Topic: Returnal

@CJD87 it's compelling and it's a game I keep thinking about but I can see me bouncing off. I can see me becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of tangible progress between runs (unless I'm missing something about an upgrade system). In hades, your elixir led to big upgrades for you between runs, ether seems to be unlocking new items but other than melee, I've not found much that persistently unlocks. The action is thrilling!! It feels like I've got pretty far into the crimson waste twice and I love the hollowseeker. I'm going to stick with it for now, I mean it was like 20odd goes before I got my first clear in hades but this just feels so much harder 🤕

@R1spam At first, the weapon trait unlocks don’t seem like a very large persistent unlock, but over time you really grow to appreciate them. When you come across a weapon with a great trait that you’ve unlocked just when you need it, it’s a life saver.

The elixir is admittedly a fairly weak carry over, especially the further in you get where ether is more plentiful. But the melee sword is the first of several permanent equipment upgrades that make the latter runs so much better.

@R1spam I suppose the real 'milestone achievements' per run are beating the various Biome bosses. Once you beat a boss, you can then shortcut to/past the Biome you have just beaten.

I agree it is challenging to wrap your head around lack of tangible achievements p/run, and I agree that this is somethign Hades manages incredibly well (and Returnal less so). As @Th3solution proposes, you should do all you can to unlock particular weapon traits that suit your playstyle. For me, the Hollowseaker with Portal Beam trait was an absolute winner. (Also the Electro Pylon gun was my 'Plan B' weapon and got me through some of the later Biomes).

Also, something I didnt figure out until I hit Biome3.... when you are collecting integrity/health, it is always more advantageous to pick it up when you are at full health. When you collect at full health, the green integrity vials actually increase your max HP (vs collecting them once damaged, usually just means they replenish lost HP)

But yes mate the action is thrilling, and I cannt recall any other gaming experience when my heart has been in my mouth during boss fights!! (Knowing one wrong move can undo an hour of solid progress ha!!)

It's a wild, beautiful and frustrating gem of a game. But trust me - your skills will far exceed mine, and if I can beat this thing then anyone can.

@CJD87 yeah, I've grizzled a fair bit about the game but also, I literally can't stop thinking about it. Made it to the second boss and got to the final phase on my first go! Very exhilarating though I'm not sure how I feel about the run to get back there. I think I need to just forget about making progress and enjoy the moment to moment gameplay, which is something else! Thanks for your tips, I went into that boss fight with some extra health which really helped, not sure about my gaming skills though! @Th3solution, I have unlocked a couple of hollowseeker skills without even noticing and will keep an eye out for those when looking at weapons.

@R1spam It may not apply as much now with the update and save function, but when I played it I often would grind for weapon trait unlock when I just had a limited time to do a couple quick runs and new I didn’t have a full 3 hours for a boss run. Or if I knew pretty quickly my run was going south and was going to end up a garbage run eventually, then I’d focus on just picking up weapons that had traits to unlock, even if I didn’t like that particular weapon. I figured at least I was making some carry over progress if I could do that.
Then when you’re ready for a “serious” boss run then you hopefully have unlocked a good weapon trait that you can use.

@R1spam Yes mate and I felt exactly the same... I had days where this game was on my mind constantly, and I couldn't wait to pick it up again after having to take breaks!

Have you unlocked the 'Astronaut' figurine/item? (This essentially brings you back to life in the same spot if you die)

Another piece of advice I'd give, which I learned the hard way (!), is to always enter a boss fight with as much health as possible + astronaut figurine + large health pack (+ your chosen weapon, as opposed to a 'consolation prize' weapon)

Once I'd beaten B1, I fell into a trap of basically travelling straight to B2 via shortcut.... but honestly it is well worth spending 30-40 mins just grinding B1 first to max out integrity and pick up any good parasites that support the build.

Honestly stick with it... such a rewarding experience when you finally beat it, which I promise you will! I was so addicted to the gameplay that the guys on this site easily bullied me to go for the plat lol

@Kidfried Your right, I’m still there even months after platinuming the game 😆

@Kidfried Ha! For sure.... can you imagine if a surprise DLC drops? Day #1 purchase for me without a doubt.

@render Platinum achievement was a cocktail of emotions... on one hand I was so relieved that the RNG Gods finally presented me with the last cypher, but on the other hand I was gutted that I no longer had an 'excuse' to play!

@CJD87 Agreed. It would be great if they just knocked up some new challenge modes along with some extra trophies even. I be back trying to end the cycle in an instant.

@CJD87 @render I would 100% pay for dlc. Even just a new biome or a boss rush mode. Maybe a few new weapons if HM really wants to drag me back into the loop.

On a different note, just upgraded to a 4K tv and it is insane how much better Returnal looks, even without sacrificing 60fps.

@Just2Milky @CJD87 Boss rush would be interesting and perhaps also a hoard mode of some kind. The daily challenge was quite a good idea but didn’t offer enough replay-ability once you’d finished the game. The best thing about it was being able to use weapons you didn’t have and that it threw some random elements at you. I’d be happy to have more of that with some additional weapons especially if you could unlock more traits or other bits of lore.

@CJD87 @render @Just2Milky Everyone was certain they would announce something at The Game Awards, but no dice.

I've not got the best track record with DLC. I either get it and never get round to paying it, or I've traded the game by the time dlc is released.

@JohnnyShoulder @CJD87 @render @Just2Milky It really looked like they were going to announce something. I’d love to know what the filming they did was for as it did look Atropos related.

I made it to biome 4! That biome 3 boss final phase was pretty tough but watching my last thermogenic launcher rounds hit the target after I missed an active reload and was falling from a platform with only a sliver of health was amazing! Biome 4 is legit kicking my ass though. I thought I had got a handle on the difficulty after making it up the tower in B3. Is every biome moving forward as much of a difficulty spike? If so, as Kidfried says I may never leave Atropos

@R1spam Yes!! Well done, and I remember the boss fight in B3 being absolutely wild... probably my favorite in the entire game.

B4 onwards is a nice point, as technically it is almost a 'refresh' as you now have a new cycle of B4-5-6.

In terms of difficulty spikes, I would argue that B5 is perhaps the most challenging by a longshot... although interestingly everyone pn this site seems to find a different biome the hardest ha

You have all the skills you need to beat this game, my only advise would be to level up a decent weapon and upgrade the best traits (my 'go-to' was Hollowseeker with portal beam L2)

Hopefully you're still enjoying it? Still my personal GOTY without a doubt, dying for HM to release a DLC...!

@R1spam Well done!! That is an awesome boss fight and beating it after dragging yourself through B3 is a real achievement. For many that's breaking the back of the game with most deaths coming from the first 3 biomes. Keep going and you'll make it, there's some truly great moments to come!

@R1spam I think most of my deaths were in Biome 4 as I struggled to readjust and there are a few enemies there that can ruin a run quickly. Luckily your weapons start at a decent base level once you're there though so it's much more fun and easier to switch things round and find a weapon you like with favourable traits.

And the B4 boss (and the build up) is the best of the lot for me!

@CJD87 I don't know if this makes sense but I like the game, truth be told I'm mildly obsessed by the game, the game however has no f#€ks to give how much I like it, it doesn't like me back. In fact, it actively hates me!! I still think there are design flaws but the gameplay feel keeps me coming back. It's so good!
@Render I'm not sure, I kept getting rooms with swarms of flying enemies with only the handgun and my b4 runs have been getting tanked!
@Thrillho that's good to know, I'll stick at it as the boss fights to this stage have been insane. The third phase of the ixion boss fight was absolutely brutal. Trying to time your jumps and dodges right for his dash attack needed such precise timing.

@Kidfried It’s amazing how a good run can come together like that. I got through B3 and B6 on my first attempts!