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After beating Returnal in roughly 11 hours, here are my review and Pro Tips!

How do you rate the difficulty "if you own the game"?


  • Total voters
    179

Bo_Hazem

Banned
Don’t get me wrong, I kick ass at and love dead space, mass effect is awesome, and I’m not the greatest gamer but I’m no pushover either, but I feel like I’m missing something in that roguelite game. I feel like I’m struggling way more than most and progress just takes forever and I’m unsure why

I already passed that house 83 times. It’s just as locked as every other door I encounter everywhere

At this point I’m still having fun, but this won’t last, because a 1% progress every hours or 2 is not my idea of a good time

I've entered like 3 times so far, I need to check the house again. Just try following the tips and more than sure you'll progress easily ;)

Lol Pokemon Snap is a mobile game you paid retail for. Don’t spew this nonsense here please.



stephen-colbert-report-triple-facepalm-gif.gif


ArtemisClydeFrog ArtemisClydeFrog behave :lollipop_tears_of_joy:

Is it a stealth brag thread? "I have beaten Returnal in 11hours, deals with it?" 😆

tenor.gif




Man! Where is that! Wanna see Uncle Jim playing!

EDIT: I think it's photoshoped.
 
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This might be too frustrating for me. I finally made it to the 2nd boss, but just barely lost. The thought of making it that entire trip for another shot is sounding too daunting.
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
Meanwhile 4 hours in. First boss

Keep a good distance, and be focused. Don't fucking panic. :lollipop_tears_of_joy: Check the tips if you missed something, I think the tips should help anyone.

This might be too frustrating for me. I finally made it to the 2nd boss, but just barely lost. The thought of making it that entire trip for another shot is sounding too daunting.

It's part of the game, go visit the house. There are some breakable walls with some augments to unlock in some mechanism that give you perks.

Isnt there a shortcut on the successive runs?

The game kinda shortcuts it for you, but you even lose shortcuts.
After reaching 4th biome you don't go all the way to 1st.
 
Couple of the tips really helped me out

I was grinding weapon proficiency each run not knowing I could fast track to new biomes and get immediate boost.

Gonna try mapping my L1 and R1 to dodge and jump, gonna turn on auto sprint too

and yeah, malignant boons don’t seem worth the plus sides in most cases
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
To the second area, yeah, but you still have to traverse the whole level, which isn't short (or easy).

Just jump and skip them all, easy really. Also avoid shitty guns and loot.

Man you beasted on that game.

Watching all the previews prior to playing it have helped me a lot, I guess.

Couple of the tips really helped me out

I was grinding weapon proficiency each run not knowing I could fast track to new biomes and get immediate boost.

Gonna try mapping my L1 and R1 to dodge and jump, gonna turn on auto sprint too

and yeah, malignant boons don’t seem worth the plus sides in most cases

Yeah malfunctions are shit, and the consumable that fixes them all was only I think in the 4th biome or so and extremely rare.

guess this gameplay style aint for me, on 4 hours and still haven't beaten 1st boss 😆

Don't lose faith! Read the tips, hope they help you!
 

Heimdall_Xtreme

Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
Ok, guys. Started 8:00am (opens that time = 12:00am in VA, USA) yesterday and finished the game at 7:45pm in the same day. Around 11 hours and 45 minutes (Iftar "Ramadhan", bathroom times, and other small breaks included, roughly 11 hours when skimmed), and explored most of the optional missions.

Difficulty isn't really hard, didn't restart at the ship after the 2 premature deaths, around 9 hours without getting back to the ship. Died in total around 5 times, you can spare yourself a life past some level so you don't lose progress, but once on each level using your permanent "currency", Ether.

I didn't sleep during that for like ~30 hours, but slept 13 hours after that, because I didn't simply die and start from the ship so I can sleep in peace. If anyone was hesitant about the difficulty I would rate it 7/10 vs Give Me God of War 10/10 and 9/10 Crushing in TLOU2.

I've enjoyed the game and I think there are still some secrets to check out, even though I've visited the house 3 times already and usually try to explore thoroughly. Just don't be afraid about dying, when you jump back again you can skip fast to the next level as it makes it shorter to you to get back, and when you reach the next level you get a weapon upgrade (not the weapon itself but something like ID level for your next weapon you open). You can even manage with 0 level guns as leveling isn't steep in the game.

1st boss (one go)
2nd boss (2nd go because I came to him while being 30% on health with no health packs)
3rd boss (one go)
4th boss (one go)
5th boss (one go)
6th boss (2nd go and nearly killed me in the end because had 2 malfunctions in both runs)

In short:

Positives:

- Amazing gunfight and fluidity, gameplay in general is perfect.
- Intriguing story, although still gives you 90% gameplay in general.
- Amazing explorations and re-exploration of older areas when you got the upgrades.
- Deaths aren't as punishing as you think, would actually add more to the story.

- Difficulty is decent.
- It has good replayability especially with the regenerated levels.
- Graphics art style look amazing, with atmospheric looks.
- Music is well-tailored for the game, adds more immersion.

- DualSense integrations is very good in general.
- 3D audio helps with the awareness and the feel of the game in general.


Negatives:

- Floaty jumps.
- No mid-run saves.
- The 2nd mode in L2 is a gimmick, although done right, as they should've used R1 for the alternative fire as R1 is actually EMPTY!


I would give it 8.5/10.

Now here are my "Pro" tips, could contain minor spoilers :messenger_sunglasses: (click on the links for the photos)

- Use a good headset like Pulse 3D or any good headset that's good in locality, you'll need it.
- Use Dash to get through laser barriers and most of the enemy attacks. Some bullets and lasers you can't do that and would end up getting hurt later on.
- Don't fucking gamble with your Ether: You can turn Ether to Obolites to buy a large medkit from that fabricator, knowing exactly what you want.
- Don't pick up Malignant stuff: It's not worth the negatives, some are doable some are pretty tough, unless you have malfunction fixer (if you have 2 malfunctions the next malignant you pick is broken/lost, so don't over do it).
- Spend 6 Ether on each level on the Reconstructors: This gives you a second chance on each level as you respawn again without losing anything. You can't spam it, only once on each biome.
- Collect Resin for maximum Integrity "Health".
- Don't be a fucking hero: If you think you're being overwhelmed with the goons, just run for your fucking life. Don't be shy to exploit some weaknesses sometimes as I use the doors to block the enemy and as a shield for the counter.
- Use the good Parasites: I've used one for autorepair at low health, and max integrity, and damage. Some raise malfunction probability but you should not pick malignant stuff to begin with. Some enemy attacks cause malfunctions though.
- Buy Augments: Those stack up and end up making you OP, like 10% protection, 25% max integrity, more damage caused, autorepair at low health "same as the parasite with no negatives", etc.
- You can stack as much consumables as you like from the same kind: If you have one large health medkit, you can stack another one over it. Same with other consumables as I've stacked once around 3 consumables in one slot.
- DON'T FUCKING GO TO THE GOLDEN GATE IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO: Those are wave-based and could end up fighting 3 bosses simultaneously. Rewards can be good, but tried one and wasn't that good as I was forced to do so in one mission. It looks like the same main mission door but yellow with a star above. Had my early second death there.
- Don't pick up a higher level weapon "just because": Check the stats, and understand what you need. To me, there is that machine gun I prefer "Hollowseeker", carbine "Tachyomatic Carbine" comes second, and the pistol "Modified Sidearm SD-M8" third. The rest are pure garbage to me in the long run.
- Permanent suit upgrades are crucial: Because you can reach areas you usually can't without them and could mean getting some health regain or better loot.
- In worst case scenario, go back to the SHIP to sleep and regain health: Don't be afraid to go all the way back to the ship before proceeding to fight a boss with low health. It might be within your radius or you might have to go through biomes to reach it, but it's better than being forced to with zero stats. There are different beds that you can sleep "green bed" and regain health and even upgrade max integrity, also don't be afraid to sleep on the "red bed" ones that take some health but gives a very rewarding loot.
- Explore all the blue gates as much as possible: You usually get the green/red beds there, the reconstructor "second chance" machine, and other rewarding/permanent upgrades.
- Lastly, don't be afraid to die: The game makes it so easy to get back to the level, and once you enter you get a weapon level pass "Proficiency" that matches the biome right away. You can manage even with 0 level guns because the leveling isn't steep in the game.
*- Buy a figurine!: A friend of mine told me that it grants you a second life (never tried it myself). More about it:
*- Mapping your jump and dodge buttons to L1 and R1 instead could help you react faster (I kept them as default though), thanks to rubhen925 rubhen925 and @DonJorginho .
*- At the moment stick to the main suit, some reports say that they make crashes and glitches that can break your run. I've ignored the 2 suits because they have 100% tint and had zero glitches and crashes.



I think that's about most of it. Hope this helps. The game isn't hard if you're good in gaming in general. I can say it's about medium difficulty. Goons can be harder than main bosses as well when you're overwhelmed or cornered. After beating the game you should still go after some story elements.

Feel free to ask. Would answer using spoiler if I think that would spoil something major.
i believe you more
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned


Never give up. :messenger_winking_tongue:

Buddy played for about 4 or 5 hours and still hadn't killed the first boss. He's not bad at games either so don't take Bo_Hazem Bo_Hazem as the average lol



I think I've watched like 7-8 previews before with lots of tips, and seen the boss fight, the first one. Maybe that made it easier as well!

This review is better than IGN and another shitty website pages

i believe you more

Thanks! Maybe more Gaffers giving reviews would help more as we love games more than those jornos.
 
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Mister Wolf

Member
Just jump and skip them all, easy really. Also avoid shitty guns and loot.



Watching all the previews prior to playing it have helped me a lot, I guess.



Yeah malfunctions are shit, and the consumable that fixes them all was only I think in the 4th biome or so and extremely rare.



Don't lose faith! Read the tips, hope they help you!

Take your time and savor it next time. I couldn't have you drinking my good cognac, you would pounding it like shots.
 

NewYork214

Member
This might be too frustrating for me. I finally made it to the 2nd boss, but just barely lost. The thought of making it that entire trip for another shot is sounding too daunting.

It's usually pretty quick to find portal to second biome. Then you just need to get through the desert and there is a portal by entrance of building that will take you close to the second boss.

Side note. Just beat second boss and I'm at 5 hours. With numerous deaths. It's really not that bad when you die. @Bo-Hazem is just a beast it seems lol
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
That would be awesome. Building to a point where NeoGAF is looked at as a legit review site. You could be the start of that!

Many would contribute, why not. :messenger_winking:

Take your time and savor it next time. I couldn't have you drinking my good cognac, you would pounding it like shots.

I usually take longer time. Exploring each level after death should be refreshing and feel new, but no point doing that when you don't have a grappling hook or other traversal upgrades. This game is designed around dying. I've explored every possible door except the golden gate of horde mode while I can, some require upgrades to continue.

It's usually pretty quick to find portal to second biome. Then you just need to get through the desert and there is a portal by entrance of building that will take you close to the second boss.

Side note. Just beat second boss and I'm at 5 hours. With numerous deaths. It's really not that bad when you die. @Bo-Hazem is just a beast it seems lol

I just usually use hollowseeker, carbine, or pistol which give you good distance. Don't aim just use hip fire as it's designed for that, only aim for far enemies with no threats around you. Also always go to blue doors before exploring anything, you get lots of perks and tools along the way.
 
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Bo_Hazem

Banned
Beating the game in 11 hours sounds impossible? After 4 hours I was still in the first Biome. The fuck?

Actually I fully took my time exploring every blue door and reachable spot, with many you can't because you needed grappling hook, sink ability, and other upgrades. Going back to it will still feel fresh.

Took me like 7 hours before I got my head wrapped around it. I'm not used to this style of gameplay. Currently battling the third boss.

3rd biome is the hardest and the one I had to use gate exploit. Regain health at low life parasite or suit augments are crucial, health medkits and other green ones are very scarce.
 
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rubhen925

Member
Using customized controls can also cause crashes. Stick to default all these are fixed. I had no crashes so far with the game. Once i rebinded my dash button i had 3 crashes. So i can confirm this is an issue. Beat the game again with default controls and suit. Keep this in mind people
 
Actually I fully took my time exploring every blue door and reachable spot, with many you can't because you needed grappling hook, sink ability, and other upgrades. Going back to it will still feel fresh.



3rd biome is the hardest and the one I had to use gate exploit. Regain health at low life parasite or suit augments are crucial, health medkits and other green ones are very scarce.

Yeah I literally died 10 times before I started attempting to play/recognize attack patterns on the first boss. I had the parasite on my most recent run through that gave me health back every time I laid waste to any enemy. Good times.
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
I'm 5 hours in 1st level, i'm too old for bullet hell games alotugh i like them in top down jet fighters games on my phone

Don't worry! Keep trying.

Using customized controls can also cause crashes. Stick to default all these are fixed. I had no crashes so far with the game. Once i rebinded my dash button i had 3 crashes. So i can confirm this is an issue. Beat the game again with default controls and suit. Keep this in mind people

Will add that to the OP, thanks!

UPDATES:

- Don't aim down sight: Use hip fire as accuracy is pretty solid and mobility is high. Use aim for distant enemies when no one around you.

Put a WARNINGS section on the OP.

Yeah I literally died 10 times before I started attempting to play/recognize attack patterns on the first boss. I had the parasite on my most recent run through that gave me health back every time I laid waste to any enemy. Good times.
Although, I have had 3 crashes thus far that's restarted me, so that was lame. And each time, I was using the 3rd suit.

Made a warnings section and put such inputs there. I had no crashes or glitches but used the default suit and default control scheme.
 
It's usually pretty quick to find portal to second biome. Then you just need to get through the desert and there is a portal by entrance of building that will take you close to the second boss.

Side note. Just beat second boss and I'm at 5 hours. With numerous deaths. It's really not that bad when you die. @Bo-Hazem is just a beast it seems lol

Yeah, I noticed that when I got back. I ran through the first area to get health and stuff up, and saw that shortcut. Beat boss on my next try. That's good. Climbing the mountain each run sounded like too much.
 

Kokoloko85

Member
Sekiro maybe, the rest kinda feel shallow story-wise. Also Sekiro seems to be the least clunky. Sometimes there are genres that you can't stomach, no need to force yourself.:lollipop_tears_of_joy:

Bloodborne and Dark Souls have crazy deep stories. Just have to pierce it all together Through items. The lore in Bloodborne is amazing.

In some ways if you don’t go for the audio logs and xeno archives in Returnal you won’t get much of story lol. They are similar in that way.
Im now on the quest for the sunface fragmants to get the secret ending.
 
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Bo_Hazem

Banned
Bloodborne and Dark Souls have crazy deep stories. Just have to pierce it all together Through items. The lore in Bloodborne is amazing.

In some ways if you don’t go for the audio logs and xeno archives in Returnal you won’t get much of story lol. They are similar in that way.
Im not on the quest for the sunface fragmants to get the secret ending.

WTF! I need to fucking get through all the game again? Might give it a shot but I'm not into this kinda drag with no save mid-run. I'll give it a shot and see how I "consider" going through. Otherwise I'll just watch it on youtube. I don't replay the games I've beaten, only collect some missing stuff and that's it.
 

Umbasaborne

Banned
Its fun but tough as nails so far, had my longest run so far today at about an hour. Still died to the first boss, oh well. Will try again tomorrow
 

kikii

Member
I think it would be harder if they added save checkpoints, but that would actually destroy some story elements. Dying in this game isn't bad, really. I've expected myself to suffer.
thats a lie :D played on thursday somewhat like 5hrs according to suit, got to 1st boss almost killed it but got floored and never reached it again...im soo bad :messenger_downcast_sweat: :messenger_loudly_crying:
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
It took me more than that to get past the second level. I'm far from a pro gamer, but I'm far from a rookie too.

Thx Bo, appreciated. You just sold me this game. :lollipop_blowing_kiss:

You're welcome!

Its fun but tough as nails so far, had my longest run so far today at about an hour. Still died to the first boss, oh well. Will try again tomorrow

Just finished again the first biome searching for that so-called sun piece or whatever. Man, I sweeped the whole place, killed every single enemy and open all the doors. Then went to fuck up the boss before closing the game. I think I'm done with this Easter Egg BS, will just watch it on youtube. There is nothing left, really, seems my first session was more than enough and thorough except this sun pieces thing that I didn't find. Took me around 1 hour or less, not sure. Melee is pretty OP. Should add this tip:

*- Melee attacks are devastating: You end your enemy really fast using melee, between one hit for smaller ones to 2-4 hits for mini bosses! You may as well use it smartly against the main bosses, but try always to keep your distance and maybe use it after dodging his melee attack.
 
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Bo_Hazem

Banned
thats a lie :D played on thursday somewhat like 5hrs according to suit, got to 1st boss almost killed it but got floored and never reached it again...im soo bad :messenger_downcast_sweat: :messenger_loudly_crying:

Before going to the boss, finish every little mission around, collect as much stuff as possible, spend 6 ether on the Reconstructor for second chance without losing progress, and buy the Figurine for another second life! Medkits as well, the large one.
 
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kikii

Member
Before going to the boss, finish every little mission around, collect as much stuff as possible, spend 6 ether on the Reconstructor for second chance without losing progress, and buy the Figurine for another second life! Medkits as well, the large one.
i hate those fooking "tree" mobs which ever they're called soo annoying i fail at em cuz i never notice that when there's 2 of em that other1 always teleports to my back :D
 
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