Topic: Returnal

@MatthewJP Got the platinum but there is no way I could have done without using rest mode.

@MatthewJP I only used rest mode a couple times but that was when I specifically knew I could play for a short time and come back a few hours later. Never left it overnight.
I also basically only had one run that I would call very long.

@MatthewJP Never used rest mode. I did leave it paused for an hour or two, here and there, though!

@MatthewJP @CJD87 Yeah, I did that when I finally cleared Biome 3. I spent a ton of time building myself up and I went into that last difficult climb toward the boss with a boatload of health vials and intergrity, keys, and an astronaut, and I think maybe even paid for the reconstructor in the biome. I was so incredibly overpowered and over-prepared that I had health vials to spare after the boss.

But yes, I wish there was some kind of mid-run save function, even though I was able to beat the game without it. I used rest mode a handful of times and honestly I can’t remember if any of my boss clearing runs were done on a rest mode run. I think maybe that epic Biome 3 run was one where I depended on rest mode. But I remember after beating Biome 3 and moving on to Biome 4 I was so fatigued that I just died really quickly in B4 because it knew I was going to respawn there and had nothing to lose. And I think that actually I didn’t have to use rest mode at all for the second half of the game. It doesn’t feel like quite as much of a slog and Biome 4 was probably the easiest Biome to get through for me, so I didn’t mind repeating it.

@MatthewJP - I'm in agreement with you here, that whilst I don't think a 'save function' is entirely essential... it would certainly be desirable! I have small pockets of time through the day where I might be able to put away 45-60 mins at a given time, but work/family commitments mean that it would be near impossible for me to dedicate a straight 2-3 hours to a given run. I completely respect how Housemarque intended the game to be played, and rest mode seems 'good enough' as a compromise.... but the comfort blanket of a real save would be nice for sure! Assume you've beat the game, how long was your winning run?

@render Agee about the warmup, I always play better and more successfully when starting from Helios... vs kicking off a session in the middle of complete B2 chaos!

@Th3solution Yes I was honestly exactly the same in B2, spent so long getting OP that the boss almost felt like a cheese! Is there some form of mid-function save or reset then when B1-3 are cleared? Your post suggests that you respawn from B4 onwards?

Thanks again for all the helpful comments, can't believe I had this game in backlog for so long...

It will be a struggle to decide what is next. In the backlog I have Kena / DeS / GoT

Considering Kena as a pallet-cleanser, then on properly to DeS

@CJD87 Yes, hopefully it’s not too much of a spoiler, but there is a new respawn point at Biome 4. So once you clear Biome 3 then you’ll always start from the beginning of Biome 4. It makes for a more digestible sectioning of the game. Getting through Biome 3 is the end of Act 1.

Having the game split into these acts makes it so that the longest run I had to do was probably about 3-4 hours, to answer your earlier question. It can be done faster probably, but I definitely remember at least 3 hours on some of those runs. It’s tough, because you kind of lose track of time and end up doing the “one more run” thing into the wee hours of the night and realize you’ve spent 5 hours, but may have died 7 times.

My total game time to finish all the Acts to get to the true ending was about 60-70
hours I think. Somewhere in that neighborhood, with about 80-90 deaths.

@CJD87 I went from Returnal to Ratchet & Clank and then to Demon's Souls. Even though I enjoyed both of those games after they just didn't feel as good to play as Returnal did. I actually found I was dying a lot in Ratchet due to it just not being as responsive and Demon's Souls again was soooo much slower. Still both great games so can recommend either.

@Th3solution - Continued my successful B2 run (no power-cut overnight!) and flew through B3 fairly easily. The boss fight in B3 was incredible, particularly phase #3!

Now landed in B4, and had a quick & reckless run which culminated in a fairly imminent (and well-deserved) death. Happy with progress, and I am honestly more impressed with this game the more I play. In terms of difficulty, I can definitely see myself completing the 'basic' game.... I've not yet hit a Sekiro-esque wall where success seems impossible ha.

Quick observation - upon completing Act1 and receiving the trophy, the attainment statistic is that only 30% (!) of players get through Act1? Be interested to know what the stat is for Act2...

@render - Bet R&C was a nice move post-Returnal, for a settle-down period before DeS. I think I will do pretty much the same and tackle Kena, which has had mixed-positive review. How did you find DeS? In terms of FS games, I have only beaten Sekiro and play a bit of DS1 remastered on Switch (About 2hrs, then got stuck into Monster Hunter Rise). Would you say DeS is as big a challenge as Returnal?

@CJD87 looks like a new system update is out today so you might've dodged a bullet there if you have automatic updates enabled

@CJD87 Great! Congratulations! Yea, what an epic boss, eh? 😄 It does really pay off to may a concerted effort to strengthen your build before getting to the hard parts at the end of Biome 3.
I think you probably had a similar response as me in the early part of Biome 4. Gave it a small effort and conceded with a timely death knowing it was safe to do so since it’s one of the few save points in the game. But you’ll probably find that Biome 4 will feel a little easier now, with everything you’ve been through. In fact, despite future Biome being plenty difficult, I don’t think any are as frustrating as Biome 3.
As far as Act 2 — I looked up on my trophy list and it says 22.5% of players get the Act 2 trophy.

@CJD87 It sounds like @velio84 opinion probably matters more here as DeS is the only FS game I've played. In terms of difficulty compared to Returnal though I'd say Returnal definitely "felt" like it was more difficult to me. After the end of each boss fight I was on the edge of my seat with my hands physically shaking. It seemed to really push me to my limits but that could be to do with the pace of the game. On the other hand I died a lot more in DeS but I never felt like It was as challenging - just annoying as it was more down to timing and being exactly in that window.

I'd agree about the long runs back to a few of the bosses though. I can think of two that were particularly frustrating and they did make me jack in playing a few times when I couldn't be bothered with the slog.

@CJD87 A quick look at the trophies;

Act 1 - 30%
Act 2 - 22.5%
Act 3 - 9.9%

4% of people have yet to experience a death, only 58.5% have made it past the first boss.

And 2.8% with the platinum!

@Thrillho Wow, that is quite surprising that >40% of players haven't survived Biome 1...

I suppose there will be a few cases where people try the game, decide it isn't for them, and then return it perhaps? Platinum % is horrific, can only begin to imagine the level of dedication needed there...

Anyways - cheers for the share, makes me feel infinitely better about my own mediocre performance ha

@CJD87 The platinum can become a little frustrating the closer you are to it - when you only need a couple things left but they have a low chance of spawning, so you can play for hours and not make any progress. Luckily the game is just fun to play so I got it anyway

@CJD87 I said on this thread I would never go fro the platinum, however, I got it a few weeks back. You might change your mind.

Looks like there might be another update coming soon

@Just2Milky
You’re a stronger man than me… B4 currently kicking my ass, platinum seems a way off!

@CJD87 To be fair, once you beat the game, getting the platinum isn’t exactly hard. Just takes a while

@CJD87 one you beat it, the difficulty come from; A: your brain tries to make sense of the story; & B; trying to find the last ciphers before you give up. If you can beat the game, you can get the platinum, all it takes is patience.

Good luck on b4, the boss is my favorite!

That’s a reasonable amount of changes. Could be something exciting.