You can now save mid-run in Returnal
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Housemarque launched a 2.0 update for their roguelike Returnal which adds not only a photo mode feature but the ability to suspend an ongoing cycle, giving players a chance to save mid-run to come back another time to continue their progress.
The ability to save your run was a sought after feature ever since the PS5 exclusive was released back in April. Returnal isn’t your typical roguelike game as a good run can last as long as two hours or more depending on a player's pacing. The issue some players had with the game is that once you turn off the game you lose your current run, putting you back at the start of the game.
The argument was that some players wished for the ability to save as sometimes they don’t have time to commit an hour or two to the game. Putting the game on rest mode is an option, but let’s say if someone wanted to use the PS5 system for another application, they’ll have to close Returnal, which ultimately resets your progress to the start.
The fanbase was divided as some prefer to have no save feature as that’s the nature of the subgenre, but added accessibility is never a bad thing and the 2.0 update provides just that.
Thanks to the suspend feature, you can simply place a safe state to preserve your current run of the game in case you’re in a position that requires you to turn off the game. But the core concept of Returnal remains intact as the moment you die in a cycle, any save state you created will be deleted, so don’t expect to be able to reload from the most recent save state once you die or make a mistake. You will return to the crash site and begin from the start.
“With this approach, we can keep the roguelike spirit and “high stakes” commitment to your run intact, while still providing some quality-of-life convenience for players who like to experience Returnal in shorter bursts. So next time you’re deep into a lengthy session on Atropos and life comes knocking at your door, you’ll be able to simply Suspend Cycle and jump back in at a more convenient time.” says Housemarque’s game director Harry Krueger in a PlayStation Blog post detailing the 2.0 update.
The feature comes with limitations as players cannot create a suspend point during a boss battle, cinematics, certain combat scenarios, or during those creepy first-person sequences.
Returnal, with or without this new patch, remains as an impressive approach to the roguelike formula. If you’re looking for a game that will challenge you, Returnal is a good bet. You can find my full thoughts on the game on my review if you’re still on the fence with this PS5 exclusive.
