Returnal developers aren’t sure yet if save features will be added

I think it’s safe to say that Returnal is a challenging game. There’s nothing wrong with that focus, as the game is designed to push you to your limits, and once enough experience has been gained, it works best when you tackle it in one sitting. The problem with this idea though is that for those of us with limited time, dedicating an hour or two to maybe finishing a perfect run isn’t always feasible.

Returnal’s most brutal boss is its lack of a save system, as switching the game off results in a complete restart of its cycle. Since its release, many players have asked developer Housemarque to add some sort of a traditional save-system to the game, but the developer says that doing so isn’t exactly simple.

In a new interview with Axios Gaming via VGC, Housemarque’s marketing director Mikael Havari said that the studio was discussing these issues. “We understand that there are some systems in place that are currently a hindering factor,” Havari said, adding that the developer sought to create an arcade approach to the game where a dedicated player could buckle down and tackle the game for a done-in-one attempt.

Currently, we just don’t know exactly what it is. So it’s very difficult to announce anything, because I think there’s a lot of different people looking for different things.

For now, the only real save option when you need to take a break is to leave your PS5 in standby mode. As Havari mentioned, some people want a save-state added, others are fine without it. And I think he has a point, as adding save-points would dilute the arcade DNA of Returnal. The game is still well worth playing even without that system, and it’s already a contender for one of the best games of the year thanks to its perfect execution of style, substance, and making me scream at that one death-bot’s stupidly accurate homing missiles.

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