Topic: Returnal

@velio84 Cheers, will also write something up when I get the chance and have a look back through my bookmarks at the more interesting theories to post there 👍

Just got to biome 3. The second boss went first time I got to it. Honestly the smaller like versions of the boss on the way to the boss were much harder for me. I also now understand the frustration of the drones. I think my approach to them will be to just run to the nearest door and pick them off one at a time going in and out of the door.

@Elodin Awesome! We’re in roughly the same place now then. I haven’t had time to play for the last few days though. I had a couple hours last night but part of the issue with this game is the time commitment for a good run so I didn’t turn it on since I feared I’d have a good run going and I’d end up staying up too late and be sleep deprived and hating myself at work today! 😄

@render Yeah it's absolutely ruthless in there. I always shoot the tower on the way down and then try to escape to the far end of the room so I can put some distance between me and the baddies so I don't get overwhelmed. Depending on the make-up of the enemies this can be easy or really difficult.

@Th3solution I can see that being my issue as well. The deeper I get the longer each run will take and I often don't have time to play long stretches.

@velio84 yes, definitely a run and hide fight with drones. Their target locking shots are devastating, try to just use dodge.

@adrianthealchemist Check out posts 1666 - 1671 in this thread for some instructions on spoiler tagging if you’re not ready for joining the spoiler discussion on the separate thread

@adrianthealchemist Hmmm sounds interesting, please share your theories. They are probably way better than mine which are from the point of view of an unprofessional software developer 😂

2 more glyphs left in B2 and one left in biomes 3, 5 and 6. Slow going today as only one glyph collected from a few hours of play.

If only I had PS Plus @Kidfried! 😄

... Or have whatever PS Plus might be in two years time.

Not for me though... Don't like being tied to a service in order to play a game.

Seeing as I only have a slim PS4 I'll no doubt greatly appreciate the newer features of the PS5 @JohnnyShoulder (Looking forward to that 3D audio and the triggers & rumble do sound neat too).

Plus the nice and shiny Pro enhancements that some PS4 games have in back compat will be a nice treat too!

That's a kind way of saying stubborn as an old mule sol

I wouldn't say I have much skill at all to be honest, medicocre at best, patient I suppose is accurate enough.

I just keep throwing myself at them til I win through sheer luck.

I won't let the game beat me is how my mind usually is for those situations lol

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Haha, fair enough. 😄 Patience trumps skill most of the time anyways. I’m discovering that to be the case.

And more than other games, time is your ally in this game. And what I mean by that is not only do you need to spend cumulative time with it to get a feel for the mechanics and foster a rhythm with the game, which is true, but also I mean that more than any game I’ve played in recent years the game works best when you’ve got some longer game sessions to devote. It’s probably the one Achilles heel to the game for me, that is — the lack of mid run saving. Like I said before, the rest mode trick is a fine workaround and has served me well, but it feels a little gerrymandered as a solution — like something players came up with on their own and posted on a forum rather than the actual official recommendation from the developer. I’ve not played the game in 3-4 days because I suspected I wouldn’t have more than an hour of time to spend on it per day until I get to the latter part of the week. And I’m just not going to leave the game suspended in rest mode for 3 days; Overnight..yeah, that’s fine, but with life being unpredictable, I have to be sure I’ll be getting back to it before I feel inclined to even start a session.
So it’s a good game for when you’re on summer break or when school is out for a long stretch. It will be perfect for that.
Fortunately for me it’s Independence Day weekend coming up (I know, it’s a obscenity to mention the travesty on a British site 😅) but it means maybe a little more free time for gaming between fireworks and barbecues.

Oh I'm sure it is. Funny a game about a constant time loop is making you go deep into the ins and out and the essence of time itself @Th3solution

I've never used rest mode with my PS4 and no doubt the same'd be said about my eventual PS5.

To be honest I find it wasteful and dare I say rather lazy (I guess?) when I see some people say they'll leave the console on all day or whatever just so they can immeadiately start a game back up instead of having to wait like two minutes or whatever for it to boot.

Obviously with Returnal it's a rather different situation because of the rougelike nature and it not having a save function for in the middle of runs where you'll lose it all.

But even then I'd just switch it off if I don't have time to finish. Yeah it'd be a wasted session from a progress point of view and I'd be annoyed no doubt but, hopefully, I'd had fun playing it too so it wouldn't entirely be a loss.

Heh... Maybe I am just a stubborn old mule, set in her ways lol

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
🤯 You just blew my mind! Housemarque’s devious greater allegorical motive has just been realized!

But yes, even more so you’ll be shocked at how quick you can just cold boot the PS5 and be in a game in a flash. I have a physical disc version of Returnal so there’s a few seconds of time spent spinning the drive, but it’s really fast to get from PS5 in off mode to in game. Even faster for your digital games.

So I’ve not used rest mode even as much as I did on PS4 (which was occasional). I mostly do it every now and then to give the console time to sync my saves to the cloud overnight or to download patches. It’s nice to have those things done automatically overnight rather than taking time and resources to do during play sessions. But yes, again it’s a minor time commitment even then.

We live in a world of immediacy and so people can’t be bothered to wait 30 seconds Foxy! 😂. Oh no, am I turning into an old mule too?!

FINALLY reached the boss in Biome 3. Died right before phase 2. I was all set. I made a few either runs and then finally got a good batch of items including an astronaut and restart machine (unsure on name). Problem was I died twice making my way to the boss. By the time I got there i had 2 malfunctions and 2/3 health. But hey its progress...back to the grind.

@Elodin Well done on making progress. Don't forget that if it's that room on the way up to the boss in B3 that's causing you the issue, the one just over the bridge, then you can run through that and bail out the other side without having to take everything in the room on. There's usually a translocator sphere or some grapple points or something to get you out the other side without much damage.

@Elodin I really struggled in that biome too (and still kinda do). Use the grapple to gain an advantage and try not to stay in one place for too long when there are enemies around.

I found the Rotgland Lobber essential as it makes short work of the enemies as it does a fair amount of continuous damage after the initial hit. I had gained a couple of traits and got up my proficiency to about 13 mind.

For the boss, on the first stage run left to right and vice versa, dashing when the get close to avoiding the blobs. To two things at the end will also come down and shoot a continuous laser stream but that can be jumped over or dashed through too. Not to spoil anything, but for phases 2 and 3 you will need to use your grapple effectively.

@JohnnyShoulder @render thank you both for the advice. Ill put it to good use.

I found this interesting. How the sound was made and Housemarque made use of 3D Audio.

https://www.asoundeffect.com/returnal-game-audio/

@JohnnyShoulder Cheers for posting that looks like a good read. I'll bookmark that one to have a look at over the weekend. What I did find interesting is this comment:

The audio also carries sonic DNA that will slowly make sense to the players as they progress through the game (or will remain a secret). Some DNA from the end is distributed to the beginning, in a way that can only be recognized once the game ending is experienced. There are a few easter eggs yet to be discovered by the players!

@render I'm always a bit rubbish when it comes to noticing stuff like that! 😆

I think the following sums it up why I like it so much:

The believability and physicality of the world are expressed through detailed sonic textures that can make the game feel very tactile, ‘crunchy’ or even ‘wet’, through the creation of ASMR source material and the combination of sound with haptic feedback. It all comes together as a nuanced and tactile experience, which blends and compliments well with the abstract nature of the atmosphere, music, and overall narrative.