Returnal Updated; Suspend Points, Photo Mode Added

Developer Housemarque has announced that their recent third-person shooter roguelike, Returnal, has been updated to include Suspend Points and a Photo Mode. The former are temporary checkpoints, allowing players to pause the game mid-run if they have to leave. However, this isn’t standard save functionality as a Suspend Point will be deleted once resumed.

This is a prominent feature in many roguelikes, so it’s odd it took so long to come to this title, but it’s appreciated nonetheless. I recently purchased this game, and this implementation makes me more eager to play it without fear of having to abandon a run due to real-life tasks.

The Photo Mode works as expected, allowing players to take photos during most pausable sequences with several customization options.

You can read more details on this new Returnal update via PlayStation Blog.

Throughout this title, players take on the role of Selene; a space pilot lost in this alien-filled world where she can dash and shoot enemies in third-person shooting combat. The game mimics a shmup where waves of bullets rain on the player. Still, death isn’t all that bad. Every time you die, the world and its environments will alter. Players will also have access to different alt-fire and mysterious devices that will change their playstyle during any given run.

Returnal is currently available on PlayStation 5.