Returnal is a rogue-like action game developed by Housemarque. Players who enjoy a game that's particularly stimulating and demanding, and if they own a PlayStation 5, they will most certainly enjoy Returnal. It has a very fast-paced action and a lot of people also seem to enjoy its mystifying story.
This game is most certainly a gameplay-first kind of game. There are a couple of things game presents to the players in this game, like a handful of powerful weapons with awesome fire patterns and a very helpful melee weapon. There is also a couple of traversal options for the players to do. Aside from those, there are also a couple of mechanics that aren't revealed to the players outright.
10 Be Invincible For A Moment
Staying alive in a game as challenging as Returnal is easier said than done. Any chance to be invincible for just a few moments is already a significant help. Thankfully, there are ways to do that in this game.
Dashing in Returnal will trigger the invincibility frames for the player. For as long as the character is dashing, they won't get damaged by any projectile. However, the purple projectiles fired by enemies in later biomes are an exception to this. Aside from that, the player will also be momentarily invincible while dashing and translocating.
9 Gain A Second Life
There is a way to gain a "second life" in Returnal. All they have to do is collect an item called an Astronaut Figurine. This will only begin spawning in the game after the player goes into the house that randomly appears in the first biome.
After that, the player can pick them up anywhere in the game or buy them from Fabricators. Once the player's Integrity Bar reaches zero, this item will bring them back to life with all of their items intact.
8 Alternate Respawn Spot
Dying in Returnal can be insanely frustrating, most especially if the player has already poured hours into a cycle. Thankfully, there is a way for the players to bypass this for six Ethers.
In the game, there are alien devices called Reconstructors. Using this device will allow the player to be respawned here instead of back at the ship at the beginning of the game. On top of that, they'll get to keep their items as well.
7 Collect Obolites From Other Sources
Obolites are one of the two types of currencies the players can collect and use in this game. Obolites only stay with the player during the current run. The other, Ethers, will persist after dying. With this in mind, it's better to use every Obolites a player collects in that run as they will only lose it after dying.
Obolites are dropped by enemies after they are killed. Other than that, there are also other sources for these items. The player can collect them from statues with glowing eyes and vines.
6 Find A Switch By Aiming
Certain doors in the game only open after the player fires at their designated switches. The thing is, some of these switches are very tricky to spot. If the player ever happens upon this situation, there is something they can do to find the switch faster.
If the player aims down their sight while near a door, the switch will start emitting a pulsating sound. The player can simply follow this sound and they should be able to find it right away.
5 Turn On Timer HUD
Returnal is one of those games that's perfect for speedrunners. As if to cement this idea, the game has a Timer HUD the players can toggle on in the game's settings menu.
Speedrunners aren't the only ones who can benefit from this. Those who have played this game know just how long a single run can take. Knowing exactly how long could be good for a player's sanity. The players will need it.
4 Always Sprint Option
The players will be running 90% of the time while playing Returnal. This game demands the player to be exceedingly mobile. Enemies and projectiles can come from every direction and they should always know when to move or dash away.
There is almost no reason for a player to simply walk in this game. For that, they can turn on the Always Sprint option in the game's menu so they won't have to press the spring button every time.
3 Know What's Behind Locked Doors
The Area Scan feature is introduced to the player very early in the game. This feature is very useful as it allows the player to get an idea of what's around them, most especially knowing exactly where doors are.
However, in a lot of cases, scanning will also give the players a glimpse of what's behind a locked door. By doing this, the player can assess whether or not the risk of getting inside that room is worthwhile.
2 Picking Up Spoiled Resins
There is an item type called Resins in this game the players can pick up. In most cases, these Resins will heal the player or shield them. Some, however, are known as Spoiled Resins, which damages the player.
There is a way to remedy this. If the player has a Resinous Shield, the player can pick up these Spoiled Resins without getting damaged.
1 Change The Control Scheme
Having the ability to change a game's control scheme is not something that's present in every game anymore. Returnal, however, has this accessibility option.
Players of Returnal will have the liberty to customize the control settings however they want. This may seem like a minute aspect, but being comfortable with the controls will help greatly in beating this arduous game.