Returnal was one of 2021’s best games. It was my personal favourite from last year and set the benchmark for all future PS5 exclusives. And while it was a fantastic experience, it was also punishing. In fact, it was so difficult many simply gave up. Despite that, Returnal still has a sizeable player base with many choosing to embrace its mammoth challenge again and again. As a result, developer Housemarque has decided to surprise players with two new modes in the upcoming 3.0 update. Dubbed “Ascension”, the new update will arrive on 23rd March. So, what is Returnal Ascension?
What is Returnal Ascension?
The Returnal Ascension update will bring both a co-op and a survival mode to the game. This represents the biggest release of new features for Returnal thus far. The co-op mode will allow players to team up as a pair in either public or private co-op sessions to battle across Atropos together. Survival mode takes you to the Tower of Sisyphus where increasingly difficult and endless enemies will test your skills and endurance.
Returnal Co-op Mode
For those who struggled with Returnal, the new co-op mode is an unexpected blessing. Housemarque have seemingly recognised that some players struggled with Atropos’ brutal inhabitants and so are giving them the opportunity to tackle it with a friend.
Harry Krueger, Game Director at Housemarque, explained, “While Returnal was designed as a focused solitary experience, the hostile forces of Atropos can often feel overwhelming and leave us yearning for companionship. With our new two-player online co-op mode, players can now combine their forces and brave the challenges of Atropos together.”
Players will join co-op sessions by “accessing the Chronosis portal near the crash landing” and at other select areas in the game. From here, you will have the choice of either a public or private session. “A Selene from another timeline” will then join your game.
Krueger elaborated, “In co-op, the game works in a similar fashion to single-player Returnal. However, if players get too far apart, they will be tethered back together. This is to ensure that the focus remains on cooperative gameplay and both players feel connected to the fates of each other.” To foster a sense of co-dependence and companionship, co-op will also feature the option to revive downed teammates.
Progression in co-op is “tied to the host”. This means co-op will mostly benefit those stuck on a particularly difficult boss or biome, for example. However, client players will get to keep some of their progress. This includes collectible logs and xenoglyphs, and progressing their Scout Rank.
Returnal Survival Mode
Survival takes place in the Tower of Sisyphus and is effectively an “Endless mode”.
Krueger explains, “Players will strive to ascend the Tower as high as possible – however, much like the tragic story of Sisyphus, there is no end to the climb and players are tragically destined to meet their demise as the mode gets increasingly harder. The only question is: how far can you get before succumbing?”
After each increasingly difficult phase of the Tower, players will have to face a new boss, Algos. For motivation, players will have a “score to chase” as they ascend the Tower. This score can be used to compete against other players for positions on the leaderboard.
Not only does the Tower bring a new gameplay experience to Returnal, it also expands on the story. Ascension will show more of “Selene’s haunting past” and players will “gain further insight into her state of mind.”
Are you excited for Returnal Ascension? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…
