Returnal is not the type of game one should play if they want to sit back and relax after a long and hard day at work. Well, those who are into challenging games can most definitely find comfort in Returnal. However, those who will go into the game expecting it to be a breeze will only find themselves wanting to rip their hair out.
Returnal is a considerably challenging game. This rogue-like title for the PlayStation 5 has been a topic of discussion among gamers ever since its release because of its fun gameplay, enigmatic narrative, and most of all, because of the challenge it provides. Those who want to brave and complete the game should at least familiarize themselves with a couple of tips to help them defeat the hostile creatures of Atropos.
10 Keep On Moving
Returnal very much functions like an isometric action game. The player will be bombarded with attacks from every single direction. Although this game will test the player's ability to aim, surviving will ultimately rely on the player's maneuverability.
The player should always keep being mobile when dealing with enemies in Returnal. They should constantly run, jump, dodge, and use their grappling hooks to get away or get closer to enemies.
9 The Overload
This game has incorporated an Overload system which will allow the player's weapon to reload quicker if they're able to reload at the correct time window. Even though the difference in reload time is minimal, a lot of things can happen in the game in between those moments, especially when the enemies are aplenty.
The Overload window varies from weapon to weapon. The players should take the time to familiarize themselves with the weapon's Overload window until it becomes muscle memory.
8 Take Advantage Of The Dash's Invincibility Frame
The players will get the ability to dash very early in the game. Not only is this helpful in reach seemingly unreachable platforms, but this is also extremely beneficial during combat. Whenever a player dashes, the character will be rendered invincible. This adds so much agency to the players in terms of dealing with multiple enemy projectiles.
With this in mind, if the player can't just run away from a projectile, they can dash towards it and they won't receive any damage and they'll be closer to the enemy. They should take note, though, that this tactic doesn't work on purple-colored projectiles.
7 Know What To Consider When Switching Weapons
In this game, there's a mechanic called Weapon Proficiency. This will increase the more the players defeat various enemies and pick up certain items. The higher the player's Weapon Proficiency is, the higher their chances of picking up high-tier weapons.
However, the player should remember that the higher a weapon's tier is doesn't necessarily equate to their overall quality. Some lower-tier weapons are better than high-tier weapons and the players can turn to the weapon's bonus damage, stability, and alt-fire attacks for that.
6 The Melee Weapon Is Very Powerful
Around the later areas in the first biome, the player will be able to pick up a permanent melee weapon. This will make the combat mechanic of the game so much more versatile because the game will expect you to use your melee weapon. Enemies covered in red shields can only be damaged if they've been meleed unless the player is equipped with the Shieldbreaker alt-fire.
The melee weapon is insanely powerful. Aside from bosses, every enemy in the game can be taken down with the melee weapon with just one or two strikes.
5 Aim Down To Hit Weak Spots
Because the game relies heavily on movement, it might seem counterintuitive to make use of the aim down sight mechanic as it narrows the player's point of view and it slows down their movement. However, this mechanic should be made use of in the correct moments.
Aiming down the sights will allow the players to target an enemy's weak spot. This is most especially helpful against bosses. If the player should choose to do so, they can also toggle on the aim assist option in the game's menu.
4 Minimize Exploration Until Certain Items Are Earned
Exploration is an absolute must in Returnal. Not only will the players enjoy the game even more this way, but they'll also be rewarded with powerful weapons, upgrades, and more. However, if the player is just starting out from the game, they should save the exploration aspect until later.
Later on in the game, the player will gain new items which will allow them to do new things such as grapple, use melee attacks, and teleport, among others. However, those three upgrades are very essential in exploration as a lot of areas won't be accessible to the player unless they have those upgrades. The players should get those upgrades first by completing the main objectives before they do further exploration.
3 Know The Adrenaline Buffs
The Adrenaline system in Returnal rewards players who are able to kill strings of enemies without taking any damage. The player's adrenaline level will rise up the more enemies they kill until it reaches the maximum level of level 5.
Each time a player kills three enemies without getting damaged, the adrenaline level will increase by one. Therefore, the player must kill 15 enemies so they can reach level 5. The player will be granted a buff with each adrenaline level.
- Level 1: The player's Overload zone will be bigger.
- Level 2: They'll be able to see enemies through walls.
- Level 3: The countdown for the melee weapon will decrease.
- Level 4: The player's weapon proficiency will rise 50% faster.
- Level 5: The player will earn 50% more Obolites.
2 Never Overlook Silphiums And Silphium Resins
In Returnal, a death can set the players back minutes, even hours of hard work. The game also has no save mechanic which means the player will always need to be at the top of their game and they should always keep an eye on their integrity bar, otherwise known as their HP.
To make sure that the player's integrity bar is as high as it should be, the players should always scour for Silphiums And Silphium Resins. They're highly noticeable because of their green glow and they also appear as green plus signs on the map. Interestingly, the player's total Integrity bar will increase even more if they pick up more resins when their health is full.
1 Look For Astronaut Figurines
Astronaut Figurines are one of the most helpful artifacts in the game. These items essentially give the players a second life, meaning when their health drops to zero when they're in possession of one, they will rise up with a full health bar and all of their items intact.
The first one of these artifacts can be found in Selene's house, which is randomly placed in the first biome. Once that is found, others can be picked up randomly in the game, or bought from fabricators.