Returnal Save System: Is this the answer to Returnal’s problems?

Last Updated on: 27th September 2021, 09:03 pm

Housemarque’s Returnal is a blockbuster, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t without fault. There’s a lot of fantastic things in Returnal, but a lot of this is counter-productive when it comes to a fulfilling experience. Returnal is getting a Save System, eventually, but is this really going to be the answer to the problems Housemarque’s sci-fi time-looper faces? A lot of people see Game of the Year (GOTY) potential in Returnal, but we don’t know if adding a Save System is going to be enough to tip the scales.

Housemarque is listening to fans and adding a Returnal Save System

It’s safe to say that a Save System is one of the most requested features from fans of Housemarque’s Returnal. It’s a roguelike, sure, but it’s not one you can pick up and play like Dead Cells. Returnal can take a long time and it’s challenging boss fights require a lot of preparation and a lot of skill.

Like a lot of roguelike games, Returnal does save certain items between runs. If you defeat a boss, for example, you keep the item you get to progress to the next biome. In addition to this, you keep any items that are related to gameplay mechanics – such as the Atropian Blade. Anything that would be considered an upgrade or a buff, though, is lost. If you play roguelikes, this isn’t going to phase you. It’s not surprising in the slightest.

What is, though, is the lack of any kind of Save System in Returnal. If you’re mid-run, you’re mid-run. You can’t turn off your console or swap games without it resetting your progress. Returnal has six biomes and you can spend quite a while in each one if you need to. They’re not endless, but each one offers more than a couple of hours of gameplay if you explore every area on offer before proceeding.

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If you’re going for a full run in Returnal, with the game only getting harder as you progress, you could be looking at one long session. It’s something that’s putting a lot of people off and something that remains a problem. If you can’t set aside an afternoon, you don’t stand too much of a chance of completing Returnal.

Thankfully, Housemarque knows this and the developers have stated that a Save System is “something that we’re actively, very actively trying to get out as soon as we can.”

This is going to be a welcome addition to the game, but it isn’t going to fix Returnal. Here’s why…

Returnal has issues you can’t patch out

Returnal is far from a bad game – in fact, we’d argue it’s one of the better PS5 games out at the moment. However, it is also far from flawless – there’s a lot of things wrong with Returnal. We’re going to discuss a handful of them below – what’s heartbreaking is a Save System wouldn’t make these parts of Returnal any better.

Firstly, we’re going to talk about Returnal’s weightless gunplay.

Returnal has a decent selection of weaponry on offer – there’s also a loose levelling system that helps to keep your weapon appropriately powerful as you progress. The problem lies in the fact that every weapon feels the same and you’re only doing real damage to larger enemies with your Alt-Fire option. There are a few different Alt-Fire options available in-game, but these are randomly assigned to weapons. We’ve found that once you find the Alt-Fire option you like, you don’t really need to swap out your weapons all that much.

With every weapon handling the same way and range not really being a problem, there’s hardly a reason to worry about what weapon you’re using. Roguelikes are all about looting and Returnal’s looting just isn’t all that exciting.

Looking further, Returnal’s Parasite System is an excellent idea executed poorly that doesn’t really offer any incentive to take part in it.

To explain, Parasites are pick-ups in Returnal that offer one positive attribute and one negative attribute. They’re usually things like “collect 15% more obolites from defeated enemies” against “reduce Max Integrity by 10%”. It’s a dangerous game of weighing the pros against the cons – except the cons always outweigh the pros. In our experience, Returnal runs are almost always more successful without any Parasites. You don’t need to worry about any negative attributes and you can get along just fine without more obolites or a higher percentage of melee damage.

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Of course, they’re fun to experiment with but there are only a few attributes that make a Parasite worth picking up in Returnal – a Save System isn’t going to change that.

Ultimately, Returnal is about dodging and reading enemy attack patterns. Returnal’s narrative is interesting – don’t get us wrong – but it’s far from the best roguelike we’ve ever played and its gameplay is lacklustre at times. Returnal does offer some uniqueness in the genre, but it’s not going to win GOTY and Housemarque’s development of a Save System is only going to improve accessibility – not the game as a whole.