[GameSpot] - Returnal's Suspend Cycle Feature Can Be Used As A Save Point

[343iBot]

Housemarque's recently-released patch for Returnal that lets players suspend their runs in the roguelike title can apparently do much more than let players take a break. Players have found that the recently-added feature can be exploited and used to save progress, providing an easy reload point in the middle of an ongoing run.

The developer added the option for players to suspend their runs just last week. The game, a punishing roguelike with runs that can last upwards of three hours, demanded long stretches of time from players prior to the patch. If a PS5 running Returnal was turned off or put into rest mode before the patch was added, all progress on a player's ongoing run would be lost.

However, by suspending their run and then uploading their current save to the cloud, Returnal players can effectively make a save state in the game. If they end up dying, players can then quit the game, download their save from the cloud, and resume exactly where they previously suspended the game.

Easy Returnal Suspend Cycle exploit:
- Suspend your save in-game
- Upload save to cloud
- When you die, download save from cloud
- Start back at your suspension point
I haven't tested this thoroughly, but it seems like an effective way to preserve a great run. pic.twitter.com/kKf4k9uuPo

— Joseph Yaden (@JosephYaden) October 26, 2021

While the workaround lets players easily progress through Returnal there is one major caveat. To use the exploit at all, players will have to have a PS+ subscription, which gives them access to cloud save storage on the PS5.

We've reached out to Sony, Returnal's publisher, for a comment on the recently-discovered exploit and will update this article if we receive a response.

Following Returnal's launch and the game's positive reception, Sony purchased the developer, marking the start of a series of acquisitions that now includes PC-porting specialist Nixxes Software and the developer behind the Demon's Souls remake, Bluepoint Games.

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