Returnal Patch 1.3.4 Fixes Game-Breaking Issue

Returnal developer Housemarque released a patch for the game on May 5 that was intended to fix big technical issues but instead introduced some that made the game even more unstable. Now, a new patch has been released, effectively reverting the game back to a previous build while addressing two smaller problems as we wait for a more-substantial update.

Patch 1.3.4 replaces yesterday's 1.3.3, which had already been pulled shortly after it went live. The new patch is basically patch 1.3.1, plus a fix for an issue that was stopping Trophies from popping as well as a keyboard exploit.

Prior to 1.3.3 being pulled, it had included fixes for a few different crashes, configuration changes causing issues to scout corpses, issues with custom controller mapping, and preorder suits blocking certain actions. It also fixed "incorrect healing behavior" in the Helios ship, apparently to stop players from exploiting the sleep function to get to full health before tackling a boss.

What Housemarque hadn't anticipated, however, was that it would cause crashing issues and leave players with corrupted data, potentially forcing them to restart the game. They were advised not to start Returnal prior to the fix if they had already downloaded the update, but with 1.3.4 now, it should be safe to play again.

Some players have been asking Housemarque to implement a saving system in Returnal. While traditional saving--returning to where you saved when you die--would break the game's roguelite systems, a "suspend" feature to allow you to pick up where you left off at a later time would not. As of now, Housemarque recommends mimicking such a feature by leaving your PS5 in rest mode if you have to stop playing during a run.

Returnal has received quite a bit of critical acclaim thus far, and Mike Epstein praised its storytelling and innovative PS5 feature-usage in GameSpot's Returnal review.