Gaming Returnal (PS5)

b82REZ

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To an extent, but I never finished it. Got a bit fed up of doing it over and over. This sounds more difficult that Hades so I doubt I'd enjoy it more!
You're probably best holding off then.

I love roguelikes, but even I'm feeling a little daunted by the difficulty.
 

esmufc07

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Died on the second boss (Ixion), all the way back to the beginning :lol: Loving it so far though. Outside of the bosses I don’t think it’s that difficult so far?
 

esmufc07

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Though I did die because I forgot I had a parasite on me which damages me every time I pick up an item so when I picked up a recording I died :(
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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It certainly gets the adrenaline flowing. As someone who has never really played this genre of games or soulsborne or anything, this is hard for me but I'm still enjoying it so far, I just really need to beat that first boss. I'm on a good run at the moment which ill has to come back to this afternoon but got tonnes of extra health this time and a nice healing potion in the consumable slot so hopefully I'll be ready to take on the boss. I really struggle to keep myself calm which I think is key in games like this.
 

BusbyMalone

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Died on the second boss (Ixion), all the way back to the beginning :lol: Loving it so far though. Outside of the bosses I don’t think it’s that difficult so far?
Don't you unlock a portal when you beat the first boss? So you can go straight to the second area if you wish
 

b82REZ

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Don't you unlock a portal when you beat the first boss? So you can go straight to the second area if you wish
I've not heard anything like this and it's not in keeping with the genre. The only thing I've seen that acts like a checkpoint are podiums you can activate to revive you once if you die, but from what I've read they're very rare.
 

BusbyMalone

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I've not heard anything like this and it's not in keeping with the genre. The only thing I've seen that acts like a checkpoint are podiums you can activate to revive you once if you die, but from what I've read they're very rare.
Yeah, they do exist. It's not as simple as getting straight into it when you die, but it's closer. This is where it deviates slightly from other games of the genre.

Returnal is split into a series of biomes. After beating the boss of each area, they’ll drop a key which unlocks access to the next area, usually through a massive Stargate-esque teleport. And this is the first point of confusion people have: once you beat a boss in Returnal, you don’t have to fight it again. You can if you want, and there’s actually a lot of reasons why you might want to do this.

The key thing here is if you beat a boss, then die in the next area, you’ll return to the Helios. But Returnal plays fair by moving the teleport to the next area much closer to the Helios, so you don’t have to spend hours clearing out rooms you just beat to get back to where you were. And if you do skip ahead, you’ll immediately find a power-up on the other side that boosts your weapon level so you’re not underpowered for all the foes ahead.
 

b82REZ

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Yeah, they do exist. This is where it deviates from other games of the genre
Ahh, in that case, never use something that allows you to skip significant areas. As it says in that description you don't really want to avoid bosses. Also these portals allow you to skip a boss and maybe a bit of a biome. I get the impression you thought you got to skip entire biomes when you beat that areas boss, which isn't the case.
 

BusbyMalone

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Ahh, in that case, never use something that allows you to skip significant areas. As it says in that description you don't really want to avoid bosses. Also these portals allow you to skip a boss and maybe a bit of a biome. I get the impression you thought you got to skip entire biomes when you beat that areas boss, which isn't the case.
No, I just knew there was a function in there that let you skip through a decent chunk of a biome if you so wished. It's merely an option in there if you wanted to use it. I've played quite a few of these games before, I'm aware of their pros and cons. I just knew you didn't HAVE to beat the entire area again and the boss. Perhaps going straight there isn't an option, but you can save yourself a few hours.

Which I think is a good option to have.
 

Godfather

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Died on the second boss (Ixion), all the way back to the beginning :lol: Loving it so far though. Outside of the bosses I don’t think it’s that difficult so far?
As you've played Bloodborne as well and thus know what a good game looks like, how would you rate the game so far?
 

esmufc07

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As you've played Bloodborne as well and thus know what a good game looks like, how would you rate the game so far?
I’m really enjoying it so far. The combat is lots of fun and the atmosphere is great. They’ve also made great use of the Dualsense. It won’t be a game for everybody (looking at you @Massive Spanner) because of the dying/losing progress each time but if you’re prepared to be patient I think you’ll be rewarded.

I’m really not that far in yet though, looking forward to discovering more of the game but I’ve already put in 6 hours today so having a break and I’ll get back to it later.
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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Yes I managed to finally beat the first boss after two prior attempts. I just made sure this time that I cleared every room did the upgrades etc. Managed to get through and beat the second boss first time around. The final form is a bitch but somehow I got the final blow while I was on 1hp. Absolutely shouted the house down in joy :lol:
 

Godfather

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I’m really enjoying it so far. The combat is lots of fun and the atmosphere is great. They’ve also made great use of the Dualsense. It won’t be a game for everybody (looking at you @Massive Spanner) because of the dying/losing progress each time but if you’re prepared to be patient I think you’ll be rewarded.

I’m really not that far in yet though, looking forward to discovering more of the game but I’ve already put in 6 hours today so having a break and I’ll get back to it later.
Well thanks for the feedback! A game I'll look into when I finally get my hands on a PS5. That shitty thing is still not available in Austria.
 

Massive Spanner

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I’m really enjoying it so far. The combat is lots of fun and the atmosphere is great. They’ve also made great use of the Dualsense. It won’t be a game for everybody (looking at you @Massive Spanner) because of the dying/losing progress each time but if you’re prepared to be patient I think you’ll be rewarded.

I’m really not that far in yet though, looking forward to discovering more of the game but I’ve already put in 6 hours today so having a break and I’ll get back to it later.
How dare you
 

Drawfull

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This is the first game that might have hooked me in a long time. I'm itching to get back to playing it, but the snooker is getting in the way. Pulse headset rocked up earlier too, which I got off the back of the comment in the gamespot review.
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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God I can’t put this down now. Somehow I’ve managed to beat the third boss now first time of asking. On a remarkable run now. Beaten 3 bosses without dying in a row so I’m hoping I may get a way to avoid going back to the start now. I’ve managed to get ever artefact slot full and my weapon is max level.

Obviously that won’t make much difference if the difficulty spikes In the second half but I’ve just fallen on some great loot. Got one artefact that that gives me a shield for every healing item picked up which honestly is such a lifesaver.
 

esmufc07

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God I can’t put this down now. Somehow I’ve managed to beat the third boss now first time of asking. On a remarkable run now. Beaten 3 bosses without dying in a row so I’m hoping I may get a way to avoid going back to the start now. I’ve managed to get ever artefact slot full and my weapon is max level.

Obviously that won’t make much difference if the difficulty spikes In the second half but I’ve just fallen on some great loot. Got one artefact that that gives me a shield for every healing item picked up which honestly is such a lifesaver.
You’re doing better than me :lol:
 

b82REZ

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Had a quick go when I got home.

It feels really nice to play, my only slight concern is alt fire being tied to pushing L2 all the way down. In frantic moments I find I end up pushing it all the way down and waste the ammo. I might see if I can remap controls and switch it around.
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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Had a quick go when I got home.

It feels really nice to play, my only slight concern is alt fire being tied to pushing L2 all the way down. In frantic moments I find I end up pushing it all the way down and waste the ammo. I might see if I can remap controls and switch it around.
I would say just stick with it. I’ve been playing it all day and I feel like I’ve now got to grips with the pressure differences. You really barely have to push it in at all for normal fire. I think you’ll adjust in time.
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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I can’t get past boss 4 at the moment (Hyperion) he’s just a bastard and his third phase is tough. Didn’t have as good a settup as the previous few bosses so maybe that impacted it, it does feel like you need a lucky roll on the way. Anyway I can’t tear myself away but I’m going to have a break because I’ll burn myself out.
 

BusbyMalone

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Been playing for about an hour or so. The alt-fire/aim mechanics isn't bothering me too much so far, simply because I don't find myself aiming a great deal. Just shooting from the hip most of the time. Loving the game though. The gameplay, music, and environment are all excellent.
 

Riz

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Can someone explain how the layout reset works. As in when you die and start over do you enter a random part of the map (biome) or the actual map completely changes? I’ve recognised a few areas from a couple of runs so is it more a case of gradually learning the layout as you progress?
 

siw2007

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Just beat the first boss first time of asking, well I at that but for some reason it respawned me immediately after I thought I died, thought I was supposed to go back to the start so that was a pleasant surprise.

Has anyone had any issues downloading the update file? Mine simply refuses to start downloading. It even says ‘something went wrong’. You don’t say!
 

Bosws87

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The left trigger is awful its nowhere near resistant enough my only real complaint so far.
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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Managed to beat Hyperion (boss 4) this morning at third attempt. He battered me twice but funkily enough he barely put a glove on me in the latest fight. Having another break now but I feel like I’ve got a decent settup on this run so hopefully can push onto the 5th boss!
 

Woodzy

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Love this. A proper game.

Still confused by the shit i'm picking up though. What stuff stays with you every cycle and what stuff do you lose when you die?
 

Ainu

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I'm getting pretty jealous of you guys with your PS5's reading all this. I really want to play this game damnit. I'm starting to think I might not even find one in 2021 at this rate. The good thing is I'll have plenty of games to play, I guess, but still.
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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Love this. A proper game.

Still confused by the shit i'm picking up though. What stuff stays with you every cycle and what stuff do you lose when you die?
The things you get after beating the bosses stays with you, ie the grappling hook etc. You can also find these cuboid things in the world and once you put them in the right machine they offer permanent upgrades. For example I just found one that means if I get rid of a malfunction then I get a positive buff. The only other thing you keep between runs is ether up to a maximum of 30 in the inventory.

Anything else, keys, artefacts, weapons all goes between runs.
 

esmufc07

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The left trigger is awful its nowhere near resistant enough my only real complaint so far.
I thought this at first but you do get used to it after a while. Even now when there's a lot going on under pressure I no longer accidentally use alt-fire - you'll get used to it!

3rd biome is hard, so much going on and so many enemies coming at you :lol: Reached the third boss but was low on health so it killed me pretty quickly - guessing there's a shortcut back to the boss now though.
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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I thought this at first but you do get used to it after a while. Even now when there's a lot going on under pressure I no longer accidentally use alt-fire - you'll get used to it!

3rd biome is hard, so much going on and so many enemies coming at you :lol: Reached the third boss but was low on health so it killed me pretty quickly - guessing there's a shortcut back to the boss now though.
Just wait till the fourth... the fourth boss only killed me twice, the fourth biome killed me like 10 times :lol:
 

b82REZ

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I didn't get to play much last night because my friend sent me a free code for the game so I had to redownload it.

It's a proper good game though, despite the fact I'm not good at it yet.