Following feedback, Housemarque has released update 2.0 for Returnal. The 2.0 update adds two of the most requested features for the game, a photo mode and the ability to pause a run that the developers call the Suspend cycle. Game Director Harry Krueger said “over the last few months, we have been having a great time seeing you play Returnal and learning about your experiences, and hearing all of the great stories of how players are overcoming the myriad challenges of Atropos. It’s had a fantastic reception, and we’ve been listening to all your feedback too, and so it is with great satisfaction that I’m here to announce our update 2.0, launching today.”
The Suspend Cycle allows players to pause the current cycle or run they are playing that can be continued later. This allows players to exit the game and turn off the console without the loss of progress during that gaming session. This isn’t a traditional mid-game “Save Game” option. It’s a single-use Suspend Point that will be deleted once the player resumes playing. It cannot be used again. The game picks up directly from the moment it was left. If you want to suspend the cycle again, the progress that gets captured is from that new point onwards. Players cannot create a Suspend Point during Boss Battles, cinematics, first-person sequences or during intense combat scenarios.
“With this approach, we can keep the roguelike spirit and “high stakes” commitment to your run intact, while still providing some quality-of-life convenience for players who like to experience Returnal in shorter bursts,” Krueger said. “So next time you’re deep into a lengthy session on Atropos and life comes knocking at your door, you’ll be able to simply Suspend Cycle and jump back in at a more convenient time.”
Photo Mode can be used at any point during the game. Players can just pause the game and enter Photo Mode, which gives players control of the camera. Optional settings that can be adjusted include focal distance, aperture, saturation, or contrast. Different sources of light can be selected and there are many different filters, effects, frames, and coloring options to choose from.