The whole narrative of Returnal is engulfed in thick mystery. The ending of the game is highly convoluted, and many players may not even fully comprehend what the story really is all about. On top of that, there is also a myriad of aspects to game itself that a handful of players may not even discover.
Even for those who set the story of the game aside, (which is almost impossible to do) and just focus on the actual gameplay, there are still a couple of things about Returnal that are mysterious and secretive to many. The overall design of the game is mystifying. There are surely a couple of secrets in this rouge-like title most players have not even discovered yet.
7 The Secret Ending
The ending of Returnal is one of the game's most head-scratching moments. Many players question the story of the game, or go online to look at discussions as to what the ending means. However, what not a lot of people may know is that there isn't only one ending to Returnal. The game actually has two.
To get the "true ending" , the player will need to unlock the car that they find before they reach the end. To craft its key, the player must collect all six Sunface Fragments which are located throughout the six biomes. Once they manage to do that, they'll be able to open the car and unlock the secret ending.
6 Helios' Door
The existence of Selene's house on the alien planet is one of the things that make Returnal such a baffling game. It is also where a lot of the most story-driven and enigmatic scenes take place. During the fourth instance where the player is allowed to enter the house, the player will momentarily play as a child, later revealed as Selene's son.
In one of these scenes, the door to the child's room shuts on the player, revealing the name of the child. The child's name is Helios, the same name as the ship that brought Selene to Atropos. Interestingly, the door's layout takes the shape of a cross, foreshadowing the child's fate.
5 Pulsating Switches
There are a couple of doors in Returnal that house chests for players to loot. In order to open these doors, the players must first shoot a switch. However, a couple of these switches are not so easy to locate. A few of them may be close to the actual door. Others, though, require the players to reach a higher ledge, and some are a bit more well-hidden.
Thankfully, there is a way for the players to find these switches more effectively. If the players simply aims down their sights, these switches will actually pulsate. The players can just follow the sound to the switch from there.
4 Hidden Obolites
Obolites are one of the two types of currencies in Returnal. Unlike its counterpart, the Ether, which remains with players after death, the Obolites will only stay with the player for one run. It's among the things the players lose when they die. They can be dropped by enemies, broken columns, or looted from around the world. There are also other places the players can turn to for Obolites.
Obolites are also hidden behind vines, plants, and those statues with glowing eyes. The players can simply blow them up with the weapon they have or with their melee weapon, and Obolites should drop.
3 Hidden Xenoglyph In Biome 3
Those who want to earn the Platinum Trophy for Returnal need to find and collect every single Xenoglyph in the game. However, some of them are tougher to find than others. There's one particular Xenoglyph, though, that is just hidden in plain sight. Many players might not think to go right at it.
One Xenoglyph can be found in Biome 3, in a room with a Reconstructor. The glyph is just on a wall right behind the Reconstructor. Its placement is so simple, yet not everyone will think to go there because they'll be too focused on the Reconstructor.
2 Astronaut Figurines
In the game, there are items called Astronaut Figurines. The player earns the first one by completing the first scenario in Selene's house in the first biome. However, that's not the only place where the players can earn this handy little item.
There are also Astronaut Figurines scattered all around the game, which drop from enemies. The players can also buy them from Fabricators. What this does is it essentially gives the players a second life after their integrity bar drops to zero.
1 What Reconstructors Are For
Throughout the game, players can stumble randomly upon machines called Reconstructors in every biome. Like all areas in the game, rooms that house a Reconstructor spawn randomly.
For six Ethers, the players can get into a Reconstructor, but its purpose won't be made clear until later on. This device does spawns the player in that location after dying, instead of having them go back to the ship.