Critics allowed to play Returnal before its debut claim the game utilizes a too unforgiving save system. Like many roguelikes, Returnal's save system doesn't allow for players to save their progress while in the middle of one of its levels, but unlike most roguelikes, it contains levels that sometimes require hours of playtime to get through, something many people with jobs and the like don't have. Some players have echoed this sentiment following Returnal's official release.

In response, Housemarque, Returnal's developer, released a statement on social media that hints toward the studio revamping Returnal's save system. Exactly how it plans to do that remains unseen. The developer only claimed that it hears the community, and out of affection for it, plans on doing something about the current save features; although, it doesn't have anything to announce just yet. Instead, it asks fans to keep playing the game for now and enjoy the challenge as best they can.

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Housemarque linked a popular Reddit post by a fan offering suggestions about the save system addressing the critique, so it'll likely base whatever update it comes up with on that — albeit, of course, with some personal touches. If the studio goes this route, Returnal will receive a manual save feature that will let players save in the middle of a dungeon and resume where they left off should they shut down their PS5. However, if they die in-game, they'll have to start the level over again as standard.

Regardless of what Housemarque does, though, several fans aren't on board with the idea of adding mid-level saves to the game. They believe that Returnal's difficult gameplay makes it what it is and that Housemarque designed it that way on purpose, hence the difficulty warning at the beginning of the game. Also, in their eyes, adding mid-level saves to the game, no matter the stipulations, opens the door to people exploiting those saves to make the game easier.

Ultimately, the decision lies with Housemarque. The Binding of Issac has remained popular after all of these years, and it allows for saves. Such a feature allows cheaters to exploit the game, but it's still popular, so there's no reason to think that Returnal, with its great reviews, won't be the same. Housemarque may already even have some ideas on how to adjust the save system while keeping the game's integrity. Players will just have to wait and see.

Returnal is on PS5.

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