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LTTP: Returnal | Play this game

RoadHazard

Gold Member
I never picked this up at release, had other stuff to play I guess. Also wasn't sure if a roguelite third person shooter would really be my thing. But now with PS+ Extra I decided to give it a go, and I'm absolutely hooked.

I will say it started out a bit slow for me, I was making very little progress during the first few hours and almost gave up on the game. It didn't feel like I was achieving much of anything, since so little carries across between runs (until you beat a boss as least), and it was frustrating to lose what felt like a good run with a lot of time invested into it, over and over again. But slowly but surely it started clicking, and I started "getting it". Once I finally beat that first boss it felt so good, much like when you finally get past something that at first felt impossible in a Souls game. My frustration was turning into addiction, and the more I played the more I wanted to play.

I'm now, I believe, pretty close to the end of the game, and I feel pretty confident in saying it's my game of the generation so far. The gameplay is just top notch, once it clicks it's immensely fun and satisfying. And I absolutely love the creepy alien horror vibe that permeates the entire game. I was really surprised by how good the story is too, they've really done something interesting (and often terrifying) with the whole "endless cycle" thing. Can't wait to see how it all wraps up.

But yeah, pretty good game, try it maybe, I don't know.
 
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8BiTw0LF

Banned
Still my game of the generation. Better than anything I've played for the past decade. I will never delete it from my PS5 and if it doesn't run on PS6, I'll keep the PS5 just for that game.

James Franco GIF
 

Apocryphon

Member
It's a great game. Not worth buying a console for alone, but certainly one of the best games I've played this genre so far. I'm looking forward to seeing how it holds up on Steam Deck since it's already been verified before release. UE4 games run well on the system but the volume of particle effects will likely be the main issue.
 

Erdrick

Member
Big fan of Housemarque from Super Stardust back on the Amiga and PS3 days. I've yet to snag this game but I will likely this Christmas when it's on sale again. Gives me Prometheus vibes, based on main character and visual styles that I've seen.
 
As someone who just hates rogue whatthefuckevers, this was really damn good. The nice thing is even if you die a lot there's just a little bit you can get each run that makes you want to keep pushing. The look, sound, and feel of playing is itself worth doing even if you don't progress much - it's just that much fun. I have a few problems with just how RNG things can be, the story is convoluted to make it seem bigger than what it actually is, and man do I wish checkpoints/shortcuts were just a wee bit closer. Overall it's just good. I can't count the number of times I'd finish a session, flip off the tv, swear to myself to delete it in the morning cause I was just done with it. Next day rolls around and the addiction is kicking in right away that of course I go for one more try and just get a little bit further in. It'll worm itself into your brain just like that.

This might be a little controversial, but for those that really want to push through but are struggling on it - don't be ashamed to save scum your way through it. There's a lot of benefits for the live, die, repeat cycle, but there also comes a point where some are going to feel like they hit a brick wall that seems impossible. It's worth pushing through however you can to see how the later levels play out. Do whatever works for you.
 

Hestar69

Member
Meh..Was playing co-op with a friend and every time the 4th boss my friend would black screen or fall thru the level..So I had to get to biome 5 solo and after that kinda just stopped playing..

It's a solid 7/10 but not as good as people make it out to be IMO.
 

Justin9mm

Member
Any tips for a retard like me?

I have played possibly 4 or 5 hours, never quite made it to the first boss and keep giving up to play other games. I completely get the gameplay and the mechanics and how to play, it's my co-ordination that is lacking. Any pro tips on skirting around enemies, particular weapons I should look for or get to make it easier? I really like how it plays but there is only so many more hours I'm going to keep attempting the first biome until I give up!
 

Elbereth

Member
I never picked this up at release, had other stuff to play I guess. Also wasn't sure if a roguelite third person shooter would really be my thing. But now with PS+ Extra I decided to give it a go, and I'm absolutely hooked.

I will say it started out a bit slow for me, I was making very little progress during the first few hours and almost gave up on the game. It didn't feel like I was achieving much of anything, since so little carries across between runs (until you beat a boss as least), and it was frustrating to lose what felt like a good run with a lot of time invested into it, over and over again. But slowly but surely it started clicking, and I started "getting it". Once I finally beat that first boss it felt so good, much like when you finally get past something that at first felt impossible in a Souls game. My frustration was turning into addiction, and the more I played the more I wanted to play.

I'm now, I believe, pretty close to the end of the game, and I feel pretty confident in saying it's my game of the generation so far. The gameplay is just top notch, once it clicks it's immensely fun and satisfying. And I absolutely love the creepy alien horror vibe that permeates the entire game. I was really surprised by how good the story is too, they've really done something interesting (and often terrifying) with the whole "endless cycle" thing. Can't wait to see how it all wraps up.

But yeah, pretty good game, try it maybe, I don't know.

Great round up for a great game (masterpiece even)

Be sure to check out the Tower of Sysiphus after the main game…Incredible end game content.
 

Elbereth

Member
Any tips for a retard like me?

I have played possibly 4 or 5 hours, never quite made it to the first boss and keep giving up to play other games. I completely get the gameplay and the mechanics and how to play, it's my co-ordination that is lacking. Any pro tips on skirting around enemies, particular weapons I should look for or get to make it easier? I really like how it plays but there is only so many more hours I'm going to keep attempting the first biome until I give up!

Dash often and pay close attention to your map. Keeping tabs on enemy location is critical.

When it comes to combat, try to stay in motion. There are only a few select moments that I can remember being stationary in combat.
 

Fredrik

Member
I ended up hating it.
Everything besides the lacking sense of progression is great. I played for 9 hours and barely sensed any progression at all. I wish I would’ve stopped earlier but I got stubborn and thought I could do it, should’ve used the time to finish another game instead.

I never payed for it though, got it on PS+, so if it comes to PC and get some sort of save mod I could see myself buying it to give it another go.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
Big fan of Housemarque from Super Stardust back on the Amiga and PS3 days. I've yet to snag this game but I will likely this Christmas when it's on sale again. Gives me Prometheus vibes, based on main character and visual styles that I've seen.

Yes, it feels VERY Alien/Prometheus, both in terms of the general vibe but also how you're trying to figure out what's going on on this planet and who the mysterious old race of sentient aliens are and what happened to them etc. That goes on in parallel with finding out things about Selene's past and why she's even there, and of course trying to break the cycle which is her primary goal. It's pretty fascinating.

(None of this is a spoiler, you start learning about all this basically right away. But WHAT you learn I won't get into.)
 
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Extremely overrated. One of the worst roguelike / progression set ups ever. Poorly thought out items/implants. Limited weapons. Art style is mostly a rip from Aliens / Prometheus.

But it's got halfway good graphics, particle effects, and uses the dual sense. Has good audio design. It's far from the worst game ever, but the praise it gets it wildly out of proportion with the quality of the game. I regret buying it, and I got it on discount.
 

AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
Played half of it on release. It's good overall but the roguelite elements are completely underbaked compared to some modern bangers like Hades or Isaac. I barely felt like any of my runs were different, the parasites or whatever they were called didn't do enough to switch up the core gameplay and I always defaulted to the same couple of guns, and I saw the same prefab rooms over and over and over. Compare that to something like Rogue Legacy 2 this year and it's just not close, even if the core gameplay is super polished.

I'm gonna wait until it's cheap on PC and give it a whirl with keyboard + mouse, that might be interesting.
 
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RoadHazard

Gold Member
Great round up for a great game (masterpiece even)

Be sure to check out the Tower of Sysiphus after the main game…Incredible end game content.

I "accidentally" made an attempt at the tower when I was a few biomes in, just wanted to check it out. Seems like really good extra content, yes, will return to it later for sure.

As someone who just hates rogue whatthefuckevers, this was really damn good. The nice thing is even if you die a lot there's just a little bit you can get each run that makes you want to keep pushing. The look, sound, and feel of playing is itself worth doing even if you don't progress much - it's just that much fun. I have a few problems with just how RNG things can be, the story is convoluted to make it seem bigger than what it actually is, and man do I wish checkpoints/shortcuts were just a wee bit closer. Overall it's just good. I can't count the number of times I'd finish a session, flip off the tv, swear to myself to delete it in the morning cause I was just done with it. Next day rolls around and the addiction is kicking in right away that of course I go for one more try and just get a little bit further in. It'll worm itself into your brain just like that.

This might be a little controversial, but for those that really want to push through but are struggling on it - don't be ashamed to save scum your way through it. There's a lot of benefits for the live, die, repeat cycle, but there also comes a point where some are going to feel like they hit a brick wall that seems impossible. It's worth pushing through however you can to see how the later levels play out. Do whatever works for you.

This is really a game where you can make it as easy or hard as you want to though (well, it never really gets EASY I guess). Once you reach a new biome you can take a shortcut to it the next time you die, but you will be underpowered compared to the first time you got there. If you instead first clear the earlier biomes again things will be MUCH easier, but it of course takes more time. But that's how I've prepared for most bosses, just skipping straight to the latest biome has generally proven too difficult.

Meh..Was playing co-op with a friend and every time the 4th boss my friend would black screen or fall thru the level..So I had to get to biome 5 solo and after that kinda just stopped playing..

It's a solid 7/10 but not as good as people make it out to be IMO.

I've never had anything like that, but I've been playing solo only. I don't know how they work co-op into the story (if they do at all), but this is supposed to be Selene's solitary journey I feel.

And biome 5 is overall pretty easy to get through IMO, if you just make sure to have some good stuff for it (the pylon driver is the king). And once you're past that, biome 6 gives you some pretty cool upgrades (and is just pretty freaky in general, feels rather different from anything that came before).

I ended up hating it.
Everything besides the lacking sense of progression is great. I played for 9 hours and barely sensed any progression at all. I wish I would’ve stopped earlier but I got stubborn and thought I could do it, should’ve used the time to finish another game instead.

I never payed for it though, got it on PS+, so if it comes to PC and get some sort of save mod I could see myself buying it to give it another go.

I also felt that lack of progression, until I didn't. Suddenly it started making sense, and then I loved it.

Save-scumming I personally feel would ruin what this game is even about, kinda like it would in Souls. The risk-reward thing is a huge factor. The feeling of finally taking down the next boss after preparing well for it is so great. If the risk of losing everything wasn't there it just wouldn't be the same.
 
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NikuNashi

Member
Things I loved about Returnal
  • Visuals
  • Audio
  • Movement
  • Combat
  • Haptics
  • Enemy design

Things I disliked about Returnal

  • The game

Bad game design ruined a great experience, I'm a dad with a full time job. I don't have time to start from the beginning everytime I die. This is not 1992, design a better progression system.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
Things I loved about Returnal
  • Visuals
  • Audio
  • Movement
  • Combat
  • Haptics
  • Enemy design

Things I disliked about Returnal

  • The game

Bad game design ruined a great experience, I'm a dad with a full time job. I don't have time to start from the beginning everytime I die. This is not 1992, design a better progression system.

"Design a better progression system" is really missing the point entirely. That progression system is what the game is, you're essentially saying "make a completely different game please". The game isn't for you, that's fine, not everything has to be for everyone.
 

lh032

I cry about Xbox and hate PlayStation.
Things I loved about Returnal
  • Visuals
  • Audio
  • Movement
  • Combat
  • Haptics
  • Enemy design

Things I disliked about Returnal

  • The game

Bad game design ruined a great experience, I'm a dad with a full time job. I don't have time to start from the beginning everytime I die. This is not 1992, design a better progression system.
its a roguelite.....
 

Duchess

Member
I only got as far as the third boss, before throwing in the towel.

Really enjoyed it, though. I'd love a sequel that didn't use the rogue-like system.
 
"Design a better progression system" is really missing the point entirely. That progression system is what the game is, you're essentially saying "make a completely different game please". The game isn't for you, that's fine, not everything has to be for everyone.
The game is a TPS with dashing, light platforming and no cover. It could easily have the same gameplay with a different progression system. The guy's comment was perfectly understandable. It's the most common complaint about the game.
 
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Man, now I can't stop thinking about Returnal. I might have to replay it soon, even though I've already platinumed it.

Such a great game. I want a sequel or spiritual successor from Housemarque right now.
 

rodrigolfp

Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
Without potato gunplay on dual stick controller, any aim assist and that gigantic hit boxes maybe I will.
 
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Mephisto40

Member
Still a bit pissed I stopped playing this game after being stuck on the first boss for about 3 days completely unable to do it

Does anybody know if the start has better pacing now? Or is it still just down to complete blind luck whether you are powered up enough to beat the boss by the end of each run?

I want to like this game, but it left a sour taste in my mouth after I paid £70 for it and just hit a brick wall a couple of hours in

(An just before anybody starts, I'm not a serial quitter, I've played nearly all the souls games from start to finish)
 
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Fredrik

Member
I also felt that lack of progression, until I didn't. Suddenly it started making sense, and then I loved it.

Save-scumming I personally feel would ruin what this game is even about, kinda like it would in Souls. The risk-reward thing is a huge factor. The feeling of finally taking down the next boss after preparing well for it is so great. If the risk of losing everything wasn't there it just wouldn't be the same.
I did prepare well, best weapon I had found so far, had a spawn point, extra life, a parasite that saved my life. Map cleared. Then I died at the boss third phase. Second try from the respawn point. Died at second phase. Back at the crashsite. Pea-shooter, sword, secondary fire, and nothing else, and a new map. I just went nope and haven’t tried it again, the core gameplay is great but I just don’t have that much time to waste.
 
Still a bit pissed I stopped playing this game after being stuck on the first boss for about 3 days completely unable to do it

Does anybody know if the start has better pacing now? Or is it still just down to complete blind luck whether you are powered up enough to first the boss by the end of each run?

I want to like this game, but it left a sour taste in my mouth after I paid £70 for it and just hit a brick wall a couple of hours in

(An just before anybody starts, I'm not a serial quitter, I've played nearly all the souls games from start to finish)
The bosses can be tough, but once you do beat them, that's it. You don't need to kill them again. The game isn't as full-on rouge-like as people say - usually those who never get that far.

You DO get significantly stronger and do things to make each run easier and easier (but never brain-dead easy). Bosses being one and done is just one example of that.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
Still a bit pissed I stopped playing this game after being stuck on the first boss for about 3 days completely unable to do it

Does anybody know if the start has better pacing now? Or is it still just down to complete blind luck whether you are powered up enough to beat the boss by the end of each run?

I want to like this game, but it left a sour taste in my mouth after I paid £70 for it and just hit a brick wall a couple of hours in

(An just before anybody starts, I'm not a serial quitter, I've played nearly all the souls games from start to finish)

It's a bit of luck for sure. But basically, make sure you have a bunch of integrity (health) upgrades, a full health refill (you can always buy this) and an astronaut figurine (this one is luck as to whether or not it's available). Then you can take a LOT of damage.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
The bosses can be tough, but once you do beat them, that's it. You don't need to kill them again. The game isn't as full-on rouge-like as people say - usually those who never get that far.

You DO get significantly stronger and do things to make each run easier and easier (but never brain-dead easy). Bosses being one and done is just one example of that.

You don't really ever get STRONGER (only during each run), do you? But each biome gives higher level weapons than the one before. And you unlock new useful items that you might find.
 

Amiga

Member
Addicted to this game, can't stop playing even after getting the extra ending. Obsessed with unlocking the higher weapon traits. the higher perks give you a power trip.

Any tips ..

- melee is OP in the 1st biome. main method of clearing the tentacle dogs. jump/dash in, hit, jump/dash out. this also insta-staggers the tree enemies.
- if low on health, stay close to the doors to safely clear the enemies peekaboo style.
- you can also wait behind the door for the alt-fire cooldown.
- to stop lockdowns, stay at the door threshold. you also can lure the mini-boss o another room for a 1-on-1 fight.
- you can also use the teleporters to escape.
 

AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
Does anybody know if the start has better pacing now? Or is it still just down to complete blind luck whether you are powered up enough to beat the boss by the end of each run?

"enough" is a weird one as you can beat all the bosses without taking a single hit, so "enough" is going to vary wildly person-to-person.

Like Toad said, bosses are one-and-done but if you're stuck on boss one, the runs to boss three are going to be hellish. It becomes quicker to get through biomes 1 and 2 but it's not a straight skip back to bosses to re-attempt them and you will still spend a good chunk of time farming upgrades just to die and lose it all; kinda the nature of the game.
 
I'm only 6 or 7 hours in have not seen enough to make a good opinion.
Had this been a regular Housemarque shooter I would have been on World 2 or 3 by now.
Got the game with PS+ extra along with Stray and Death Stranding.
 

Hugare

Member
I honestly feel that, if they kept releasing new DLC with new enemies/areas, I could play this game forever

The gameplay loop is just that good. Best gameplay that I've played in years, maybe decades.

Then you add the incredible soundtrack (I listen to Hyperion theme daily), intriguing story, the smart narrative progression and it becomes something really special
 

Beechos

Member
In Contra you get lives, and continue and what not.

Not an apt comparison.

i disagree the blueprint is there to make a good modern day 3d contra game. If you want lives/continues that can easily be implemented with save system/respawn items. The core gamplay is there running/jumping/dodging bullet hell/different weapons. Just add some more mayhem and big crazy bosses.
 

Roberts

Member
Don't love and don't hate it. I love rogue-likes when they give you a reason to start over and over whether it is a story, sense of progression or just pure adrenaline of being constantly in danger and neither of these really apply to it imo. I also had the misfortune of playing this right after Hades which didn't let me go until I was done and done with it (I know, other than the genre they don't really have all that much in common). Obviously it is highly polished, good looking game with smooth shooting mechanics, but I abandoned it relatively early and never bothered to return (Now, excuse me while I go punch myself out for this terrible pun).
 
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RoadHazard

Gold Member
I honestly feel that, if they kept releasing new DLC with new enemies/areas, I could play this game forever

The gameplay loop is just that good. Best gameplay that I've played in years, maybe decades.

Then you add the incredible soundtrack (I listen to Hyperion theme daily), intriguing story, the smart narrative progression and it becomes something really special

Oh yeah, that pipe organ tune fucking smashes. Incredible atmosphere as you're making your way up there.
 
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