Now you can experience Returnal’s co-op story and survival mode. The major update 3.0, Ascension, is currently available for PlayStation 5.
Returnal adds co-op campaign and survival mode on March 22nd. But before you face the cycle of death again, installing the Ascension 3.0 update is essential. A patch that falls into the heavyweight category as the file still weighs 17 go.
Story mode for two players
To join another player in Returnal, Housemarque created what it calls the Chronos, a glowing orb that allows you to land in a fellow game in Terminator mode. The Atelier explains:
At the beginning, The Chronosis was in different locations in each of our biomes, but we eventually found that players were then pushed into starting co-op only before the main boss fights.. The Chronosis is now at the beginning of each biome, so players are encouraged to explore and see how the game works and evolves with a partner. Dealing with the scarcity of resources immediately creates a new dynamic.
Designer Trent Polack clarifies that the house and ship sequences were removed in collaboration. The balance of the title also had to be checked, but it didn’t go into detail. To see if the difficulty hasn’t been compromised too much to have a title that’s easy to navigate.
Returnal Ascension: the importance of distinguishing each player
To introduce collaboration, Housemarque also implemented new visuals. Your teammate will therefore be outlined in green if they are too far away, and the combo will vary from Selene to Selene. The HUD also provides additional information such as your ally’s “Scout Rank” or location.
We’ve also worked on our basic HUD, providing additional information that tells you where your teammate is and how far away they are. The HUD also clarifies the “Scout Rank” mechanic, which rewards players who join a game to help other ASTRA Scouts. This rank is clearly displayed for both players in a session, and every time you reach a rank, the player who joined the host gets Ether.
Between runs, you can attempt to tame the Tower of Sisyphus on your own, a new 20-story environment. Each phase ends with a boss, and your actions are subject to a point system.
Returnal is exclusive to PlayStation 5. Apart from that, Housemarque is working on a new PS5 franchise.
