00:00Sure, Returnal has some tutorials, but a huge part of the game is about not telling you
00:05stuff.
00:06And we're not talking about the story being vague, which it is, but also it doesn't tell
00:10you how weapon upgrades work really, or that parts of the environment that seem to be attacking
00:15you are actually helping you out.
00:17So those long tentacles can actually be used to reach otherwise inaccessible areas.
00:23Littered throughout the overgrown ruins are long red tentacles dangling from up above.
00:27If you walk too close, they'll grab you and you need to dash out to escape, and your first
00:31instinct will likely be to avoid them at all cost.
00:34But they're often situated near ledges and platforms that you wouldn't be able to access
00:39otherwise, you just can't jump that high.
00:41So when you've cleared an area of hostiles, you can use these tentacles to elevate yourself
00:46and then dash out in the direction of the platform to get some much needed goodies or
00:49upgrades.
00:51Find your favourite and stick to it.
00:54Not being able to choose your weapon and only hold one weapon at a time leaves you up to
00:58the RNG gods.
01:00We all have our own preferred way to play, and you'll quickly find a weapon you prefer.
01:04When you do find that weapon you like to use, try to pick it up as often as you can if you
01:09get the choice.
01:10The more you use it, the more weapon traits for that weapon you will unlock, making it
01:14more and more powerful.
01:16These are also permanent unlocks even when you die.
01:19So yes, you might do a run with a weapon that you hate and cannot use, but when you do have
01:24a lucky roll and you get your upgraded preference with all the best weapon traits, you'll be
01:29confident of being able to do a proper run.
01:33Lots of weapons, but very little choice.
01:36Every weapon in Returnal fills a specific role or playstyle, but these are some of the
01:41best and well-rounded weapons that can hold their own in any encounter.
01:45The Tachyomatic Carbine is brilliant either up close or at distance and is most akin to
01:50an assault rifle, while the Spitmore Blaster is a shotgun that works great if you're mobile
01:55and able to get in the face of enemies.
01:57Meanwhile, the Electropylon Driver is best suited to draining enemies of health from
02:02a safe distance by laying down traps as they get close.
02:05If you manage to come across the electric pylon driver in the game, it really can completely
02:10change your run by turning you into a god of red lightning.
02:15Get lucky with those rolls, and if you don't, prioritise the following.
02:19The buffs, debuffs and malignancy you randomly get for each run can vary wildly, sometimes
02:25making you feel like a god, and others more like a glass cannon.
02:29Being aware that all runs are not equal means sometimes you have to instead prioritise other
02:34things, specifically other things that will carry over when you die, like aether or permanent
02:40weapon traits.
02:41So, if you happen to get a debuff or a malignancy that scrambles your map completely and you're
02:46running around lost, instead just try to focus on grabbing some aether while only using
02:50your favourite weapon to level it up and get some of those permanent traits for it so that
02:54when you get the amazing auto-repair buff on the next run, that could see you all the
02:59way through to the credits.
03:01Once you defeat a boss, you don't need to fight it again every time to go back to the
03:05next world.
03:06So, unlike other roguelikes, you don't have to keep fighting bosses over and over and
03:10over in each world every time to progress.
03:13Once you've beaten the first boss in the Overgrown Ruins, for example, you'll receive
03:17the Crimson Key, which opens the portal to the Crimson Wastes.
03:21When you die and have to start over, even though you're back at Helios and starting
03:25with nothing except a pistol, you do have the key, so all you need to do is find the
03:29portal again rather than searching for the boss.
03:33Get more obolites
03:35Every now and then, when you enter an area that doesn't have the standard hostile enemies
03:38in it, you'll stumble upon a small group of golden tentacle creatures.
03:42These mysterious beings aren't hostile, instead, when they detect you, they'll start to flee
03:46and burrow underground.
03:48Killing them will net you a bunch of obolites in return though, so try to get as many of
03:52them as you can before they disappear.
03:55The sword is a one-shot kill machine that can also give you access to new areas.
04:01In the Overgrown Ruins, you'll find a lot of red glowing vines and walls that look structurally
04:05weak.
04:06They can be destroyed, but only once you have unlocked the melee attack and the sword.
04:10You find this when you reach the portal to the Crimson Waste for the first time, before
04:15you have the key to activate it.
04:16Now that you've got your shiny, pointy push-button sword, you can also deal some real damage
04:21with it.
04:22When you first pick it up, it one-hit kills most enemies.
04:25So instead of using your sidearm, most enemies in the Overgrown Ruins will die from one sword
04:30slash, so maybe try zipping around a bit with some stabbing thrown in for good measure to
04:34thin out the crowd a bit.
04:36Use the eyes in the big Cyclops Towers to remove the searchlights temporarily.
04:41Sometimes you'll stumble upon huge, vast areas with enormous towers shining spotlights
04:45down searching for you.
04:47Being spotted by these massively stationary Cyclops results in a shot coming down at you,
04:51which you can dodge if you're quick enough, but it does do a lot of damage if you don't
04:56get out of the way.
04:58Alternatively, you can aim and shoot a single bullet into each eye to temporarily disable
05:02the spotlights, creating a safe passage to venture through.
05:05So yeah, there's a lot of stuff that Returnal doesn't really tell you about, and it's kind
05:09of handy just to know some of these things as you're getting into the game so you don't
05:12get too frustrated.
05:13Hopefully this has helped you, and for more guides and tips and tricks, check back on
05:17GamesRadar and subscribe to the YouTube channel.
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