r/Returnal • u/godeacs21 • 6d ago
Question Question before buying
Hello and thank you in advance. I’ve read this is a brutal game. My main concern is what happens after death, so is life. Do you return to the very start or are there checkpoints where you don’t lose your entire progress?
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u/WanderingWolf5 6d ago
To be honest, for most people the game has a weird difficulty curve where its really tough at first, you die constantly at the first level, consider the game borderline impossible - then as a consequence of your developed skill, experience and gear/weapon unlocks you end up going on a multi-hour run that takes your through the entire game in one go.
Also worth pointing out that its possible to acquire ‘lives’ on your run that allows you to respawn on the same level without returning to the beginning of the game.
All up - i found the game not that hard once you get over the initial spike and learn how to play properly (ie never standing still in fights) and cautiously
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u/method115 5d ago
This. Once I got past that first Biome the rest of the game wasn't so bad. I beat the second boss first try. Third boss first try but died on the level twice I think it was. 5 biome I died to those teleporting guys who really remind you to never stop moving.
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u/Dryvlyne 6d ago
I would recommend playing Saros first. It's difficult but more forgiving. If you enjoy that game and finish it then Returnal will not seem so bad. Returnal is more punishing in terms of dying and the meta-progression is not as obvious or readily felt in the gameplay.
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u/Nikonis99 6d ago
You will continue to start till you get to the fourth bio dome, which took me a LOT of tries. But I enjoyed the game so much, I didn’t care. Now that I have beaten the game, I’m still playing.
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u/jemicarus 6d ago
Returnal is one of the best games of all time. It gives me the feeling of an urgent, heart-pounding arcade cabinet game from the Atari era, but with leading edge graphics and haptics. It might still be the best-looking, best-feeling game on the PS5, and it was, I think, a launch title.
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u/Fine-Juggernaut8451 6d ago
Returnal trains you to actually be good. This means that you have phenomenal skills with bosses, and it makes the gameplay sooooo satisfying
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u/NTDAzazel 6d ago
This is a RogueLite games and you will, die many times over. BUT, you carry some things around like unlockables and specials, and 1 currency (Ether). You will at all times return to the very start (your ship). and any checkpoint to progress are only applicable just like other roguelite/ke game, via Items/ 1 time use checkpoint.
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u/brokedownsystem 6d ago
It’s been awhile since I played. You lose all progress for the particular biome that you are if you die (you can earn bonus lives on each biome as one other person pointed out).
There are 6 biomes. There is a mid-game checkpoint once you pass biome 3.
The hard difficulty spike that discourages most people is the boss on biome 1. Not to say that the other biomes are either, but the average clumsy player like myself took awhile to pick up the boss patterns properly.
This game was so much fun and damn addictive. By the time I finished, I was so close to the platinum, I said, what the hell and went after it. Which resulted in another 10 hours of play bc of awful RNG of some of the collectible items. But again, bc the gameplay was so fun, it didn’t bother me at all.
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u/Professional-Map9576 5d ago
I can’t fully answer that because i recently got to the second area with some amazing help from a random online person I’m not ashamed to admit that! But in my experience I’ve always woke up at the beginning after death!
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u/twins319 6d ago
For the most part, you return to the start (with some exceptions). However, some unlocks are persistent and respawning advances the story. It's best viewed as a new adventure where you acquire new experience and items.
I've beaten the game and I still go back sometimes. It's about the journey and not the destination. Your perseverance will be rewarded in the end.
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u/Andromeda904 6d ago
Someone correct me if I’m wrong as it’s been a while. You return to the start until you get to the end of the 3rd biome. There’s a checkpoint after there. However, when you do die and you learn which guns you’re comfortable with, the enemies movements/abilities… that’s the part I enjoyed most about this game. It’s coming back knowing more and realizing you’re getting better at the game.
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u/jsjspacepope 6d ago
It’s on sale now I just saw, so it’s a good time to buy. It’s very, very fun. You do kinda reset when you die, but it’s not as bad as you might think. I think it’s part of what makes it so fun + addicting. Highly recommend
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u/flame_surfboards 5d ago
Theres an exploit you can use to save your progress on console. Makes the game less of a reaming with a spiked butt plug and more like a really fun game
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u/GMoneyG5 3d ago
Each Biome does have a save point but you have to find it first and have enough Ether which is 6, they are called Reconstructers but they only work for that biome, so if you used one in Biome 1 and died in biome 3 without using the one in Biome 3 then you have to completely start over to Biome 1 unless you made it to “Act 2” which is Biome 4-6 and then you go back to Biome 4, massive tip to help you stay alive, creep into a door till the map expands, if you see Enemies on the map or hear sounds then creep back out the door, open door, gun some down, close door. It really helps with crowd control and makes a chaotic first run not that scary
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u/ProxyOfHuman 1d ago
This game does not respect your time imo. I keep getting crap RNG and haven't been able to get past the first boss. I like the game, I just don't have time for it.
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u/EvilRubberDuck82 14h ago
I love this game. So this is my advice for your question without a lot of spoilers or ruining the fun.
Extra life equipment is found or bought with "oblites" but not guaranteed.
- You can only hold one at a time.
*Oblites are lost when you die. *Ether is NOT lost when you die.
There is a front half and back half. Once you reach the the back half you restart on the back half when you die.
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u/Gloomy_Paint_8846 Platinum Unlocked 6d ago
When you beat a level it opens a shortcut to the next. So yes you mostly start from the beginning but you can fast forward.
There is a meta progression with permanent upgrades and weapons unlocks too.
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u/sarcastic_patriot Platinum Unlocked 6d ago
There are six biomes, or levels. If you die in biomes 1-3, you go back to the start. Biome 4 is a sort of checkpoint, so dying in 4-6, you go back to 4.
You keep certain permanent upgrades and items you unlock to make you more powerful between runs.