Housemarque’s Returnal is one of the first big exclusives to release on PlayStation’s newest console, and it has seen substantial buzz because of its unique and challenging design. Horror and fast-paced action are several of the main draws in this roguelike. With tense encounters and horrifying enemies, players are sure to shudder at this otherworldly experience.
While the narrative takes a backseat in roguelikes, there are still some moments where the game doesn’t make much sense. From questionable decisions by the protagonist to disturbing level designs, there’s plenty for users to question during their time on Atropos.
10 Selene Grabs All Alien Tech She Finds
If someone wound up on an alien planet, what would be the first thing on their mind? Securing food and shelter? Not if they were Selene. This ASTRA scout is determined to inspect and procure every weapon she comes in contact with. She even straps an alien katana to her hip after opening it once. While these weapons are understandable pick-up items, it seems strange to strap alien hooks and gadgets to the suit that keeps her alive.
9 What Caused Atropos’ Collapse
When Selene arrives on Atropos, its civilization is already exterminated. All that remains is the machinery and technology that still functions. What we do know is that they were far more advanced than humanity. They even experienced the same death loop as Selene. How did they break free? Why did they stop reincarnating? These are things that are left unanswered for the players.
8 The Lack of a Save Feature
Moving away from the game’s mythos for a moment, one thing that doesn’t make sense about the design of Returnal is its lack of a save feature. Returnal is a long game; progressing through the game’s half a dozen biomes is no easy task, and the only checkpoint lies at the end of Biome 3. Dying right before this point or turning off your game will send players back to the beginning. Even if bosses are beaten, players still have to search for a gate to the next map fighting their way down.
Those who want to pause their game and return later are out of luck. This is especially troubling with a new game that crashes often and needs updates that will reset progress for players who don’t have auto-updates disabled. It’s one feature Housemarque needs to add ASAP.
7 Selene Attaching Parasites Willingly
Grabbing alien weapons to defend yourself is understandable, but letting parasites latch on to your body is a bit odd. On Selene’s journey, she grabs parasites and attaches them to her suit. Each one comes with a boon and a bane. Even if some of these creatures strengthen her combat ability, it just seems like a bad idea to allow them to fuse with her body. Pair that with the fact that she needs the suit to survive on Atropos, and one mistake is all it takes for them to breach its integrity.
6 Selene’s Obsession With Atropos
When you crash on an alien planet, your first thoughts would most likely be related to figuring out a way to escape. Selene is a bit of an anomaly and spends more time exploring Atropos and the strange ruins littered across the surface. Over time, her curiosity evolves into obsession. She worries more about Atropos’ civilization than her own survival. Several of her past lives leave audio logs droning on about the world’s people, disregarding her own safety.
5 Selene Can’t Remember All Of Her Past Lives.
Death is undoubtedly a traumatic experience, one that would shape your psyche as we advance. It seems strange that Selene isn’t able to remember when and where she died. The only explanation for this besides her losing her mind would be that she’s died more times than she can count.
With a seemingly endless cycle of rebirth, it’s not impossible that the experience has caused her to repress the trauma she’s experienced. When the game begins, she finds her own dead body, yet she’s surprised by it, leading players to believe she has no recollection of the events, further supporting this hypothesis.
4 The Alien Glyphs
During her time traveling throughout Atropos, Selene finds several pillars rife with an alien language. To decipher them, she needs several ciphers that she can find scattered across the planet. Why would an alien civilization leave codes to unravel their language strewn across Atropos? Did they see their demise coming? That’s the only logical explanation, but the text on each pillar suggests those who wrote these messages were not of sound mind.
3 Giant Eye Cannons
One of the few sentient structures left of Atropos is the watchtowers. These pillars have giant eyes embedded in them, attacking any outsider that crosses their line of vision. It’s disturbing that the only form of life left is a hostile watchtower that tries to kill Selene at every turn. Were these towers created by the Atropans, or were they a life form as well? Unfortunately, they don’t seem friendly enough to stop and chat with Selene, so it’s unlikely they’ll share those secrets.
2 Gateway Technology
Another indicator that residents of Atropos were highly advanced is their Gateway technology. They had portals that allowed them to transport around the planet instantly. Selene uses these devices to travel to different biomes after defeating the game’s bosses. It’s perplexing that this tech seems relatively unharmed and functions flawlessly, even though its architects seem like they’ve been gone for centuries.
1 What Are Ooblites?
To purchase upgrades on Atropos, Selene has to collect Ooblites and use them to create artifacts and resources. But what exactly are these strange materials? All that is known about them is that the residents of Atropos used them as fuel and that they can be found throughout the environment. Hopefully, Selene will unravel this mystery before she loses her mind on Atropos, but it seems like that is very unlikely with how things are going.
