As an avid roguelike gamer with over 200 hours in Returnal alone, the arrival of patch 2.0’s Suspend Cycle was a momentous occasion. This feature effectively removes permadeath, revolutionizing the experience for many players.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down everything added in the suspend cycle update – from activation to optimal usage strategies.
Permadeath: A Cornerstone of Roguelikes
Since the inception of the genre in 1980 with Rogue, permadeath has been a defining roguelike trait. It intrinsically links progression to the ongoing run – die and you lose everything, forced to restart from scratch.
Modern classics like Spelunky, FTL and Dead Cells take the same merciless approach. Death permanently erases hard-fought progress, keeping tension high.
For veteran roguelike enthusiasts like myself, permadeath heightens investment. Every life carries weight when play sessions can last hours thanks to incremental meta-progression systems (permanent character/gear upgrades).
However, many players struggled to experience Returnal fully under threat of constant progress loss. Runs easily spanned 4+ hours given its 3D AAA scope. Losing that work to an untimely death proved understandably frustrating.
Community Calls for A Safety Net
Explicit save points are almost universally avoided in the roguelike space. They undermine the central hook of avoiding permanent failure through masterful play.
However, upon its PS5 launch in April 2021, Returnal player complaints centered on the lack of any saves or checkpoints to offset brutal difficulty spikes. Some early areas contained extremely challenging enemies and boss fights, tuned for end-game traits and weapon mods the player simply didn’t have access to yet.
The Returnal subreddit was awash with calls for a save system – or at minimum – a temporary safety net. Losing multiple hours of progress in Biome 5/6 repeatedly proved an immense barrier for enjoyment for new players.
The 2.0 Update Arrives: Suspend Cycle Born
Returnal received several patches addressing balance, bugs and quality-of-life in the following year. But the 2.0 update in March 2022 brought the long-awaited temporary save option – dubbed the Suspend Cycle system.
Finally, a way to safely preserve a run mid-session for later resumption. No more losing everything to a crash, power outage or demanding real-world obligation. The frenetic roguelike gameplay loop so intrinsically linked to permadeath became optional at the players‘ discretion.
How To Activate A Suspend Cycle
Using a Suspend Cycle is simple. The option appears in the bottom of the pause menu once acquired after the 2.0 patch is installed:
- Pause the game via the menu/options button
- Scroll down and select Suspend Cycle
- Confirm the prompt clearly to safely save and quit
Once confirmed, it is safe to close the game and Turn off your PS5. When resuming later, boot up Returnal as normal and select Continue Suspended Cycle. You‘ll now pick up right where you left off earlier!
The Limitations of Suspend Cycles
While emancipating, Suspended Cycles bring some harsh restrictions:
- Only one Suspend is allowed at once across all save files. Activating another removes any previous one.
- You cannot Suspend during combat or when enemies are nearby. This includes boss arenas.
- Certain interactive story sequences also block usage, like tutorial prompts or traversing White Shadow filters.
Plan Suspends carefully around these limitations. Ideal situations are safe rooms, the ship interior or Biome transitions having just cleared a major fight.
Suspend Cycle Strategies For Success
Having utilized over 50 successful Suspended Cycles across multiple deep runs, I‘ve uncovered several tips for getting the most out of the system:
- Max out Integrity before suspending. The larger buffer against incoming damage helps immensely.
- Stock up on Obolites to purchase items/resources/integrity/etc in the next session.
- Use nearby health items before suspending to conserve for later.
- Clear out hostiles in the immediate suspension area, postponing danger.
Additionally, here are some vital things to remember:
- Boss phases do not remain damaged/destroyed between suspensions. You must defeat them in one session.
- Post-death reconstructor usage works fine, but suspend just before activating.
- Suspend status applies on a per-save file basis.
- You keep all current equipment and stats when resuming a suspended cycle.
Impact on Gameplay and Enjoyment
The arrival of Suspend Cycles drastically altered the Returnal gameplay landscape in my experience. No longer did sessions devolve into paranoid tension as the run crept over the 3-4 hour mark. Without a safety net, concentration tends to lapse after such a long, intense period resulting in frustration losses.
Having an emergency exit valve changes everything. You can strategically place Suspend points before major hurdles as a just-in-case measure. The oppressive atmosphere is greatly reduced, letting you better focus on mechanics mastery and exploration.
Several friends who bounced off Returnal‘s punishing roguelike structure pushed through to witness the game‘s spectacular ending and hidden narrative secrets with this update. Removing the singular pressure of starting completely over kept them invested through numerous failure cycles – a persistence otherwise unattainable.
Here‘s a snapshot of common player sentiment regarding Suspend Cycles:
| Player Feedback |
|---|
| "This addition helped me finally witness the ending after hitting an impassable wall at Biome 5." |
| "Suspend Cycles brought my enjoyment from a 6 to a 9. I don‘t need to constantly burn myself playing at a manic pace now." |
| "Not having to arbitrarily stop a run when life demands attention elsewhere is a godsend." |
Roguelikes Without Permadeath? An Eternal Debate
The autonomy Suspend Cycles bring sits at odds with the purist roguelike doctrine of avoiding recoverable failure states. Yet plenty of genre successes like Hades and Dead Cells integrate metagame progression to inch closer to a guiding North star run in lieu of traditional permadeath resets.
Does diluting the central identity sacrifice fundamental appeal? As with all divisive topics, perspectives vary wildly across the player spectrum:
| Perspective |
|---|
| "Adds needed accessibility without excessive compromise for veterans." |
| "Undermines the inherent rewarding tension. Just play on an easier mode or git gud." |
| "More games should offer this kind of optional flexibility." |
| "If you take away permadeath stakes, the experience feels toothless." |
My stance falls into the former camp. Suspend Cycles allow more players to experience an otherwise prohibitive, unforgiving game. They encourage persistence over raw mechanical proficiency early on. However, I acknowledge more casual-focused alternatives like God Mode boosts also provide that access should purists desire adherence to roguelike principles.
In a single-player PvE experience, optional systems enabling wider appeal don‘t directly undermine the existing challenge. Veteran genre enthusiasts like myself now benefit from an emergency out rather than face full resets. It‘s a net positive for all major groups given the toggleable nature.
Final Verdict: An Indispensable Update
The Suspend Cycle update remains arguably Returnal‘s most meaningful piece of post-launch support. Such a seemingly simple addition enables so much, from lowered repetition to increased accessibility. Players need no longer abandon 30+ hour runs to external factors anymore.
Roguelikes thrive on repetition and mastery in overcoming diverse obstacles. Yet losing extensive progression unavoidably stings, often severely hindering enjoyment in the process. Suspend Cycles offer the perfect intermediary – preserving efforts temporarily without fully eradicating failure stakes.
For those struggling with Returnal‘s steep challenge, adopting Suspend Cycles may prove the difference in pushing past the finale and experiencing this sci-fi masterpiece in full. Even for seasoned players, having an emergency handbrake eases tension considerably.
Three cheers for Suspend Cycles. May deaths become learning opportunities rather than demoralizing walkbacks in Returnal forevermore!
