Returnal’s Secret Ending Explained

Returnal is a PS5 Exclusive, rogue-like title developed by Housemarque and released on April 2021. The story centers on ASTRA Corporation astronaut, Selene, crash-landing on the forbidden planet of Atropos. She becomes stuck in a time loop, dying over and over again until she finds a way to escape. Throughout her many attempts, players can discover more about who Selene was before becoming stranded on Atropos and even unlock the game’s secret ending.

Returnal has six biomes that players will have to conquer, each with their own challenges and boss fights to pass before moving on to the next. During Selene’s search for the White Shadow, a mysterious yet familiar signal, players will find themselves experiencing flashbacks to their character’s rather troubled life. Her strained relationship with her mother, Theia, and the death of her son Helios are the main traumas that Selene has had to conquer throughout her life. Upon completing the game the first time, players will see that Helios was killed in a car crash, and Theia was badly injured. The guilt weighs heavily on Selene, who spent far too much time focused on her work rather than spending time with her family.

To unlock Returnal’s secret ending, players will need to complete a few tedious tasks. Firstly, this ending will only unlock by playing through Act 3 of Returnal‘s campaign. To do this, players will need to have defeated Ophion in Returnal‘s sixth biome, the Abyssal Scar. After the credits roll, players must start a fresh run. Players will have to obtain all the Sunface Fragments, find the car keys, and unlock the car after defeating Ophion for the final time. The final cutscene will then trigger to reveal the secret ending.

Is It Possible To Escape Atropos In Returnal?

After unlocking the secret ending in Returnal, players will watch a final cutscene. Selene approaches a wheelchair with a pregnant skeletal creature residing in it. It dives to attack her, but she shoves it to the floor and it croaks her name. The creature is revealed to be a twisted version of Selene’s mother, Theia. Turning towards the dark void surrounding them, Selene and the player watch as Atropos shifts into a dark, gloomy bridge. A brown station wagon comes out of the darkness and swerves to avoid Selene. The next scene cuts to Selene struggling to swim to the surface of the water. Players hear Selene gasp, and the credits roll.

This ending of Returnal is shrouded in mystery but answers a few more questions about details of Selene’s past. Not only was Selene driving the car, but she was the obstacle that caused the accident. The blame Selene holds for herself encompasses all aspects of the incident, leading to a cycle of grief and guilt shown through the time loop on Atropos. The many corpses left on Atropos from Selene’s failed attempts to escape represent her inability to move past the trauma, and her inability to forgive herself. The monstrous presentation of her mother shows Selene’s inner feelings about her, and the guilt she harbors for her treatment of her (displayed through the violent shove at the beginning of the cutscene).

The paradoxical shift of the tragic incident only proceeds to cast more confusion on the nature of the planet Atropos. As the driver, and the obstacle, which Selene was real? Does Atropos even exist? Or is the entire situation a mental barrier in Selene’s mind that she is incapable of passing? If Returnalgets a sequel, perhaps it will answer some of these questions.

About The Author

Natalie Lindner
(501 Articles Published)

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Natalie Lindner is a Game Features Writer for Screen Rant, creating content on the past, present, and future of games in the industry. Prior to this, she worked out of a writing consultancy in Rhode Island from 2018 to 2021, where she helped college students improve their writing abilities. Natalie has contributed her video game writing to several smaller websites and projects since 2018 and is eager to continue that journey with Screen Rant.

Working out of New Hampshire, Natalie spends the time she isn’t writing about games outside; hiking or biking. On those rainy days, she can be found striving for action on the latest FPS or perusing the latest comic books.

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