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Returnal 2.0 update - incl Suspend Cycle and photo mode

Bartski

Gold Member



Hello everyone! Over the last few months, we have been having a great time seeing you play Returnal and learning about your experiences, and hearing all the great stories of how players are overcoming the myriad challenges of Atropos. It’s had a fantastic reception, and we are truly pleased and grateful to see people having so much fun with the game. Here at Housemarque we’ve been listening to all your feedback too, and so it is with great satisfaction that I’m here to announce our update 2.0, launching today.

Returnal 2.0 update brings Suspend Cycle and Photo Mode


Suspend Cycle​

One of the main features of this update is the Suspend Cycle functionality, which will allow you to pause your cycle to be continued later, letting you exit the game and turn off your console without losing your progress in that session. The structure of the game remains unchanged, so this functionality is not a traditional mid-game “Save Game” option: by suspending the cycle, Returnal will simply create a single use suspend point, and once you resume playing the suspend point is deleted and cannot be used again. Your game will continue directly from the moment you left it, and if you want to suspend the cycle again, your progress will be captured from that new point onwards. There are some limitations in place – for example, players won’t be able to create a suspend point during Boss battles, cinematics, first-person sequences or during intense combat scenarios – as we felt there are certain moments in Returnal that are best experienced unfragmented to preserve the intended challenge and flow.

With this approach, we can keep the roguelike spirit and “high stakes” commitment to your run intact, while still providing some quality-of-life convenience for players who like to experience Returnal in shorter bursts. So next time you’re deep into a lengthy session on Atropos and life comes knocking at your door, you’ll be able to simply Suspend Cycle and jump back in at a more convenient time.

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Photo Mode​

Along with the Suspend functionality, we have also been working on another feature that’s been highly requested by the community and will also be included in this update: Photo Mode. Selene’s journey through Atropos is filled with many memorable moments that are worth cherishing; whether it’s dancing on the knife’s edge amidst intense bullet hell combat, or taking a fleeting moment of serenity to appreciate the eerie atmosphere and dark beauty of Atropos, our Photo Mode will allow you to immortalize these moments in all their glory.

At any point during the game (except some limited circumstances like our first-person sequences), you can simply pause the game and enter Photo Mode, which will put you in control of the camera. You can then use the analog sticks and the adaptive triggers to move the camera around and pick the perfect angle for your photo.

Once you’ve perfected your composition, you can then explore some optional settings like focal distance, aperture, saturation or contrast. You can also set different sources of light to highlight the scene, and choose from a variety of many different filters, effects, frames, coloring options, and much more to help bring that unique flair to your captures.When you’re happy with the result, just hit the Create button on your DualSense wireless controller to take the photo. Using the social features built directly into the PS5 console, you can also share and celebrate your most cherished Returnal moments with social media as well. We hope you have fun with the Photo Mode, and we are looking forward to seeing your creations!
 
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Markio128

Member
Photo mode is a nice addition, but I expect the suspend option to be the big talking point, that can only be seen as a positive, whichever side of the fence you are on.
 
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SkylineRKR

Member
I hope the crashes are fixed. I've had quite a few good runs being destroyed by a hard crash. Lately it went better. Its wise to sometimes close the app and reload the entire game, as the framerate will eventually tank.

Suspend option is great though.

Its an awesome game otherwise. I like it better than Hades.
 

Bartski

Gold Member
Understandable. While it goes against some of its core ideas, PS5 rest mode is shit and there are simply way too many players who can't afford 3-4h of nonstop playtime that would otherwise love the game.
At this point it's good for everyone, especially Housemarque's budget for what comes next.
 

Plantoid

Member
What is it with games and photo modes?

This is NOT a critic to the game, but to photo modes in general...
Only game I ever took screenshots was fh4 and just because I would get $$ to buy cars, I never even saved them

Feel like every game today has to have photo mode...
 

kuncol02

Banned
What is it with games and photo modes?

This is NOT a critic to the game, but to photo modes in general...
Only game I ever took screenshots was fh4 and just because I would get $$ to buy cars, I never even saved them

Feel like every game today has to have photo mode...
It's easy way of making game look better in social media than it actually is. Most games in photomode render with better quality than during gameplay.
 

crozier

Member
Finally! I bought the game at release but haven’t really played it yet. I only game for an hour or so at a time, so the original save method was not good enough.
 

decisions

Member
Damn no new content... i couldnt care less about mid run saves, never had an issue.

Same. Platinumed the game and was hoping for a new biome or weapons or difficulty, trophies, etc.

The save complaint is really only made by people who haven’t gotten very far in the game, since once you learn the levels, you can quickly run through them to get to the level you want if desired, and also a run can only last 3 biomes max.
 

[Sigma]

Member
Nice! I would have liked a balance reset or something like "original difficulty" mode but i'll boot up and try to see what the photo mode it like, that's always nice to have.
 
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vdopey

Member
This is all I wanted - I like to play in shortish bursts then go and play some cod or whatever then jump back into this ! I might actually be able to complete this.

Bo_Hazem Bo_Hazem dude btw your a nutter - I was watching / reading your play through's - did you put up any more videos ?
 
What is it with games and photo modes?

This is NOT a critic to the game, but to photo modes in general...
Only game I ever took screenshots was fh4 and just because I would get $$ to buy cars, I never even saved them

Feel like every game today has to have photo mode...

You have players doing free promo to the games developers make on social media. That's it.
 
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Bo_Hazem

Banned
This is all I wanted - I like to play in shortish bursts then go and play some cod or whatever then jump back into this ! I might actually be able to complete this.

Bo_Hazem Bo_Hazem dude btw your a nutter - I was watching / reading your play through's - did you put up any more videos ?

I nearly puked while replaying the game after beating it. It's fun but I struggle to replay/second run games since like MGS3. But I tried 3rd biome again from a fresh start and got raped. :lollipop_tears_of_joy:
 
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What is it with games and photo modes?

This is NOT a critic to the game, but to photo modes in general...
Only game I ever took screenshots was fh4 and just because I would get $$ to buy cars, I never even saved them

Feel like every game today has to have photo mode...
I think it's more for the younger people that love social media, to me this is absolutely useless too.
 

SkylineRKR

Member
Some of those parasites can fuck off though. I tried damage on item pickups. Yeah no. Everytime your adrenalin gets reset as well, lol. In the end it crippled me. I'll gladly take fall damage or stationary damage decrease though.

It's such a phenomenal game but I am so fucking bad at it. Crimson Wastes boss just keeps getting me.

I found its not that hard if you rinse Biome 1 first, stock up on oblites etc. I mostly failed when I tried to make a beeline for the next area.
 

MidGenRefresh

*Refreshes biennially
Can't wait!

Huge Roguelike fan here but still have yet to find a PS5 anywhere so am hoping this does come over to PC sooner rather then later.

I'm not a huge rougelike fan myself but I know how popular this genre is on PC. Sony should release this before Uncharted and God of War. It will sell millions.
 

azertydu91

Hard to Kill
Some of those parasites can fuck off though. I tried damage on item pickups. Yeah no. Everytime your adrenalin gets reset as well, lol. In the end it crippled me. I'll gladly take fall damage or stationary damage decrease though.



I found its not that hard if you rinse Biome 1 first, stock up on oblites etc. I mostly failed when I tried to make a beeline for the next area.
Yeah damage on pickup items to me is the worst malfunction in the game.
 
Some of those parasites can fuck off though. I tried damage on item pickups. Yeah no. Everytime your adrenalin gets reset as well, lol. In the end it crippled me. I'll gladly take fall damage or stationary damage decrease though.



I found its not that hard if you rinse Biome 1 first, stock up on oblites etc. I mostly failed when I tried to make a beeline for the next area.
Just dont pick that one up. That’s in built difficulty very hard mode right there. Just get the hp penalties or obelite penalties and play it calm
 
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