Returnal - RLLMUK and BAFTA GOTY 2021 - Free Ascension DLC out now!

[Floshenbarnical]

4 hours ago, StephenM said:

Decided I was gonna finish this off before new year — biome 5 says otherwise!

 

This game has helped me realize that I'm bad at games, have the reactions of a rotten corpse, and panic under pressure too often. There are times when ice water runs through my veins but it's usually not when Area in Lockdown pops up on the screen and I'm suddenly swarmed by hellish nightmare creatures. All those games where I thought I was really good were evidently just me out-thinking shit AI ...

[mikeyl]

The opposite, I love Returnal because it taught me that there’s still life left in my deteriorating old man reactions. I’m not about to one credit Ikaruga or anything, but it was nice to play a supposedly ‘hard’ (it ain’t that hard) shooter that you’d think you’d never get past the first level of and feel like a king.

[Vemsie]

 

"Vemsie, will you ever stop singing Returnal's praises?"

 

To which I answer: absolutely not!

[StephenM]

1 hour ago, Floshenbarnical said:

 

This game has helped me realize that I'm bad at games, have the reactions of a rotten corpse, and panic under pressure too often. There are times when ice water runs through my veins but it's usually not when Area in Lockdown pops up on the screen and I'm suddenly swarmed by hellish nightmare creatures. All those games where I thought I was really good were evidently just me out-thinking shit AI ...

Haha wow, I was trying to keep it light and festive. But same. 
 

I already knew I was bad at games though. 

[Floshenbarnical]

Had a great run all the way up to boss 2 with an astronaut token and resurrection parasite + 2 large health vials + activated the respawn machine

 

still fucking failed. His final third sliver of health in the third wave is no joke. Jesus

[FalconGR]

I’ve been playing this on and off for a month or so. I have only just competed the second biome (after around 15 hours, I think I am pretty rubbish at this), and it took me 4 hours or so to beat the second boss. That being said, I wasn’t bored for a second, the moment to moment gameplay is so outstanding it’s a pleasure to just play and be in the world regardless of progress. The game has utterly gripped me - the only comparable experience would be playing bloodborne (my first soulsborne) for the first time. This is not just game of the year so far but seems easily the best game since breath of the wild, just fantastic. 

[Floshenbarnical]

4 hours ago, FalconGR said:

I’ve been playing this on and off for a month or so. I have only just competed the second biome (after around 15 hours, I think I am pretty rubbish at this), and it took me 4 hours or so to beat the second boss. That being said, I wasn’t bored for a second, the moment to moment gameplay is so outstanding it’s a pleasure to just play and be in the world regardless of progress. The game has utterly gripped me - the only comparable experience would be playing bloodborne (my first soulsborne) for the first time. This is not just game of the year so far but seems easily the best game since breath of the wild, just fantastic. 

yeah for me it’s a perfect game. I really don’t dislike anything about it other than whichever cunt enemy just rest my adrenaline level

[SuperCapes]

Aye the game is expertly crafted, especially when it comes to moment to moment gameplay. Nothing comes close in terms of feel. I think part of it is actually down to the DS controller too, you feel fully immersed in everything that is going on. It expects patience and time from the player, but it is one of the few games I have sunk 10+ hours in with no fatigue whatsoever. I think the reason for that, is instead of levelling up with numbers, you actually physically, and mentally level up, and feel so damn good the further you get. 

[merrychan]

I am loving all the impressions of this, I've just got my PS5 and need to finish up on some current games but this will definitely be the next big game purchase

[Polmon]

Despite getting to the credits the other day I still feel like I've barely scratched the surface of this. Easily my GOTY; I didn't think anything could beat Hades, but this is just so sublimely balanced and beautifully paced, it controls perfectly (once jump / dash / melee are remapped) and keeps surprising me with new things. I'm absolutely hooked. 

[Floshenbarnical]

8 hours ago, Polmon said:

Despite getting to the credits the other day I still feel like I've barely scratched the surface of this. Easily my GOTY; I didn't think anything could beat Hades, but this is just so sublimely balanced and beautifully paced, it controls perfectly (once jump / dash / melee are remapped) and keeps surprising me with new things. I'm absolutely hooked. 

 

I just got back to Frozen Wastes last night. I had a total fucking mare of a time in Frozen Wastes the other day and managed to squander my large medkit, astronaut token, resurrection parasite, and had forgotten to use the reconstructor.

 

Then I tried again last night and went through all of Echoing Ruins without taking a scratch, including the challenge room. Adrenaline level 5 gives you extra obolites (I think) so I'm waiting at the start of Frozen Wastes tooled the fuck up - I didn't need to use any resin pickups so I vaccumed them all up at the end to max out my integrity. Got the blade balancer, and some other cool stuff. Really don't like the Dreadbound, at all.

 

Hopefully this will be sufficient to see me through to the credits, but knowing my skill level it probably won't.

[Mike S]

On 05/01/2022 at 10:27, merrychan said:

I am loving all the impressions of this, I've just got my PS5 and need to finish up on some current games but this will definitely be the next big game purchase

 

 

Whatever other games* you are playing you should drop them all immediately and play this as it is the best game on any platform in a very long time.  

 

*unless it's Demon's Souls as that is most excellent and certainly warrants completing without interruption.

[Sarlaccfood]

1 hour ago, Floshenbarnical said:

 

I just got back to Frozen Wastes last night. I had a total fucking mare of a time in Frozen Wastes the other day and managed to squander my large medkit, astronaut token, resurrection parasite, and had forgotten to use the reconstructor.

 

Then I tried again last night and went through all of Echoing Ruins without taking a scratch, including the challenge room. Adrenaline level 5 gives you extra obolites (I think) so I'm waiting at the start of Frozen Wastes tooled the fuck up - I didn't need to use any resin pickups so I vaccumed them all up at the end to max out my integrity. Got the blade balancer, and some other cool stuff. Really don't like the Dreadbound, at all.

 

Hopefully this will be sufficient to see me through to the credits, but knowing my skill level it probably won't.

Urgh yeah Frozen Wastes was the only biome I would have to peek in a room then run back out again. Could absolutely write-off a run if you’re resource hunting on your way to the next biome.

 

Fuck what a game. So glad it’s getting love in the GOTY thread. Most podcasts I listen to say it was too hard for them and Edge for some reason shafted it in their awards issue, so I was under the impression not many people liked it.

[Floshenbarnical]

20 minutes ago, Sarlaccfood said:

Urgh yeah Frozen Wastes was the only biome I would have to peek in a room then run back out again. Could absolutely write-off a run if you’re resource hunting on your way to the next biome.

 

Fuck what a game. So glad it’s getting love in the GOTY thread. Most podcasts I listen to say it was too hard for them and Edge for some reason shafted it in their awards issue, so I was under the impression not many people liked it.

 

Yeah Frozen Wastes is extremely punishing for some reason. It's also weird that the main area is this hub that has all the goodies right there, like either they knew they were making it super hard or just didn't feel like coding all the random possible configurations it could be in.

 

Do you later unlock an ability to dash through purple lasers? There are a few goodies hidden behind them with no visible method of deactivating them.

[Vemsie]

40 minutes ago, Sarlaccfood said:

Urgh yeah Frozen Wastes was the only biome I would have to peek in a room then run back out again. Could absolutely write-off a run if you’re resource hunting on your way to the next biome.

 

Fuck what a game. So glad it’s getting love in the GOTY thread. Most podcasts I listen to say it was too hard for them and Edge for some reason shafted it in their awards issue, so I was under the impression not many people liked it.

 

It still was in Edge's top ten (too low of course) but it's getting a lot of love in GotY lists, I've posted multiple ones in this thread.

 

But yeah, it's great to see it getting so much love on here and Era (and other places). When I made this thread it didn't garner too much interest but look where we are now.

[Sarlaccfood]

1 hour ago, Vemsie said:

 

It still was in Edge's top ten (too low of course) but it's getting a lot of love in GotY lists, I've posted multiple ones in this thread.

 

But yeah, it's great to see it getting so much love on here and Era (and other places). When I made this thread it didn't garner too much interest but look where we are now.

Yeah it’s funny that in some ways it was hurt by the £70 price tag, but also maybe helped it when it came to GOTY lists, as it encouraged people to stick with it rather than drop it at the first sign of difficulty?
 

So whilst it didn’t do crazy numbers, most people that did pick it up gave it more of a fair shake and ended up loving it.

 

 

 

Maybe.

[BitterToad]

33 minutes ago, Sarlaccfood said:

Yeah it’s funny that in some ways it was hurt by the £70 price tag, but also maybe helped it when it came to GOTY lists, as it encouraged people to stick with it rather than drop it at the first sign of difficulty?
 

So whilst it didn’t do crazy numbers, most people that did pick it up gave it more of a fair shake and ended up loving it.

 

 

 

Maybe.

I think that's an interesting shout. For me I can't remember a game that's made a better first impression. Within five minutes you go from "oh this is quite interesting/dark/moody" to "oh holy shit this slaps". And that feeling never really went away. Every time I got frustrated or annoyed with it I'd walk away swearing and within an hour that sensation of "I would like to play the really fun thing again" would sink in and I'd be running around biome 1 taking names. 

 

It's a very special thing, I still load it up every so often just for the feeling of playing it. I'd bloody love some DLC. 

[dug]

2 hours ago, Floshenbarnical said:

Do you later unlock an ability to dash through purple lasers? There are a few goodies hidden behind them with no visible method of deactivating them.

 

No, you never gain the ability to dash through purple lasers. Or at least I never did. I guess either there's a way of turning them off, or there's another route around the lasers to get to your goodies. Although, having said that, I did have multiple instances of items spawning in inaccessible places during my many runs. Only ever unimportant things like health pickups or obolites though.

[Kevvy Metal]

15 hours ago, Polmon said:

Despite getting to the credits the other day I still feel like I've barely scratched the surface of this. Easily my GOTY; I didn't think anything could beat Hades, but this is just so sublimely balanced and beautifully paced, it controls perfectly (once jump / dash / melee are remapped) and keeps surprising me with new things. I'm absolutely hooked. 

What did you remap them to, out of curiosity? 

[BadgerFarmer]

I went back to this yesterday. Mainly because I wanted to play something on the PS5 rather than sit in front of my computer, and there's not much else on it, but anyway. It's good to remind yourself just how amazing this is from time to time. Within a few minutes, it clicks back into place, and the way it feels to play really is so much sharper and more satisfying than almost anything else.

 

Having kept chipping away at it on and off, I'm also now just 3 glyphs away from getting the last couple of trophies - 1 in B3, 2 in B6. When I'll ever actually find those is anyone's guess, of course. 

[Floshenbarnical]

6 hours ago, Kevvy Metal said:

What did you remap them to, out of curiosity? 

I have jump L1, dash R1, melee R3, use item Up on d-pad (I find it makes me less likely to accidentally use an item if I’m being pushed and trying to dart around) and I set all interactions with triangle to a short press to make picking stuff up easier if there are hazards eg laser traps

[Polmon]

9 hours ago, Kevvy Metal said:

What did you remap them to, out of curiosity? 

 

3 hours ago, Floshenbarnical said:

I have jump L1, dash R1, melee R3, use item Up on d-pad (I find it makes me less likely to accidentally use an item if I’m being pushed and trying to dart around) and I set all interactions with triangle to a short press to make picking stuff up easier if there are hazards eg laser traps

As Floshen has said there, keeping the right thumb on the stick is critical in a game like this, so jump and dash (and melee) being available while using both sticks should be the default mapping imo. 

 

I haven't changed the pickup controls, but didn't know you could do that so I will be looking to it. 

[Floshenbarnical]

U

2 hours ago, Polmon said:

 

As Floshen has said there, keeping the right thumb on the stick is critical in a game like this, so jump and dash (and melee) being available while using both sticks should be the default mapping imo. 

 

I haven't changed the pickup controls, but didn't know you could do that so I will be looking to it. 

I didn’t fail on biome 5 last night I just restarted my cycle in disgust - I had Astro token, res parasite, 2 large medkits, crazy weapon, great integrity ……. Got stuck in that room with all the drones. The drones! The fucking drones! They shred me every time! Their rockets launch with no warning, are super fast, track you, and are the same color as the sparks flying off them as I pound them with Hollowseeker rounds. I had a god roll RNG run going. I need to figure out how to handle them. I’m so fucking close  I just need to get the key at any cost so I can unlock the door for the next run

[Hylian]

5 minutes ago, Floshenbarnical said:

U

I didn’t fail on biome 5 last night I just restarted my cycle in disgust - I had Astro token, res parasite, 2 large medkits, crazy weapon, great integrity ……. Got stuck in that room with all the drones. The drones! The fucking drones! They shred me every time! Their rockets launch with no warning, are super fast, track you, and are the same color as the sparks flying off them as I pound them with Hollowseeker rounds. I had a god roll RNG run going. I need to figure out how to handle them. I’m so fucking close  I just need to get the key at any cost so I can unlock the door for the next run

Grapple, grapple, and more grapple. 

[Floshenbarnical]

10 minutes ago, Hylian said:

Grapple, grapple, and more grapple. 

 

Yeah the first time I did that room the other night I would grapple, kill one, grapple, kill one, etc. Dont know why i forgot to do that last night.

[BadgerFarmer]

11 hours ago, BadgerFarmer said:

Having kept chipping away at it on and off, I'm also now just 3 glyphs away from getting the last couple of trophies - 1 in B3, 2 in B6. When I'll ever actually find those is anyone's guess, of course. 

Had a few more goes on the Citadel, and nothing. Then had a quick look at a guide vid and found it next try.

 

Just B6 to go.

[Floshenbarnical]

Just got all 3 boss keys on Biome 5 without really taking a scratch, so I currently have Astronaut token, bunch of good artifacts, +30% protection, -5s Alt fire cooldown, +10% protection while alt fire is on cool down, more or less max integrity, +50% repair efficiency, OP Hollowseeker, 2 large medkits and 2 small medkits, one of those things that turns projectiles into Obolites. Fingers crossed I'll pull it off. Can also walk on lava. Can't wait to go swimming.

[Marmite]

Don’t suppose anybody in this thread is looking to move a copy on? I’d like to try it but don’t fancy the £50ish asking price currently! 

[Floshenbarnical]

On 08/01/2022 at 13:14, Floshenbarnical said:

Just got all 3 boss keys on Biome 5 without really taking a scratch, so I currently have Astronaut token, bunch of good artifacts, +30% protection, -5s Alt fire cooldown, +10% protection while alt fire is on cool down, more or less max integrity, +50% repair efficiency, OP Hollowseeker, 2 large medkits and 2 small medkits, one of those things that turns projectiles into Obolites. Fingers crossed I'll pull it off. Can also walk on lava. Can't wait to go swimming.

died horribly

[Polmon]

Your next runs should go better now that you have the lava/underwater traversal mods.