaws. The game looks like Selene either breaks away from her mom, or actually murders her by torching the house with her mother still in it. This is a bit ambiguous but there is a definite "leave me alone" scene at the end.
The White Shadow seems like a metaphor for Selene's constant dream of being an astronaut. It guides her life, as it guided her moms. Something she never attained.
There is more to the story, related through the logs and alien monuments she finds. Again it all ties into the ideas I stated above. Abusive relationships. Shattered dreams. Regret. Lost opportunity. There is hardly anything positive to the story, and it's incredibly dark when viewed through that lens. Also doesn't really leave room for a Returnal 2. Which I hope they do not do. This game is perfect as is, and is an under-the-radar masterpiece IMO. The story telling parallels the execution of Silent Hill 2 which is about the highest personal praise I could give it. A thoughtful story, executed in a mature manner.
Don't think of it as "this happened, then this happened." It's more like "These were the characters hopes and dreams. This is what their relationships were like." All wrapped up in a killer sci-fi atmosphere and gameplay package.
That was a little longer than I meant to go, but IMO it sums it up.
I dont agree with everything but a pretty good summary
.But i have some other points that occured to me:
The First Ending is cleary the Mother because of the Eyes. Helios is her brother since the whole game is heavily referencing Greek mythology.In Greek mythology Helios is together with Selene and Eos the child of Hyperion and Theia...
Dr Bass
Member
Ok so just a couple pointsI dont agree with everything but a pretty good summary
But i have some other points that occured to me:
The First Ending is cleary the Mother because of the Eyes. Helios is her brother since the whole game is heavily referencing Greek mythology.In Greek mythology Helios is together with Selene and Eos the child of Hyperion and Theia...
...I don't think that is really supported by what's in the game. Helios is clearly her son. You play as him in several house sequences. You get messages from Selene directed towards him while she is working late (your dinner is in the fridge, just heat it up etc). Not to mention he's a boy and is clearly the same child in the backseat in the endings (which are the same events btw, you just get more context in the second run).
Remember, the first crash with the mom, they both survive. So the first ending is not it. It's what happens to Selene. Using the eyes as a reference, is again thinking too literally. Selene is dead throughout the entire game. Her hair is different. There are photos of her in astronaut gear in her house, but she was never an astronaut! So the different colored eyes in a deceased state, doesn't mean that's what she looked like alive But that is 100% her face in the car in the ending, and that is helios with his Octo toy, wearing his toy watch. The same stuff you see in the house, in his room, and on his arm. Helios dies in the car crash, shortly before Selene. Just like Helios, the ship, is "unrecoverable" on Atropos after the crash. Every time Selene dies in the game, she has to relive "the crash" and Helios being destroyed, i.e. part of her "punishment."
Looking to the Greek mythology as a way to determine what their relationships are doesn't seem to make sense to me, when what they were meant to be is clearly on screen in the game. It takes inspiration from the mythology, it's not a retelling. Helios is 100% her son in the game.
Remember, the first crash with the mom, they both survive. So the first ending is not it. It's what happens to Selene. Using the eyes as a reference, is again thinking too literally. Selene is dead throughout the entire game. Her hair is different. There are photos of her in astronaut gear in her house, but she was never an astronaut! So the different colored eyes in a deceased state, doesn't mean that's what she looked like alive But that is 100% her face in the car in the ending, and that is helios with his Octo toy, wearing his toy watch. The same stuff you see in the house, in his room, and on his arm. Helios dies in the car crash, shortly before Selene. Just like Helios, the ship, is "unrecoverable" on Atropos after the crash. Every time Selene dies in the game, she has to relive "the crash" and Helios being destroyed, i.e. part of her "punishment."
Looking to the Greek mythology as a way to determine what their relationships are doesn't seem to make sense to me, when what they were meant to be is clearly on screen in the game. It takes inspiration from the mythology, it's not a retelling. Helios is 100% her son in the game.
Anyway, don't have to agree, but when trying to analyze a story, it's important to use what's actually shown on the screen. Making inferences from other sources doesn't really work, at least, IMO. It's not what the writers put in.
Regardless, awesome game.
Urban
Member
Ok so just a couple points
I don't think that is really supported by what's in the game. Helios is clearly her son. You play as him in several house sequences. You get messages from Selene directed towards him while she is working late (your dinner is in the fridge, just heat it up etc). Not to mention he's a boy and is clearly the same child in the backseat in the endings (which are the same events btw, you just get more context in the second run).
Remember, the first crash with the mom, they both survive. So the first ending is not it. It's what happens to Selene. Using the eyes as a reference, is again thinking too literally. Selene is dead throughout the entire game. Her hair is different. There are photos of her in astronaut gear in her house, but she was never an astronaut! So the different colored eyes in a deceased state, doesn't mean that's what she looked like alive But that is 100% her face in the car in the ending, and that is helios with his Octo toy, wearing his toy watch. The same stuff you see in the house, in his room, and on his arm. Helios dies in the car crash, shortly before Selene. Just like Helios, the ship, is "unrecoverable" on Atropos after the crash. Every time Selene dies in the game, she has to relive "the crash" and Helios being destroyed, i.e. part of her "punishment."
Looking to the Greek mythology as a way to determine what their relationships are doesn't seem to make sense to me, when what they were meant to be is clearly on screen in the game. It takes inspiration from the mythology, it's not a retelling. Helios is 100% her son in the game.
Anyway, don't have to agree, but when trying to analyze a story, it's important to use what's actually shown on the screen. Making inferences from other sources doesn't really work, at least, IMO. It's not what the writers put in.
Regardless, awesome game.
aight lets do it
!Not to mention he's a boy and is clearly the same child in the backseat in the endings (which are the same events btw, you just get more context in the second run). The News on the TV said clearly: Theia was the driver and a girl survived. How can it be Helios the boy then?
Remember, the first crash with the mom, they both survive. Yes the Mother and the unborn Child(Selene). Thats why we have a Timeskip of 63 years between act 3 / 4
There are photos of her in astronaut gear in her house, but she was never an astronaut! At the Bottom of the Picture you are referring it clearly says the name of Theia
So the different colored eyes in a deceased state, doesn't mean that's what she looked like alive But that is 100% her face in the car in the ending If you go by me answer above you will see that the photo is of her mother and they pretty much look alike. Thats why they build in the one scene where it only shows her eyes
this one is a pretty good video^^ i dont agree with all of it but hey thats my interpretation thx for your time and answers!
Remember, the first crash with the mom, they both survive. Yes the Mother and the unborn Child(Selene). Thats why we have a Timeskip of 63 years between act 3 / 4
There are photos of her in astronaut gear in her house, but she was never an astronaut! At the Bottom of the Picture you are referring it clearly says the name of Theia
So the different colored eyes in a deceased state, doesn't mean that's what she looked like alive But that is 100% her face in the car in the ending If you go by me answer above you will see that the photo is of her mother and they pretty much look alike. Thats why they build in the one scene where it only shows her eyes
this one is a pretty good video^^ i dont agree with all of it but hey thats my interpretation
thx for your time and answers!
iHaunter
Member
So that door looks like it requires a key. Looks like the bug is simply incorrect spawn table. The starting zone should NEVER have a door that requires an Atropian Key.
WoodyStare
Member
I got through Demons Souls fairly easily, but Returnal is kicking my ass. I’m still stuck on the first biome and only gotten to the boss twice. I’m digging the gameplay, but they always manage to kill me at some point. I may switch over to Ghost of Tsushima and come back once in a while.
Martinski43
Member
First like 2 biomes are the hardest ones until you have unlocked the best biomes which u can grab after getting to Biome 3 and 4. I have done last boss 7-8 times, died 0 times cus of this and died like 5-10 times on first boss before reaching biome 2. You need to get lucky and get a decent carbine in biome 1 that is high in dmg. That's how i did it.
WoodyStare
Member
And just like that, I finally beat the first biome tonight. What a rush. Thankfully I had the astronaut and extra health for the fight.
WoodyStare
Member
Surprisingly didn’t have too much trouble with the second biome boss. I’ve heard the third boss is insanely difficult though.
It’s a blast once you get used to the movement and acquire more powerful weapons. Depending on the rest it might be one of my favorite games of the year, which I wasn’t expecting.
It’s a blast once you get used to the movement and acquire more powerful weapons. Depending on the rest it might be one of my favorite games of the year, which I wasn’t expecting.
Con-Z-epT
Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
also up for GOTY so 6*
I hope they win something. They deserve it!
Game of the year come on guys you can do it.
Dr. Suchong
Member
Same here, did it on my first attempt last night.
I'm a bit late to the party but Housemarque delivered again
Con-Z-epT
Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
Every other run you will get a strong weapon that annihilates these drones in seconds but overall they are challenging.
You can master the dodging against these but even then their amount can be overwhelming.
cormack12
Gold Member
Turned this off a while back but might be ready to revisit now. I've been thinking about why it didn't click. I was pissed off at first because I put my controller down thinking I'd killed the first boss who then got another energy bar and killed me :/ I think the things that put me off are
Weapons seem kinda terrible except the carbine style weapon
I'm confused as to the little altars where I trade things in, not quite sure what I'm meant to be doing there
I really wanna power through the mental blocks above because I love the style and movement and the studio. Any tips?
Weapons seem kinda terrible except the carbine style weapon
I'm confused as to the little altars where I trade things in, not quite sure what I'm meant to be doing there
I really wanna power through the mental blocks above because I love the style and movement and the studio. Any tips?
Con-Z-epT
Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
Overall you need to get used to pretty much everything in the game. You say you love the style and movement so that is already a good thing.
Each weapon has its own benefits and you'll upgrade them while using. They all can inherent every secondary fire mode so keep looking for what you like. Give each a fair chance and try to upgrade them at least one level.
You mean the monolith in the beginning? You can trade Ether there which will unlock consumable and artifacts that will get added to your playthroughs. You get one immediately when you unlock it to try it out.
If you want further suggestions just ask what ever you like!
cormack12
Gold Member
Hey
No the little altar is actualyl in game. And I trade some shit I've been picking up for one of like three items. I never know what the items are for, they're like throwables or healables but you only seem to get one?And I'm confused about the weapons, does it only upgrade for that run? I remember having like a level 5 gun maybe? But then I started with level 1 again. But I didnt find another level 5 from the drops?
Con-Z-epT
Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
You need obolites to buy the things on the altar which you gain by killing enemies or destroying things in the environment. Yes you just get one. Just buy one and see what happens to figure all of them out. You could look up the symbols online.Hey
And I'm confused about the weapons, does it only upgrade for that run? I remember having like a level 5 gun maybe? But then I started with level 1 again. But I didnt find another level 5 from the drops?
You have something called weapon proficiency which will get higher and higher the more you kill. There is a symbol in the lower left. When you gain a new level the next weapon you'll find will then have a higher level akin to the weapon proficiency.
All of this is not permanent and will reset once you die.
Then you have weapon traits which will upgrade when you use a weapon. You can look these up in the menu or when you exchange weapons. These are permanent and carry over even if you die.
Last edited:
Con-Z-epT
Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
cormack12
Gold Member
I've been refamiliarising myself with some of the mechanics today. The only other question is my drop strength is related to my proficiency right? So can i just keep killing everything to get like proficiency 5 get a weap drop at 5 then annihilate the boss easily?cormack12
Proficiency can also be upgraded with these. You can even buy them from time to time. The symbol with star in the lower left shows the level.
And here you can see the weapon traits in %. Even if it is not full it is permanent.
Con-Z-epT
Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
Exactly!
saintjules
Member
8BiTw0LF
Banned
Cyborg
Member
Guys
What an epic but difficult game. I have some questions
Im at Biome 5 I played in one shot till Biome 5 (had to put the PS5 in rest mode to sleep) . If I die do I need to do every Biome completely (to upgrade) or just use shortcuts to go to Biome 5?
In this run I did every Biome completely and have some amazing upgrades.
What an epic but difficult game. I have some questions
Im at Biome 5 I played in one shot till Biome 5 (had to put the PS5 in rest mode to sleep) . If I die do I need to do every Biome completely (to upgrade) or just use shortcuts to go to Biome 5?
In this run I did every Biome completely and have some amazing upgrades.
Balboa
Member
You'll be reset back to the start of biome 4 with proficiency 15 and a default weapon with no upgrades to the best of my knowledge, you can take shortcuts but you'll be nowhere near the powerhouse you probably are now.
Also I just beat 4-6 in one run and the credits rolled, never thought I was actually going to finish this! Seemed a lot easier than the first half plus leech rounds are INSANE in the boss (love the designs) fights it felt like a cheat code, I walked in stacked with meds and the astronaut and never used any of it.
Last edited:
rofif
Can’t Git Gud
What is in the basement/lower floor of the house?
I looked at the picture but then decided to go upstairs and I threw me out of the house.
Also... am I missing something? I am getting weapons about level 4 or 5 when attempting the first boss (the one with 3 health bars) but I am having a hard time
I looked at the picture but then decided to go upstairs and I threw me out of the house.
Also... am I missing something? I am getting weapons about level 4 or 5 when attempting the first boss (the one with 3 health bars) but I am having a hard time
Cyborg
Member
Wohooooo last boss done (2nd try) 
I wasn’t prepared at all, I decided to go in just to learn his moves
- Half of the health
- One small healt vile
- 10 sec slow time
- No exceptional parasites
But Hollowseeker saved the day with all the perks unlocked hahah. That portal beam man
I wasn’t prepared at all, I decided to go in just to learn his moves
- Half of the health
- One small healt vile
- 10 sec slow time
- No exceptional parasites
But Hollowseeker saved the day with all the perks unlocked hahah. That portal beam man
Con-Z-epT
Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
More rooms. You will get there later on even if you missed it. I don't think you can miss anything in the house in terms of items.
No this sounds about right. The first one is just not that easy. A mix of getting a good weapon and memorizing his attack patterns will get you through.
WoodyStare
Member
Just beat the last boss. This is definitely one of the hardest games I’ve played, but it gave me such an adrenaline rush throughout. Easily one of my favorite games of 2021, and probably the best exclusive for PS5.
Last edited:
Con-Z-epT
Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
With the latest update you could regain trophies that haven't triggered. Maybe the update messed with that. Not sure actually.
Malachai
Member
Yeah I was thinking it was something to do with an update. I didn't know about the trophy thing, thanks for the info mate
Salmon Snake
Member
I haven't been playing Returnal for a while now but still aiming for the Platinum. Also I have had a little interlude with checking and posting in Neogaf.
Have there been any changes/patches regarding finding collectables?
Have there been any changes/patches regarding finding collectables?
Con-Z-epT
Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
Since the last update? I don't think so. If you are missing something specific hit up Youtube or ask in here.
Salmon Snake
Member
Fuck I'm so out of touch with the game after a break.
I might abandon the hunt for platinum.
I might abandon the hunt for platinum.
