Tomdominer Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 15 minutes ago, JoeK said: For those who’ve completed the game: Hide contents Is the basic premise that everything she’s been through stems from the car accident and it’s all a dream? Well, my take was that: Spoiler She actually did land on the Atropos, but its changing / forming based on her psyche. Her hopes and fears are physically formed by the planet somehow. At the very least, I think its open to interpretation. She could be the child, or the parent in the car. The astronaut could be her mother. etc etc. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatular Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 1 hour ago, Tomdominer said: Hide contents At the very least, I think its open to interpretation. She could be the child, or the parent in the car. The astronaut could be her mother. etc etc. yeah i didn't have a clue what was going on in the plot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawklord Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 After I completed this back in August I played a bit longer until I got the "items" I needed for the hidden ending. Found them fairly quickly over a few runs but ended up taking a break for a while as I could not get through the Abyssal Scar. I just found it too difficult for some reason. Dunno if it was the RNG but I was getting decimated. Anyway, I went back and had another couple of runs after the patch but was still getting nowhere. Paused again for a few weeks to finish off a couple of other games I was playing eventually and went back to it tonight. Thought I'd just do a warm up run... Spoiler Decided I'm not even going to try for the Platinum lol (yet) Yeah GOTY 2021 for me 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vemsie Posted December 2, 2021 Author Share Posted December 2, 2021 20 hours ago, Tomdominer said: Well, my take was that: Hide contents She actually did land on the Atropos, but its changing / forming based on her psyche. Her hopes and fears are physically formed by the planet somehow. At the very least, I think its open to interpretation. She could be the child, or the parent in the car. The astronaut could be her mother. etc etc. Yeah, this is my take too. Spoiler Atropos as a sort of space Silent Hill physically manifesting her traumas. The creature at the end who you free from this black cosmic egg (Xaos) being responsible. Her creating Atropos as a way of dealing with her trauma works as well, but I prefer the cosmic horror take. As for the accident, I think it's Selene in the car with her son Helios. She's both the driver and the Astronaut. It's deliberately ambiguous I think. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vemsie Posted December 2, 2021 Author Share Posted December 2, 2021 There's a making of Returnal in the latest issue of Edge by the way. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarlaccfood Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 5 hours ago, Vemsie said: Yeah, this is my take too. Reveal hidden contents Atropos as a sort of space Silent Hill physically manifesting her traumas. The creature at the end who you free from this black cosmic egg (Xaos) being responsible. Her creating Atropos as a way of dealing with her trauma works as well, but I prefer the cosmic horror take. As for the accident, I think it's Selene in the car with her son Helios. She's both the driver and the Astronaut. It's deliberately ambiguous I think. Yeah I read it as the Spoiler Astronaut was essentially the spectre of her career pulling her away from her child. The suit making her a stranger to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vemsie Posted December 12, 2021 Author Share Posted December 12, 2021 Returnal picked as one of the best games of the year by Simon Parkin for the New Yorker. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarlaccfood Posted December 12, 2021 Share Posted December 12, 2021 I think now we’ve had Halo and Forza come out, I can confidently say this is my GOTY. Its atmosphere, design and core gameplay loop have stayed with me ever since I finished it and once I’ve cleared the decks a bit, I can’t wait to get stuck back in again with those headphones cranked up . Brilliant. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonamok Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 Yep, was never in doubt for me and nothing else even came close. Dread, excellent as it is, was still a distant second. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewson Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 9 hours ago, jonamok said: Yep, was never in doubt for me and nothing else even came close. Dread, excellent as it is, was still a distant second. Same for me. So many games this year have been disappointing compared to my expectations. Returnal was the opposite. Nothing comes close to the tightness of the gameplay and the sense of tough-but-fair challenge 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanley Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 Just how difficult is this game? I’m currently playing Demon’s Souls, which is still brutal. How does this compare? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strafe Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 Brutal but fair. The difference with demon souls is you can alway just grind your way into being a concrete wall of death if you like, whearas in this you can’t as much because you lose everything on death. But don’t let that put you off, it’s an incredible game and shouldn’t be missed. Like any game once you learn it’s systems and the like you’ll master it and have a lot of fun getting there. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Stock Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 Yep, worth pointing out that as its a roguelike you unlock little things over time which increase your chances of survival as well. Its difficulty curve is actually really well done aside from a few spikes in what I like to call 'death rooms' which fortunately are mostly optional. The bosses are tough but nowhere near Souls level difficulty if you are decent at 3rd person shooters. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MardiganX Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 35 minutes ago, Stanley said: Just how difficult is this game? I’m currently playing Demon’s Souls, which is still brutal. How does this compare? I have bounced off of every Souls game around the mid-point because I've just become so unbelievably bored of having to repeat long sections and then expected to accept that its to help me learn. Fuck that. Returnal has a very similair mechanic and its crushingly difficult in places unless you know what you are doing, but at no point does it feel boring, unfair or repetitive. The difference for me is that Returnal is as difficult if not slightly more from a gameplay perspective given the volume and pace of the enemies, but it never feels like a chore to play through sections again after you (inevitably) die (multiple) times. Its also without doubt the most rewarding game I have played in a long time and certainly the most visually and technically impressive. It is absolutely essential gaming and as has been said above it should be GOTY in every category where it has a shout! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Stock Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 As a point of comparison, in Demon Souls I had around 350 deaths on completion and Returnal would have been probably around 20 I would say, maybe less. Runs last much, much longer in Returnal than a Souls life. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanley Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 Sounds like an absolute must buy, thank you for the impressions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavalcade Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 I had to stop playing this because of reviews and posters that said they had finished it with 20 deaths and how easy it was. I think I die about 20 times in a single play session I'd love to try it on mouse keys though, a lot of my issue is probably how shit I've become on pad controls. As well as generally being shit and old. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 Got this, Metroid and RE4 VR lined up for the next few weeks. This is first up tonight. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hylian Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 It's definitely a hard game. A lot of the mechanics have a risk/reward element to them. I think for a lot of people there's a turning point where you stop hanging back and be more aggressive with the combat. This comes from learning the enemy patterns, getting the controls down. The reward is that you get more currency for doing this, and that swings things in your favour. Absolutely fantastic game. Easily GOTY. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaB Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 5 hours ago, Stanley said: Sounds like an absolute must buy, thank you for the impressions It’s goty for me . Just immensely good. It’s not easy, but it’s nowhere near as punishing as DeS. There’s definitely times you think “i am never going to get past this bit” and then , of course , you do. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyP Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 7 hours ago, Stanley said: Sounds like an absolute must buy, thank you for the impressions There is a copy in the trading folder for £35.. if you are looking.... Edit: Ah you've seen it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanley Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 13 minutes ago, MattyP said: There is a copy in the trading folder for £35.. if you are looking.... Edit: Ah you've seen it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vemsie Posted December 14, 2021 Author Share Posted December 14, 2021 5 hours ago, cavalcade said: I had to stop playing this because of reviews and posters that said they had finished it with 20 deaths and how easy it was. I think I die about 20 times in a single play session I'd love to try it on mouse keys though, a lot of my issue is probably how shit I've become on pad controls. As well as generally being shit and old. Count on it coming to PC. And I'll get it again. Also, GotY from AV Club and they nail it in their write-up. https://www.avclub.com/the-17-best-games-of-2021-1848184033 Quote The first truly great PlayStation 5 game is a testament to the magic that can sometimes happen when small studio values get their hands on big publisher money. Returnal, the story of a haunted woman trapped and forced to die, over and over again, on a hostile alien planet, is many things: A deeply moving treatise on guilt and grief. A ridiculously engaging, blisteringly difficult action game. A prog rock poster of neon bullets and hypnotically glowing lasers. And at the core of all of it is an astounding confidence from studio Housemarque, which has crafted a universe as melancholy and beautiful as it is compulsively playable. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawklord Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 Finish in 20 deaths? I was close to 20 deaths per session. Only finished it a few weeks ago and bought on launch. Who are these people lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpagMasterSwift Posted December 15, 2021 Share Posted December 15, 2021 I don't know but I feel sorry for them. Yep, this is my GOTY too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catinthehat Posted December 15, 2021 Share Posted December 15, 2021 I sold this just after completing it (proper ending, obv), but I've been thinking about it more and more as we get towards the end of the year. I've spent the past few months replaying Death Stranding and Tsushima, thanks to the Director's Cut versions, and I think I'm going to dive back in to Returnal next. Has anything really changed since launch? There's a save game option now, I believe. That's probably enough for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpagMasterSwift Posted December 15, 2021 Share Posted December 15, 2021 Photo mode too I hear... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Posted December 15, 2021 Share Posted December 15, 2021 Started this tonight and there is a lot to digest early on. I've suspended my run and will have to do a bit of research as to what the hell half of it all means tomorrow. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonamok Posted December 15, 2021 Share Posted December 15, 2021 As long as your ‘research’ is just playing the game a lot more, you’re good. You don’t need to go research anything else until you’ve beaten it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vemsie Posted December 15, 2021 Author Share Posted December 15, 2021 Some more end of the year love: Gamespot https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamespots-10-best-games-of-2021/1100-6498815/ Quote Like the best roguelites--last year's Hades comes to mind immediately--death is merely another opportunity for storytelling, and the fact that a studio known for barebones narrative on top of arcade-style shooting managed to accomplish something so ambitious speaks to Housemarque's talent. And with the actual baddie-blasting retaining Housemarque's excellent arcade-style fluidity and aggression, Returnal stands as one of the best games in the developer's long history. Mashable https://mashable.com/article/best-video-games-2021 Quote Returnal's plot is a constant surprise. It gets very unexpectedly meta more than once, and nearly every attempt to conquer its gauntlet rewards players with new shreds of story or clues that further clear up the mystery. In the end, everything you read, listen to, and puzzle over is just as engaging as the action, if not moreso. All of the games listed here are superb experiences, but if I'm personally narrowing the field down to one? Returnal is it. We're lucky to have it. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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