Returnal Ending Explained, Plot Explained, and More
by Aishwarya R
Updated Apr 01, 2023
Returnal
Returnal is a science fiction third-person shooter video game developed by Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game was released in April 2021 exclusively for the PlayStation 5 console.
The game follows the story of Selene, an astronaut who crash-lands on an alien planet called Atropos. Selene discovers that the planet is stuck in a time loop and she must fight her way through various enemies and environments to unravel the mysteries of Atropos and escape the cycle of death and rebirth.
The gameplay in "Returnal" combines elements of roguelikes, bullet hells, and third-person shooters. The game features randomly generated levels and permadeath, meaning that each time Selene dies, she must start over from the beginning of the game.
As players progress through the game, they uncover new weapons, items, and abilities that can help them overcome the challenges of Atropos. The game also features a variety of different enemies and bosses, each with their own unique behaviors and attack patterns.
One of the standout features of "Returnal" is its use of the PlayStation 5's hardware capabilities. The game features fast load times, haptic feedback, and 3D audio, all of which add to the immersive experience of exploring the alien world of Atropos.
Returnal has been praised for its innovative gameplay, atmospheric world-building, and challenging difficulty. The game has received numerous awards and nominations, including Best Action Game at The Game Awards 2021.
Returnal Ending Explained
"Returnal" is a gripping science fiction third-person shooter video game that tells the story of Selene, a space explorer who crashes on a hostile alien planet and finds herself caught in a time loop, constantly reliving the same events. As she progresses through the game, Selene uncovers the truth about Atropos and the cause of her time loop, leading up to the game's captivating ending.
Selene discovers that Atropos is not just any ordinary alien planet, but a living organism that can manipulate time to protect itself from threats. As Selene explores the planet, she discovers that she is not the first space explorer to land on Atropos, and many others have been trapped in the same time loop, including her past selves.
As Selene ventures further into Atropos, she uncovers the planet's history and confronts the source of the time loop - a conscious entity known as Ophion, the game's final boss. After defeating Ophion in Act 2, Selene travels through the depths and encounters a giant monster before the game's ending sequence.
In the game's final moments, Selene wakes up inside a car on a dark road, with her son Helios in the backseat. Helios asks his mother if she sees the "White Shadow," a reference to an earlier part of the game. The radio plays "Don't Fear the Reaper" in the background, a song that has significant meaning in the game. Suddenly, an astronaut appears in the middle of the road, causing Selene to swerve and crash into the water.
As she struggles to escape the car with her son, Selene is dragged away by something unknown, leaving Helios behind. The game ends with a mysterious first-person view of someone swimming away from the car, leaving the player with a sense of wonder and intrigue.
Overall, "Returnal" is a captivating and thrilling game that offers a unique experience for players, with its innovative gameplay mechanics, stunning graphics, and captivating storytelling.
Returnal Plot Explained
Selene Vassos, an explorer from ASTRA Corporation, disobeys orders and lands on the forbidden planet of Atropos to investigate a signal that she feels a strange connection to, which she calls the "White Shadow". When she arrives, her ship Helios crashes and suffers severe damage. With no communication from ASTRA, Selene begins exploring the planet and is shocked to discover the corpses of her own previous attempts at exploration. She soon realizes that each time she dies, time loops back to the moment of the crash, and she is sent back to her starting point. With each loop, the planet changes and Selene starts experiencing vivid hallucinations.
Determined to uncover the source of the White Shadow, Selene pushes forward, battling hostile alien creatures and scavenging technology from an extinct alien civilization that once inhabited Atropos. During her search, she discovers a replica of her childhood home, which triggers memories of her past and leads her to encounter an astronaut in an antique space suit. She eventually learns that she used an alien weapon to shoot down her own ship, causing her to become stranded on Atropos.
After tracking down the source of the White Shadow, Selene finally manages to send a distress signal to ASTRA, and they send a rescue ship to retrieve her. Upon returning to Earth, Selene dies of old age, only to awaken back on Atropos, stuck in the time loop once again. Despite her disappointment at failing to escape the planet, Selene continues to explore, eventually discovering an underwater abyss below the surface. There, she finds a replica of an old car, which hints at the possibility of a new direction in her quest for escape.
Does Returnal Have an Ending?
The Returnal ending is open to interpretation, and while some suggest it's another instance of Selene being pulled into the time loop, this explanation doesn't address many of the game's mysteries. A popular theory suggests that the entire game is not real, and is merely Selene's way of coping with trauma and guilt.
Evidence supporting this theory includes the appearance of the same clock time and Helios's stuffed toy in different parts of the game, as well as the use of "Don't Fear the Reaper" during Selene's fight against the fourth biome boss. However, this theory raises questions about the significance of the astronaut and Selene's return to Earth.
The bosses in the game and their connection to Selene could be explained by the theory that the car crash depicted in the ending resulted in Selene abandoning her child, leading to her personal hell. The idea that the game represents Selene's purgatory is a popular explanation for its difficulty, but it doesn't provide a complete picture.
However, the Returnal secret ending offers more insight and answers to players' questions about the game's story.
Returnal Secret Ending
In the secret ending of Returnal, Selene finds herself in a dark void of space and faces a strange alien-like creature in a wheelchair named Theia, who appears to be pregnant. Theia attacks Selene, but Selene manages to throw her to the ground. The camera then shifts to Selene's perspective, and we see her hands covered in white gloves of her astronaut suit and a reflection of her eyes in her helmet.
Suddenly, a car speeds towards Selene, and we hear the splash of it hitting the water. The perspective changes to Selene's mother, who we previously saw swimming away from the crash, and we discover that the car she was driving swerved to avoid hitting a future or parallel version of Selene. Selene's mother survives the accident but abandons her son to death, which explains the "Helios Abandoned" message that appears throughout the game.
While the secret ending doesn't answer all the questions surrounding the game's premise and Selene's experiences, it does lend support to various theories and confirms some of them.
How Do Get Returnal Secret Ending?
To unlock the secret ending in Returnal, players must complete specific tasks in the game. Firstly, complete the game at least once. Secondly, collect all six Sunface Fragments scattered throughout different biomes in the game by defeating certain enemies or exploring hidden areas.
Next, return to the Echoing Ruins and enter the House once again. Finish the House sequence and ensure you have the car keys. Then, progress to the end of the game again and defeat Ophion once more. Jump to the final area where you will find the abandoned car.
Finally, use the car key to open the door and trigger the secret ending. Keep in mind that the Returnal secret ending can only be unlocked after you have defeated the boss in the third biome, and you must have all six Sunface Fragments in your possession. Also, be sure to interact with the terminal in the room to trigger the secret ending, as more than simply entering the space is needed to unlock it.
Returnal Ending Explained - FAQs
Returnal is a science fiction video game developed by Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It is a third-person shooter game that features a rogue-like gameplay loop, where players take control of Selene, an astronaut who is stuck in a time loop on a mysterious planet.
Returnal is exclusively available on PlayStation 5.
Yes, players can save their progress in Returnal, but the game's auto-save feature is limited. The game saves automatically when players complete a biome, die, or exit the game. However, players cannot save manually, which can make the game challenging.
Returnal's gameplay is a mix of third-person shooting, exploration, and rogue-like mechanics. Players must navigate Selene through a hostile alien planet and fight against various alien creatures while collecting resources and upgrading their abilities. The game also features randomized levels and permadeath, meaning that players lose all progress when they die.
Returnal is a single-player game, and it does not feature any multiplayer modes.