The margin of error while playing Returnal is very compact. Those who play it will constantly need to be at the top of their game if they want to see this title through to the end. It demands everything a rogue-like title does: a player's full, undivided attention.
If a player dies while playing this game, that can mean hours of gameplay and tons of valuable items lost. Anyone who plays this game, whether they're veterans of the genre or not, should do their best to minimize mistakes. Of course, it's absolutely normal to make mistakes in games like these. In order to remedy that, however, the players of this game should know exactly what kinds of mistakes they should avoid.
10 Not Picking Up Silphium Resins Once Health Is Full
In Returnal, there are a couple of things the player can do in order to stay resilient in the harsh world of Atropos. One of these is collecting Silphium chunks and Silphium Resins. The former will increase the player's health, while the other increases their health cap.
Once the player's integrity bar is full, it may seem fine to simply disregard the other Silphium Resins they encounter along the way. The player shouldn't do this. Every time they pick up a Silphium Resin when their health is at max, their overall health will increase instead. This is incredibly helpful for a game as challenging as this.
9 Dashing Through Purple-Colored Projectiles
The dash in the game will activate invincibility frames for the player. This means whenever they perform a dash, they can't be hurt by any projectile or anything of the like. However, there is one type of attack where this mechanic is rendered useless.
Later in the game, the players will encounter enemies that fire purple-colored projectiles. These are the only projectiles in the game that will harm the players if they dash through them.
8 Not Using Melee Weapons Enough In Combat
The melee weapon in Returnal is highly valuable in both exploration and combat. These tools can clear out obstacles so the player can have access to more items. They are also insanely powerful in combat, which should not be understated.
Aside from bosses, the players can take down almost any type of enemies with just one or two attacks using the melee weapon. The player should always keep their melee weapon in mind when dealing with powerful and multiple enemies.
7 Not Knowing The Currencies
There are two types of currencies in Returnal, Obolites and Ethers. Obolites will only stay with the player during their current run. This means that whenever they die, the player will also lose all the Obolites they have with them. Ethers, on the other hand, are persistent items. They will remain on the player's inventory even after dying.
Knowing this, the player should balance which currency to use during a certain run. Ideally, the players should use Obolites to gain buffs and upgrades for one specific run only, while Ethers should be saved for others.
6 Forgetting To Use Or Pay Attention To The Alt-Fire
Every weapon in the game comes with an alternate fire built in. This is the secondary attack the players can use to deal with the various enemies in the game. A lot of these alt-fire options are very useful in fighting against hordes of enemies, while some only target a single point.
While alt-fires that affect multiple enemies are better in a game like this, this option ultimately falls upon the player's preference. However, every player should always make use of this system as much as they can.
5 Not Mastering The Overload
Returnal features an Overload mechanic, which slightly decreases a weapon's reload time. This may seem insignificant on paper. However, those silent moments between firing and reloading could mean life and death when playing a game like Returnal, where hordes are numerous and enemies are punishing.
The time window for the Overload to trigger varies from weapon to weapon. The player should take the time to familiarize themselves with this, as it will make the playthrough much smoother.
4 Not Knowing What The Reconstructor Does
There is an odd-looking alien device in Returnal that the player can get into, called a Reconstructor. At first, the purpose of this device is vague. For six Ethers, the players can use this device, but it will seem like nothing happened afterward. However, its purpose will be made clear the next time the player dies.
This device sends the player back to this spot when they die, instead of back to the ship. This is very useful when the player is far along the run already, and they want something to fall back onto in case they die along the way. The player should also take note that this only works for one cycle.
3 Automatically Choosing High-Tier Weapons
In each run, the player can only bring one weapon with them. There are a couple of different weapons with varying alt-fire for the player to choose from. If they want to get it through the game smoothly, the player should find a weapon they are comfortable with.
Later in the game, the player will happen upon other weapons at a higher tier. However, this doesn't always mean that weapon is immediately better. There are a lot of factors to consider aside from tier rating, such as bonus damage and alt-fire.
2 Running Away
In Returnal, the player should get used to facing enemies head-on and dashing towards them instead of turning their and running away. Once the player is in a room faced with tough opponents, they should remain careful, but must also know to take risks.
In most cases, running away will only lead to a player's eventual death. Facing the enemies with allow the player to reach a higher adrenaline level and more chances of picking up healing items.
1 Not Using Astronaut Figurines
When the player dies inReturnal, they can lose hours and hours of gameplay, as well as a couple of valuable resources. Thankfully, there's one way to mitigate this system in the game.
There are artifacts called Astronaut Figurines the player can collect. Having this item will resurrect the player once after their integrity bar drops to zero. The easiest one can be found on Selene's house in the first biome, while the others are randomly placed all over the game or purchased at fabricators.