When it was first released, Returnal was frequently described as the type of game that fans had purchased their PlayStation 5's to play, referring to the game's high quality and how it makes the most out of the newest features added to the console. Despite its release in April, some fans of the game were calling it an early runner for being named Game of the Year, but many PS5 owners had some worries about picking the title up. From its $70 price tag to its punishing difficulty to its technical issues, there were plenty of reasons for gaming enthusiasts to be potentially wary of Returnal.
While many of those complaints are valid, some have been ironed out over the past six months or so. With Returnal's 2.0 update, the game is better than ever before, and those who decided to wait on playing it at release should consider giving it a chance now based on what the title has grown to be in the six months following its launch.
Returnal's Most-Requested Feature
While Returnal's crushing difficulty was certainly a turn-off to some, the thing that really kept players away from it was the fact that there was absolutely no saving once a run was started. This led to a lot of frustration from fans, as runs could take as long as two hours to complete and, without any way for players to save their progress, resulted in many leaving their systems on overnight to pick up where they left off for their next session. This solution didn't always cut it, however, as many PlayStation 5 owners have experienced issues with the "Rest Mode" setting on the console causing it to fully power down in some cases, completely resetting players' progress.
What's more, Returnal, like many new titles, received plenty of patches and updates right when it launched meaning that, if a player had suspended the application in Rest Mode overnight, the app would be closed and all progress would be lost. It got to the point where the game's studio Housemarque recommended that players turn off the "auto-update" feature of the PS5 to stop players from losing all their progress due to well-meaning updates.
Luckily, the 2.0 update addresses this problem and allows players to save their runs using the "Suspend Cycle" option. Essentially, this allows players to close the application and pick right back up where they left off for their next play session. Interestingly, however, the Suspend Cycle option doesn't function as a save state, as it disappears the moment that the player starts the game again and can't be used as a respawn point or anything like that that, which would hamper the rogue-like nature of Returnal. While the feature feels like it should have been included for the game's launch, its addition is certainly a welcome one, opening the door for new players to feel confident in leaving the game after a long play session.
Returnal's Now-Stable Performance
Different players got different milage out of Returnal's performance at launch. Some hardly experienced any technical issues or bugs, while others cited plenty of game-breaking glitches and constant application crashes. With a game as challenging as Returnal that sees progress reset upon each death or unexpected application closure, the fear of a software crash during a long run was constantly in the back of most players' minds as they pushed deeper into the alien planet of Atropos.
While these notorious performance issues caused some players to put the game down and others to avoid it entirely, most have been ironed out through the patches that Housemarque has been pushing since Returnal's release. The game is more stable now than ever before, and crashes are a much less frequent occurrence. Anyone who said that they wanted to wait to play the game until it was in a more reliable place should see the 2.0 update as a sign that it is, as it is now very unlikely for a long run to end due to an unexpected bug or crash.
A Photo Mode to Capture Atropos
Although it was a requested feature, the addition of a photo mode to Returnal wasn't as necessary as the Suspend Cycle feature, but it's still a welcome addition that's come to the title with the 2.0 update. Now, players are able to capture the beauty and terror of Atropos with the game's in-depth photo mode. There are plenty of options for players to use, including things like adding additional light sources, aperture adjustments, and a wide range of color filters, really allowing them to frame the alien world however they see fit. While it isn't a feature that's vital to Returnal's gameplay loop, it's still a nice way for fans to enjoy the game and express their passion for it.
Returnal's $70 Price Tag
One issue that fans ran into when Returnal launched was that it cost $70. The debate surrounding video game price tags wasn't started by the game, but plenty of PS5 owners were uncomfortable with paying that price for a punishing game that had numerous stability issues. When purchased at full price, Returnal still costs $70 like every other first-party PlayStation game, but because it's been so long since its initial release, the game is constantly on sale on the PlayStation store. This isn't to say that Returnal isn't worth its full price tag, but that those who were on the fence at launch can more confidently purchase it without worrying about losing $70 if it turns out to be a dud for them.
Returnal is available now exclusively for the PS5.