Returnal - on PC now - The Bear and Badger

drumbeg

Minnesänger wrote:

Beating the boss becomes about knowing what that next attack is and how to avoid it, while keeping the pew pew-ing going. Plus, I get the feeling that a lot of the boss design was all about cool-ass spectacle. And, honestly, I'm ok with that.

This! A lot trickier than it seems to observe, manoeuvre and keep the pew pew going, because of the overload/overheat system. The spectacle is (rightly so) a distraction too.

Minnesänger

Yup, the movement + the reloading is so much of it. You’re effectively doing 3 things simultaneously:

1. Pattern recognition on bosses
2. A strafe-strafe-strafe-strafe-dash movement cycle
3. A pew pew pew pew stop overheat pew cycle

But none of these things match so you’re spinning plates at different speeds. Then you’ve got a screen full of colour and projectiles and there’s an incredible soundtrack blasting away and yeah...

tin_robot

Played for the first time in a bit again last night. Got to the third boss for a second time - and died horribly once again. (It didn't help that I lost my spaceman en route). I still don't really know what I'm doing with the third guy - I am very much distracted by all the sparkly lights.

In other news, I've gone from never seeing any ghosts to bumping in to them every other room. I had imagined that you would simply get a straight forward version of whatever killed them, but... I was wrong.

hylian_elf

I’m mid-run so haven’t updated yet. No ghosts and loud sudden sound for me still.

With third boss, I just ran left and right like a loon. Second bar, just a matter of getting in front of him again. Third bar, I stayed back a bit and purposefully fell off and hookshotted when bullets got frantic. Helped me.

mistercrayon

There are almost too many ghosts.

Minnesänger

More ghosts = more fights. More fights = more rewards. More rewards = more pew pew.

Too much pew pew is impossible. Ergo, there cannot be too many ghosts.

#pewpew

b0r1s

Minnesänger wrote:

More ghosts = more fights. More fights = more rewards. More rewards = more pew pew. Too much pew pew is impossible. Ergo, there cannot be too many ghosts. #pewpew

drumbeg

hylian_elf wrote:

With third boss, I just ran left and right like a loon. Second bar, just a matter of getting in front of him again. Third bar, I stayed back a bit and purposefully fell off and hookshotted when bullets got frantic. Helped me.

Same here. First two phases just constantly run left and right with occasional dodge through the lasers.

Third stage took me a few tries, but key was to jump off a platform when I needed to avoid the big orange laser dudes.

drumbeg

I don't think the ghosts are adding much really. Wouldn't miss them if they were removed.

JonB

I'm enjoying the ghosts. The number will depend on number of players, surely, since that's where they died.

It's great to be able to trigger a big fight in the middle of a level, especially since you can get monsters that don't usually belong in that biome.

Or you just leave them alone.

mistercrayon

Same. Although you get a tonne of ether.

mistercrayon

JonB wrote:

I'm enjoying the ghosts. The number will depend on number of players, surely, since that's where they died.

It's great to be able to trigger a big fight in the middle of a level, especially since you can get monsters that don't usually belong in that biome.

Or you just leave them alone.

But they futz up cleaning a room of markers.

Minnesänger

Bosman talks Housemarque.

JonB

mistercrayon wrote:

Same. Although you get a tonne of ether.

I found out ether maxes at 30 last night. I don't have any more items to unlock with it at the start, so it's just going to go on clearing up malignancy from now on I guess.

Minnesänger

There's artifacts that give % protection boosts depending on how much Ether you have, so still worth keeping it near 30.

b0r1s

Yep should have mentioned both of those, great artefact that. I feel a full run coming on this weekend.

drumbeg

Minnesänger wrote:

There's artifacts that give % protection boosts depending on how much Ether you have, so still worth keeping it near 30.

I think that artifact may cap out at 25%?

ShabbyMcCrabby

Beat 3rd boss the other night on 2nd attempt. Absolute stunner that was, a definite recent peak gaming moment for me.
Very much still enjoying this game, especially as I've gotten a bit better at it and so not getting hit as much. I've found that to get better I needed to relax more. Reminding myself that I have more time than I think and to really focus on dodging only when I actually need to.

Keen to see what else I unlock.

hylian_elf

Had good session earlier. Took my time and cleared first two doors in 5 pretty comfortably. Lots of health, my favourite weapon, good artefacts etc. Third door still sweated me but was ok in the end. I ran around like a loon, picking up silphium dotted around the place, flying around. Found new weapon (seems good but I’m keeping my powered Hollowseeker thanks).

Question. Is there no

Spoiler:

mistercrayon

got to the second boss and died. annoying as fuuuuuck

Minnesänger

hylian_elf wrote:

Had good session earlier. Took my time and cleared first two doors in 5 pretty comfortably. Lots of health, my favourite weapon, good artefacts etc. Third door still sweated me but was ok in the end. I ran around like a loon, picking up silphium dotted around the place, flying around. Found new weapon (seems good but I’m keeping my powered Hollowseeker thanks).

Question. Is there no

Spoiler:

boss for biome 5? I’m underwater now, is this biome/area 6? If so, I wasted 6 ether on Reconstructor just before the containment room! Oh well. Won’t do anything anymore, right?

Spoiler:

regmcfly

I've had to step away from this, and take the disc out of the PS5 for a bit.
It has been the only thing I've been playing when I have had any time and I am still not gud enough to even see the first boss. Mechanics are great and I love the movement, but I'm just banging my head off a wall constantly.

FranticPea

I deleted it to to free space to install Subnautica Below Zero because after the 4th-ish run I was mind numbingly bored of it.

Wariospeedwagon

FINALLY!

It took 48 hours and 101 deaths. ONE HUNDRED AND ONE. Surreal last 10 seconds of the fight when it became clear it was over.

Incredible game. It seems there's still more to do though...

tin_robot

Biome 3 continues to elude me. Partly my fault, I keep going back and pushing my luck, rather than just heading for the tower. However I also had a dream run. Loads of health, lots of weapon damage, an adrenaline dependent damage siphon, and augments that maximised adrenaline rendering me nigh invincible. It was looking so, so good. And then it crashed.

So I’m mostly just pissed off now.

hylian_elf

I’ve got well over 200% health, a high-powered fave weapon, lots of protection and other augments too. Let’s not fuck this up. I don’t have astronaut or reconstruct though.

#Pray4Elf

Minnesänger

Yeah, had a dream run crash and was proper sour about it after. Hopefully, once you pick it up again you’ll push through without too much resistance. 3 is a nasty biome and losing to stuff like that just sucks.

And, congrats to Wario - a pew pew salute for you.

Minnesänger

Good luck, elf.

regmcfly

Can I assume "astronaut" is something to do with the opening sequence of the game? Could someone just explain what that is, spoilers and all?

regmcfly

Can I assume "astronaut" is something to do with the opening sequence of the game? Could someone just explain what that is, spoilers and all?

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories