Returnal - Explaining The Entire Story

Returnal is a game that can have many interpretations. This video is the best interpretation that I myself could put together based on the lore that was delivered in game. I hope you enjoy!
#returnal #gaming #ps5

[@AETHEREALMINDS]

Also, the ship is named Helios. And, every time you start a life, you have to leave the ship, seeing the text, “WARNING: HELIOS ABANDONED.” I always found it strange how emotional it sounded. Now it makes complete sense. And she must abandon Helios in the car in order to survive and go through processing her pain.

[@SundaeSander]

this answer needs to be highlighted

[@distillion]

Good catch!

[@particiv2]

Damn this was a good find, thank you

[@MrZaroMan]

The first time I played, I thought it was weird that the spaceship had pedals like cars do. These little details make this game an awesome experience.

[@danielmattar2518]

It's also possible that Selene died in the car with her child and the game takes place in the afterlife where she similarly has to relive her trauma and make peace with her daughter's and own death and her rs with her mother. That makes more sense to me because of the presence of God's, but also, that the game takes place in an actual, personalised spiritual place rather than just a dream of sort.

[@johnnymetonymic]

Dude. Hyperion is playing a version of "Don't Fear the Reaper." The song that was on the radio during the crash. That song brings her back so she wants to silence it, even in her memory. It's one of my favorite bosses ever.

[@thetroyzernator]

The soundtrack to that fight was awesome. I think there is something to be said for the fact that you never see Hyperion's face. The neglectful father not paying attention?

[@FragginCap]

Replay that level and you’ll occasionally hear the 1st 5 notes play.

[@johnnymetonymic]

@@FragginCap parts of it play in all the levels.

[@particiv2]

Damn it, that was a good catch

[@douglasclemente6657]

I think that Hyperion playing this music is a symbol of how her father blamed her for the accident and not speaking with her afterwards.

[@extofer]

I beat it tonight and was like “oh nuts. I need to watch a KZbin explainer.” And I found this video and now my mind is blown. thank you!

[@TheLastBonfire]

No prob lol!

[@PatrickMartinez1]

I beat it and was like WTF, they didn't explain anything! Still loved the game tho.

[@Yynniv]

Me tooo

[@mentalmadness2192]

yeah it's hard to keep track of all those tiny tidbits in between these endless waves of enemies and newly startes cycles.

[@rightonkue]

Me right now!

[@jameswrhymer]

Okay, new take. In greek mythology Hyperion and Theia are the parents of Helios and Selene. The child that died in the car crash is Helios. Theia was driving and was pregnant with Selene when they crashed (you can see that the alien creature in the wheelchair is pregnant in the secret ending). Theia might have tried to commit suicide and take her children with her due to rejection from Astra (Selene finding the rejection letter but not recognizing it). Selene grows up afraid of her wheelchair-bound mother because of what she did to her older brother, and the pressure she put on her to become an Astronaut (since Theia failed to accomplish this herself). Theia was an addict, abusive, filled with resentment... and this caused Selene to grow up despising her. Hyperion (Selene's dad may have left the family at some point which is why the game hinted at them rarely speaking). Even if Selene did achieve this goal and became an astronaut herself, possibly even to spite her mother, she's now forced to atone for the sins of her mother which is a reference to this saying: "Sins of the father are visited upon the children." The saying means that children often suffer for the bad things their parents do. Selene, on a mission with Astra, crashes on a planet that embodies this concept and forces her to come to terms with everything that happened, and to repeat her journey over and over until everything is resolved. Through conquering this planet, she ascends to some higher power... becomes a God... and almost has paradoxical powers that allow her to control the endless loop being both the cause and affect of everything. Ultimately through this power, she is able to cause her mother to crash on that day, claiming that "she deserved it", that they "were both broken". Now she's just as complicit in the death of her brother Helios as the person she perceives to be a monster, her mother. It's an endless cycle, a paradox that Selene is now locked into. One of the final achievements reveals this larger theme, called "Sins of the Mother".

[@Perkustin]

If this is correct they made a pretty cool story. I thought that Housemarque having the actual gameplay be a 100% fabricated grief delusion was a bit 'it was all a dream' lame but your version actually makes it 'real' which is way cooler. It also makes it closer to something like 'Solaris', where a super advanced Alien civilisation/entity is fascinated and compelled by our most intense emotions, always an interesting concept imo as tbh Humanity doesn't really have anything to offer super advanced aliens; they'll have seen it all before but maybe not felt things as we do.

[@zest01]

I think your theory is beyond the authors ideas. Like the indoctrination theory in Mass Effect.

[@ShibaApex]

Agreed another thing that completely unravels his theory that he even referred to, but apparently didn’t look into what it actually said is the house scene where the news story was playing on the TV. The news caster clearly said “Theia suffered major spinal injuries” Theia is her mom and is paralyzed because of it. One simple thing debunked his theory lol

[@ShibaApex]

Z Script either way if it is a little extended he’s basically right. In the house scene where the news story scene plays that was mentioned in the video, but apparently he didn’t actually take the effort to listen to what was happening. it debunks the videos theory. The news caster says “Theia suffered major spinal injuries” that’s why she’s in a wheelchair and Theia is selenes mom. Either she was the kid who died in the back and was saved by the alien or Theia was pregnant with Selene.

[@homerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr]

@@zest01 He's right. Look at the eyes of the woman driving the car - they are of the same colour. Selene has heterochromia so it can't be her. Also, the hair of the woman driving is brown, while Selene has blonde hair. This is definitely Theia, not Selene.

[@KrishnaVinod]

Every run starts with "Helios abandoned" as soon as you enter the first area and any times Selene says Helios cannot be fixed and she is alone.

[@Paul-el5rr]

The first words Selene says after crashing on Atropos are "Helios didn't make it."

[@yosephbroseph]

Chills!

[@Sunfox37]

Why does she feel guilty if it was Thea driving the car?

[@thetroyzernator]

@@Sunfox37 It wasn't Theia. It was Selene. She's projecting her own failures as a mother with how felt as the daughter of an abusive mother.

[@KrishnaVinod]

@@thetroyzernator yeah, after going through more cutescenes and alt. endings... I have come to the conclusion that the entire game is just Selene's delusion from guilt of killing her daughter. There is no planet or space mission. She's either depressed at home or in a hospital. Great game. But downer story with no good ending.

[@suonoblu6650]

In my opinion, the developers were freely inspired by Philip K. Dick's novel "A Maze of Death". Selene's mind is inside a virtual reality simulator created specifically to train astronauts in the event of a crash landing on an exoplanet, but Selene's psychological trauma and guilt are somehow interfering with the simulation, making her live a distressing experience.

[@stardusty]

Wow underrated comment. I love this.

[@M4L1y]

this version even more insane that the actual game

[@FragginCap]

The thing I like about Returnal is that it’s cryptic approach to storytelling allows for some player interpretation in how your experiencing the plot. For a considerable time I felt Selene was suffering a recurring nightmare which was shaped by her trauma, her life experiences desires. Books she’s read, memories. Then someone told me she was in a coma and there are some records that imply Selene was diagnosed with something. She was keeping a procedure secret. So my conclusion, something real and medical caused act 1, concluding in the procedure allowing escape for Atropos. She lived a life for a while but whatever it was returned to effect her mind. Returning back to Atropos after a false escape seems to crack her sanity and the more “poetic” dialogue of madness start to begin. But perhaps with the wisdom of time Selene is more able to face why she is in this hell and who her demons really are. Finally leading to closure. And the best part is I can table that theory next playthru and interpret it a totally different way and it will still work. So just my imagination filling the gaps but this game works for me. Like older retro games where a manual intro and significantly less dialog led to player filling the gaps creatively. I feel Souls games can learn from this as they are TOO cryptic. Hope you guys like the game. Enjoy

[@DarthKrillin]

You enjoy.

[@TheFlyingflip]

so here's what I think happened. In first act Selene talks about how her mother was supposed to be the astronaut throughout some house sequences and you see the rejection letter from Astra. Theia becomes more and more distant to Selene as her efforts result in failure and when she is driving with Selene, they have an accident where Theia becomes wheelchair bound. Selene becomes an Astra scout I'm guessing partially because of her mother being unable to pursue it but as she grew up, her relationship with Theia only soured more and more to the point that Theia despised Selene for achieving what she herself wanted to do with her life. Selene eventually marries and has a child named Helios but because of her job she's away from home a lot as you can see in the sequence with the boy Helios in the house playing games. Selene's focus on her job seems to stem from partial guilt that her mother never got to achieve what she has but maybe also to spite her for being a bad parent as well. Selene inadvertently ends up becoming distant with her own son in the same way she did with Theia because of her focus on her work. The cycle is completed when Selene herself is driving Helios around and they see the Astronaut in the roadway causing them to have an accident as well just like Theia did with Selene. However, the accident instead results in the death of Helios and the physical trauma of the accident causes heterochromia in Selene's eyes. This is why she is the Astronaut in the true ending, she is the one who caused her relationship to sour with her son and let her job affect their relationship. Astra reviews her psychological state like it said in the ship logs but she urges them to let her go back to work and she runs off to Atropos. She Severed herself to run from the fact that at the beginning of every cycle she abandons Helios like she abandoned her child, effectively doing the same thing her mother did.

[@chrisrobinson9899]

A combination of this and the video is exactly my thoughts. The old astronaut suit representative of her mother's attempt to be one in the past, also why the Astronaut is watching Helios while Selene is gone. And the Astronaut is following Selene either watching in envy. I don't think the Astra/Space program etc. Is completely made up but she forces past some phyc test and ends up on Atropos where she's locked forever for running away from her guilt/abandoning her kid just like her mother had regardless of making the Astra program or not. Basically doesn't matter if you get rejected from space or become astronaut they both "Abandoned" their child in the process.

[@TheFlyingflip]

@@chrisrobinson9899 yea I definitely think there’s a lot left to interpretation but that this video and my theory would encapsulate the themes. Since this is a big ps5 exclusive I think there’s a chance we can get more concrete confirmation through story expansion in dlc’s

[@nnnneeeeuuuu]

What about the pregnant mother?

[@chrisrobinson9899]

@@nnnneeeeuuuu I think the video touches on there being two car crashes, one in the past and one with Selene and Helios both because of the respective mother's pursuit of becoming an Astronaut, which explains the daughter and mother's relationship since the mother would be envious of Selene because she also sacrificed raising her kid and made it to space. While Thea didn't even get the opportunity (because of spine). But I'm not fully sure...

[@phajduk86]

What's the interpretation of the house? And flashes of it partially burnt down?

[@Sunfox37]

Great video! Only one detail that you missed: The zones/biomes actually mirror the night of the accident. Zone 1 is the forest they drive through, zone 2 is the road, zone 3 is the bridge and zone 6 is the water that the car falls into. Zones 4&5 are only copied, slightly altered biomes of 1&2, so not sure if there is any further meaning there.

[@TheLastBonfire]

Good find!

[@arnabkumarsen]

I haven't played the game, but your find was so correct. I would like to describe it a little more. Zone 1, 2, 3 was mirroring the theia( pregnent mother) and baby(Selene) .selene survived the accident that night.she lives to go back have peace and have baby. She finds momentary joy and meet with same accident and loses his son(Helios) and that receprocates zone 4,5,6. The forrest which is now more horrific(in selenes thought) and the Water which is Cold(Freezing snow) and The Depth( Water when drowned). I think this is waht it means

[@darrylnorton4904]

@@arnabkumarsen Holy shit this just opened my 3rd eye! Major tip of the hat to you sir, this is insane symbolism & and for you to decipher it is top-notch PhD-level shit. Housemarque for the muthafuckin win

[@TheZaaz]

@@arnabkumarsen I think you're right tbh. 1 ,2 and 3 were representing Theia and Selene's accident, then 4, 5 and 6 mirror Selene and Helios' accident. (only if we can assume both crashes happened in the same place) 1 is the forest, 2 is the road, 3 is the bridge. I assume Theia never went off the bridge however, just had a crash. 4 is the forest, back again. 5 is the road again, now cold and desolate like Selene's ignoring of Helios in the back seat as she adjusts the mirror. Showing her cold feelings towards Helios. 6 obviously would be when the car hits the water.

[@icaruswindrune7116]

@@TheZaaz There is also the possibility of Selene being Helios's older sister. I have a friend who is 19 and his oldest sibling is in their 30s. With this in mind, brings about the possibility of Theia being the mother of Selene and Helios, but Helios was born much later than Selene and long after the accident had occurred. It also explains the phone call in the house scene where you play as Helios. It also can explain why Selene feels guilt over abandoning Helios (a lot of siblings tend to feel guilty about harming one another after it has occurred). Also, siblings that are much older tend to be more disconnected and cold to their younger siblings in general - even envious at times, specially during their younger years - which explains Selene's distaste for Helios in the clip. Also, it is hinted in the 5th biome audio logs that she has a mental illness along the lines of schizophrenia - which makes the story a whole lot more interesting.

[@douglasclemente6657]

I think Hyperion playing a sample of “Don ‘t fear the reaper”, the music that’s playing while she was driving, is a way of symbolizing how her father blamed her for the accident and not speaking to her afterwards.

[@mikebernardino534]

It's the very same melody of the opening line of the song - the same melody that plays throughout the Overgrown Ruins.

[@CHIIIEEEEEEEEFFFFSSS]

Hyperion definitely her father. There was something I found that triggered a Selene monologue where she talks about becoming greatly proficient in a skill, and the example she gives is her father's talent on the organ.

[@RolandRG]

What about Helios' father though?

[@alendri]

Dude great job on the structure of the video, very easy to follow! An interesting glyph that stuck with me in the game was saying something to the effect that having a child was not a pleasant experience. Part of me was thinking the crash was a suicide attempt and the astronaut, if it represents herself, indicates that she caused that crash herself. She must've then realized she didn't want to die and swam up from the crash, not bothering to give extra effort to save Helios cos she's an unhappy mom.

[@TheLastBonfire]

That is also a great theory!

[@ddp5406]

I think so too...she even shifted the mirror because she couldn't even look at her. Probably blamed Helios for not getting into the space program

[@Plasmacat1]

Kinda lines up with the log that says she isn't bound by anything at Earth to become a scout and she knows it's a one way trip. Maybe she wanted to become an astronaut so bad but couldn't because of her kid she flat out tried to off herself and the kid, although the kid on the car looks like a girl imo. Lots of open interpretations which is probably done on purpose to keep people talking about the game.

[@dhaha7]

@@TheLastBonfire someone said that because of her attempted suicide, she neglected her mother in the wheelchair and the mother passed away in the basement because of it.

[@BigKieth420]

The suicide attempt also links with the book ‘call of the void’ found in her home

[@luuketaylor]

Add to the fact that one of the later or final ship logs is Selene talking with her therapist about Astra, and they tell her they're worried about her because when they ask if she is taking her medicine, she begins to talk about things that don't exist (Astra, etc.).

[@BigKieth420]

Which leads to her seeing an astronaut and veering off the road, right?

[@TheAshenLuca]

This video was very well done! You spoke clearly and precisely and pieced things together in a cohesive way. Thank you, my man

[@CorneleusGreen]

Thank you kindly for all the work you put into breaking this down. Yours is the first and only video to make sense of this head-trip of a story.

[@MUSIKO]

Wow, just 100% the game and dint quite get the story, this explanation takes it to a whole new level of impressive! 👏🏾 def my game of the year so far.

[@Kmaaq]

ngl I clicked on this expecting to hear “WHAT’S GOING ON EVERYBODY TODAY WE’RE GONNA...” but was pleasantly surprised. Keep it up we need more normal youtubers we’re so drained out by the hype culture

[@ohamatchhams]

This video is straight to the point with the case, which is good unlike of how "hype culture" (or simply clickbait youtubers) blowing things out of proportion But then again the game is presenting itself seriously at dealing with serious issues as trauma from losses, almost reminded me of Silent Hill 2 game's way of portraying it's story and themes

[@dakotakennedy3163]

This is a really really good interpretation and really well organized. Thank you my guy :D

[@voxxy6108]

Most concise and well explained video on this game yet good job!

[@insaineyesay]

I've seen a few different explanations, but this one matches up to what i think was happening the most. It covers all of the confusing gaps that you have to use the info in the game to understand. Good video man.

[@havoc2431]

This is the only video that gets the story right. Good job dude, quality video.

[@joshcastro8526]

Great job, dude! I just finished the game and was completely baffled. None of the other videos explaining the ending seemed right, but you hit it out of the park! Thanks!

[@VagueLuminary]

Great video! I just finished the game and had about 60% of it pieced together but I still had so many questions. Thanks for making this.

[@fabio78]

A very round, straightforward explanation that makes perfect sense. Best I've seen, no need to watch another video. Thanks, buddy!

[@TheLastBonfire]

Glad I could help!

[@josephrhodes5025]

i pieced together a bunch of this myself but not nearly as well as you did. Alot of other youtubers i saw try to "explain the story" fall extremely short in my opinion. You sir hit it on the head great job

[@ProphetTenebrae]

"IT WAS ALL A DREAM!" Genius. Truly, one of the fan theories of all time.

[@crimsonx3650]

IKR! Imagine if they pulled this at the end of Dark Souls 3. Player lights the last bonfire and then wakes up in bed. Thousands of years of history all dreamt by some dude who overslept and needed to get to work asap! Think of all those poor lore videos! Returnal did a good job crafting the lore of the aliens. But if it's really all in the head, then the game's done an even better job flushing the lore down the toilet.

[@korwindel1]

Devs explicitly stated that it’s not in her head. Crash, Atropos, Helios spaceship. It’s all real.

[@Seb01011]

Very good, creative and smart video, riddled with great findings. Outstanding

[@MrFutago87]

But what if this really did happen and wasn't just inside her head? Maybe Atropos is real giving her guilt physical form, like a Sci Fi planet sized Silent Hill.

[@federico4556]

She is not an astronaut, there is a letter of rejection inside the house

[@werxbinxich]

@@federico4556do you remember if the letter is for Selene ? Because in another theory I heard the letter was for the mother of Selene

[@jakobs3665]

Very well made explanation of the story! Thanks my dude

[@partyindoor2398]

Super cool video, the best explanation one yet

[@lim-v]

Thanks for great video. Your explanations are so meaningful.

[@darkman7731]

Awesome job breaking it down into a very simple story, loved the story and the game.

[@Autumnblueskies1]

Great video and great explanation ! Thanks so much!

[@ITyraxI]

Awesome summary and details. Thanks!

[@niro8125]

My Take: The story and why she ended up on Atrapos, was Selene's survivor's guilt. Theia was pregnant with Selene, when the crash happened, with Helios. Theia was a very abusive and neglectful mother and it was made worse by the accident, which was probably caused by her mind being on a pregnancy that might ruin her own chances to achieve her goals. Selene joined Astra to escape life on Earth, to sever herself from the relationships that ruined her mental health. Her psychological issues were of concern in traveling to another galaxy, but she left, anyway. The Old One, at the bottom of the lake, may have started this cycle, when he grabbed the pregnant Theia? She created an entire civilization to get back to Earth, then the goal became to save Helios and then all hell broke loose, in civil war, amongst her children. She creates, then destroys. She wishes certain fiends had never been born and her mother lied about the joys of being a parent. Atrapos is Selene's guilt and subconscious, unlocked. A realm of her own making, in Tartarus. It's a Lovecraftian tale in the truest sense. I could be way off, but that's what I believe.

[@minomalka]

excellent video which explains it perfectly. the additional comments are a great supplement for additional details.

[@joaohernandez2846]

This exactly what I needed! ThaNk you! WOW!! MIND BLOWN!!! I appreciate the game even more now!

[@Sunfox37]

Wait a second, in the news report they say the driver's name is Thea and that she suffers major spinal injury while the child survives "miraculously" without injuries. So it's Thea driving and Selene in the backseat. Thea gets wheelchair bound after the accident. And now i'm more confused than before...

[@austinnzach3]

The kid in the back seat is Helios. Thea is pregnant with Selene. That's what they mean by child survives. This is confirmed by the last cutscene of the alien looking Thea. You can see she is pregnant.

[@Sunfox37]

​@@austinnzach3 I thought about her being pregnant as well, but I think her belly is ultimately just a misguided design choice. Because: In the house when you play as the kid you are Helios (confirmed by the name on his door) and as the kid when you listen to the answering machine there is a message for him from a grown up Selene (so Selene is the mother of Helios). I came to the conclusion that there were two crashes: one with Thea & Selene (seen in the report), and one with Selene & Helios (seen in the ending cutscene).

[@verytiredmomof3]

@@austinnzach3 Or she’s pregnant with Helios and Selene is in the back seat.

[@dhaha7]

@@austinnzach3 no im sorry but there were 2 crashes. the reason being is to symbolize that selene, who resented her mother so much, ended up being exactly like her. its poetic irony and a much more reasonable inference. if your theory was the correct one, then ask yourself why did the person driving (who you think is thea) get sucked up by the alien and have a returnal? returnal only happens to selene.

[@austinnzach3]

@@dhaha7 cause she is pregnant with Selene, and Atropos chooses her so it makes sure Thea survives so Selene can be born.

[@wasantube]

Best returnal explained video I’ve watched so far.

[@RR-vu2wy]

amazing video. one of the best video game stories out there

[@OmniVenom]

Dude! Thank you so much for this explanation. I love the game even more now.

[@fishtitz6830]

Thanks for this video! I just got the "secret" ending last night and even though I picked up pieces and hints along the way I did not understand all the greek mythology references and how they could be connected to the story. This video made everything make sense. I was literally thinking WTF when the credits rolled the second time. I felt more confused after beating the game than before I even started it. It's a game about space travelling without being about space travelling at all, lol. I was not a huge fan of the way the story was told, but I can really appreciate it. The way symbolism was used throughout is something you often see in movies like f.ex Lighthouse, but I'm not used to see it in games.

[@chrishouseinc]

Kudos on the video bro, I thought this was a million sub channel with how well it was put together

[@jutsinbible8936]

I'm really hoping to see another video on Returnal's free DLC. Your analysis was really great!!

[@Culpritx12]

What a great game with a brilliant yet subtle story. Finally beat the game tonight and was wondering if anyone else had the same interpretation. Very cool and thanks for sharing.

[@NeostormXLMAX]

I love it when games use this type of story telling. It’s using the medium to the max for a rogue like

[@senthilashokan09]

Never got into the story while playing , coz of the intense runs. now that I finished and came here for explanation, this makes a lot of sense. Great job .

[@angelosa.3178]

I'm from Greece and i am happy to see so many games lately refereing to our mythology. Also thanks for the explanation.

[@kuppyswamysrinivasa5796]

also you won the euro 2004

[@mariowilotschek2487]

How confusing you want the game to be? Returnal: YES.

[@kuppyswamysrinivasa5796]

this joke is like Returnal, it never stops re-cycling

[@ikramfahmi8308]

I was looking for this meme comments ngl 😂

[@wa7dany15]

finally found someone good in explaining.. and finally I understood this amazing story.. thx a lot

[@blacklighthouse8297]

Thank you for this great video for this fantastic game!

[@richlacerra6668]

You find a audio log that she states “as I lay here dying on the street” so i’m pretty sure this is her hell, one that she creates from her regrets, I don’t think she survived ultimately

[@JsttomM]

The plot of the game, goes around Selene... but the Octo, it's a real thing. It's not like it's something that she creates in her mind... Octo it's an "anomaly" that creates this "paraplex- ouroboros", and makes the cycle never ending for Selene. Like... She's been chosen. Why, how, how... we don't know. BUT, we do know there's 2 Selenes... The "astronaut" it's the one that causes the chain....so you can imagine by the suit that she has on the game, how many years went by in between the first reaction, and the current start of the game... from there on, you get that once you escape, it passes another "X" million years on the planet, so... Yeah.. mabe, the Astronaut's dead... but like every other Selene, it keeps comming back... The only thing that obviously changes but we don't actually see on picture, it's the fact that , by the time you realize who's shooting down the ship, she's not on the "astronaut" suit. She has another suit now, so that "First astronaut" made the mark of the beggining of chaos.

[@richlacerra6668]

@@JsttomM Or she never saw an astronaut at all and the astronaut is a figment of her imagination used to represent her regret that she feels for her causing her child’s death

[@HighStakesBBall]

I agree. Or she's in purgatory, and her light ending is her crossing over.

[@dualshooter2461]

Well done! Just completed the game and this definitely helped wrap everything together.

[@HygienicMaggot]

There’s a really good Reddit explaining this. My take is that this isn’t in her head and she is an astronaut. There are log files from her and her team about receiving a message and this what leads her to Atropus. Another log file suggests she wiped her memory to forget something from her past as well. Think the dev’s intentionally were obtuse about if it’s Selene in the car on purpose as there is evidence to consider both. Great game the fact I am still thinking about it after clocking it.

[@madgainz7871]

its a story to make us talk about it. you are correct she is the astronaut because she came back in time and caused the accident. she also shot helios down to stop her form getting to Atropos. the story is about the Deterministic nature of fate and destiny and that nothing can be avoided, David lynch style, an inspiration for housemarque.

[@Schytheron]

If it isn't Selene in the car and this isn't in her head... why does Helios (the spaceship) have car pedals?

[@1xeshm]

⁠@@SchytheronAirplanes and combat jets have pedals to control flaps and rudders.

[@EugeneD7]

Excellent video, good job!

[@christop2735]

This game holds a speciel place in my heart. Love a story where you the consumer has to actually think and make your own interpretations of what you have experienced. Also that 4th boss fight (her dad) is such a memorable fight. Love the piano in that fight. Also the song she heard as she crashes the car (and in some of her flashbacks in the house) is named 'The Reaper' also known as 'Don't fear the Reaper'. Which is a song about eternal love, and coming to terms with everything has to end eventually.

[@koroviev8897]

Great video! They way the story is delivered can for sure be very confusing. Also, I believe people don't talk enough about how great Selene's voice actress is.

[@emberstoneify]

Best explanation by far, thanks! Finally! Well told.

[@maimedlord6999]

Thanks for this excellent video :)

[@user-cs8ud7hh3q]

Great job, man! Many thanks!

[@matts.4696]

What a great game. Thank you for taking the time to explain all the hidden details.

[@dean43669]

Thank you finally. Straight to the point and something that makes sense! Now I can rest in peace after watching hours if gameplay. Here's a sub. Hopefully it'll help grow your channel. 👍🏻

[@TheLastBonfire]

Thanks for the support my guy!

[@dean43669]

@@TheLastBonfire No problem man. You deserved it. 👍🏻 And you have a great narrating voice and your contents in on par with other mainstream KZbinr out there. So it won't be long before you'll join the elite. Lol. 😁 All the best 😎💪🏻

[@AlphaPale]

Another cool detail is that the bioms in the game represent the night of the accident. The first biome being a dark wet forest, like the one they're driving through, and the last biome being underwater, when the car falls into the water.

[@S_raB]

That same gasp on the cut scene is the exact same sound Selene makes every time you begin a new cycle.

[@megamrmiro8752]

For me the construction of the acts AND the story on the planet is important too: - act 1 ends with Selene beeing rescued off the planet, which represents the events of the car crash, and the rescue afterwards. She was in the womb of her mother at that moment, while her brother helios was in the back. The pregnancy somehow prevented her mother to save her son helios, maybe because she couldn't move with her belly or something, while the rescue team took her and selene (in the womb). - her mother gave selene a hard life afterwards (while beeing in a wheelchair), blaming her for the death of helios, resulting in a live full of guilt. Even her father refused to speak to her. Act 1 is somehow selenes whole life. the sentient ones represent selenes emotional self, while the hive mind is her "mind" that tries to control everything. Selene constantly goes "upwards", down from the forest to high up on the tower. Selene is trying to find an "elevated" spot over things. she wants to "win" by pushing everything away, which seems to work at first. - the ending of act 1 shows then her whole life with all the sadness... the ending shows a burial in the end, which is probably the death of her mother! The game even mentiones that 63 years have passed, which is probably the time between the car crash (selene is an unborn child) and the death of her mother. act 2 starts: Everything that she tried to "push away" now comes back, harder than before. Here she realizes that the (hive) mind can't control it. everything comes back. - in act 2 selene now constantly moves "downwards" instead of upwards (in contrast to act 1), represented by going down all the time, until she even is underwater. This is a metaphor for the way to her own subconscious. She realizes that she has to do it to overcome it, and finally getting off this crazy (pain) planet. Act 2 shows how the sentient ones (her emotions) got wrecked by the mind, resulting her in being depressed. - the ending of act 2 shows how she finally faces the truth and realizes what happend that night. indeed it was her brother who died in the car and her mother drove the car (eye color is different from selene) After the boss fight she faces the demon which also showed in the car crash scene. This is her subconscious that has been pushed away all her life. - the secret ending is just clarifying everything, showing her mother as a dead skeleton (but also pregnant), selene is beeing shown as the astronaut, to represent the guilt of the crash has been put on her. now that she understands it, she finally can beat "the game". She pushes her dead mother away to free herself. afterwards you see the crash. Note that you see the astronaut lying on the road first. after that you see how selene wakes up underwater. That is a clear sign that she finally doesn't connect herself anymore to beeing the reason of all of this. Finally she can swim out of it into the light.

[@MrFredd38]

this is great

[@Kistenboy]

Bro this is just awesome ! Really really well Done!!! I just finish the last Boss and now goin for the platinum - the fact that the developer Team just generated such a good Story is just awesome! Really love the game !!!

[@henryaponte8287]

Awesome video man, I just beat the game and I was so confused. Now I appreciate more the ending.

[@BGzGamersVoid]

Dude...well done, absolutely fantastic video and breakdown of Returnals story. I knew most of after replaying the game then Platinumed it, but this vid also explained some details I missed. Thank you

[@TheLastBonfire]

Glad I could help my guy. It really was an interesting game.

[@michaelwood2981]

Awesome analysis man. I think this is spot on

[@Shane-un8pe]

Selene's mother was an astronaut. At a certain point, Selene comments that the Apollo era spacesuit, "like my mother wore" wouldn't be suited to the atmosphere of Atropos. Her mother was also abusive and most likely pushed Selene to be an astronaut also. This is why the Astronaut is always lurking about. Selene is being haunted by the unresolved trauma of her relationship with her mother. I say unresolved because her mother is recently deceased. There is a hospital sequence where the zombie mother appears in a wheel chair and frightens Selene. Because of her mother's death and their traumatic relationship, Selene was in therapy and taking medication. She was also applying to the space program with Astra at this time. In an audio log, Selene mentions to her therapist that no one can know theyre meeting or that Selene is taking medication. Eventually, Selene is rejected during the application process. You can read the rejection letter in one of the haunted house sequences. After being rejected, Selene takes her medication and is driving somewhere with Helios. Notice Selene's expression in the beginning of the sequence. She is visibly upset. The astronaut then appears and causes the accident because Selene blames her mother for pushing her to the point of cracking. In the true ending, Selene rejects her mother and realizes she was the one in the spacesuit which symbolizes Selene finally accepting responsibility.

[@keggerous]

100% correct. The entire game is a metaphor for her coming to terms with what happened the night of the crash and how she killed her son.

[@glottis8]

Selenes Mom, Theia has a rejection letter for her to become an astronaut. Not Selene. Selene becomes an astronaut to complete her mothers dream which her mom turns bitter about.

[@Shane-un8pe]

@Brau respectfully, I have to disagree. I believe the rejection letter was for Selene. The audio logs we listen to are from a job interview in which selene's voice is heard. The interview seems to be going very poorly which would lead to Selene being rejected. Additionally, the letter is found in selene's room, if I'm not mistaken. Everything we find in the house belongs to Helios and Selene.

[@Shane-un8pe]

@Brau upon further review, I'm certain the letter is Selene's and not Theia's. The only possibility I may have missed is that Selene may have already been an Astra employee. It's possible Selene was applying internally for positions in deep space exploration but was rejected.

[@keggerous]

@@glottis8 That's wrong. The letter is clearly for Selene. Just note the time period that the house is in when she finds the note. Theia was trying to become a pilot during the period that is analogous to the Apollo missions that were going on in the late 60's and early 70's. Selene was rejected probably because of the mental health issues that she had. Which she illudes to during some of the audio logs where she's clearly talking to a therapist and worried that Astra would find out.

[@Zangetsu1993BZH]

The video I needed after I finished the game haha thanks :)

[@marvin_demon]

I recently tried returnal, i was quickly engaged in the story, the mystery and try to unravel it. What was happening. I thought it was very interesting. After a couple of tries i killed the first boss. But the second area gave me a pretty hard time. I got frustrated. The gameplay loop is awesome, i had no problem with dying and start at the spaceship. I am a big FromSoftware fanboy. But the fact you lose most upgrades. Especially your hp Pool. Because i needed to grind every try to max it out. And since the world shifts, you needed to explore. Which became a slog. I just wanted to progress the story. Eventually i quit and started looking up YT video's. I wish i could experienced it for myself.

[@iggswanna1248]

same.

[@sashabagdasarow497]

I died max 8 times and beat the game. It was a challenge, not too hard, but I thought it's easy at first. A few times died because of dumb unattentiveness. Few more at bosses. The abyssal biome was hard though, gotta agree.

[@fred6907]

Certain weapons are VERY OP, making the game much easier. The spider web gun thingy makes the game a breeze.

[@Misfit6mm]

Same I’ve died like 80 times. I’ve seen phrike once. I wish they have a more of an rpg version that we could build our character up and save that progression. I’ve lost interest at this point

[@sashabagdasarow497]

@@Misfit6mm skill issue

[@kcvriess]

For a new youtuber you did a great job with this vid! Keep it up.

[@TheLastBonfire]

I appreciate it :}

[@8db50]

I think Selena (Thea Vassos) is the driver and the astronaut. Helios was her child and they lived in that house. Thea had dedicated her life to become astronaut. She worked hard to become one and was never home with helios. Thats why there are phonecalls for helios for making sure that he will use microwave for his food. Cutscenes from helios perspective presents for player that thea was never home. In the house form helios perspective that astronaut figure presents thea (who is trying to become astronaut) , and helios is trying to connect with thea by telling her story in kitchen, but she doesnt listen. All thea thinks is to became astronaut and has mentally abandoned helios. However, Thea got rejected to become astronaut (letter). While driving car in ending, Thea is thinking about that rejection. That astronaut in road just presents her own thoughts. Because of that she accidentaly drove the car to the water. She tried to save helious, but couldnt so she had to just save herself. In the house final of moments of the child is when helious goes to other side of tv. This presents his last moments while Thea (astronaut figure) tries to save him. After Thea survived the car accident, there was too much to hande for her. She cannot accept that she was rejected to become astronaut and she lost her son. In her mind, she escapes the reality. She creates this own world (returnal loop starts) that is based on two fundamental ideas. 1. She is an astronaut named Selena. Astronaut she always wanted to be. 2. Forgetting she mentally abandoned helios and couldn't save him on crash. When selena returned home after third biome, it was just another story on theas mind. In reality she was never astronaut and thats why she is kept in the loop of returnal, until she accepts the reality of rejection and the accident. After the accident, in real life, thea is taking drugs at home and beeing in hospital for her mental health problems. Those mental health problems are based on her mind that is rejecting the reality. She is in wheelchair and lost her walking ability after accident. After she accepts the reality (returnal loop ends) she burns her house, finally forgives herself of being distant to helios and not being able to save him on crash. She finally ends her life with drugs to smile with helios on afterlife.

[@cosmicdarkness8027]

thank you. its actually a very good video. keep it up :D

[@coldgarden_]

Nice work bro. Awesome

[@WayTooClose]

Very good video. I'm not sure if you're still interested in this a year later (I just beat the game), but... My pet theory: Theia is pregnant with Selene at the time of the accident, and blames and resents her, who feels like an alien parasite at that moment, for preventing her from rescuing her brother, as in Greek mythology, Helios. (the alien smoke monster pulling her out is a metaphor for this) It's the physical difficulty of being pregnant AND the emotional drive to also protect her unborn child. Selene grows up and enters the Astra program (the rejection letter is her mom's) and goes to Atropos. The planet reads her psyche and populates the world in a Solaris type way, revealing many things she's suppressed. She's sent back in time by the magical planet to cause certain things to happen to get her there in a vicious cycle. I'm sure there's stuff that contradicts this, but that's probably true for every theory. Great game!

[@evilblade]

This video is fantastic. Thank you very much.

[@TheLastBonfire]

No thank you!

[@TodayFreedom]

Superb breakdown of a truly mesmerising game plot.

[@MrFredd38]

thanks for the vid!

[@user-cf7wi6di6h]

Thank you for this video and it is really make me love this game more

[@Werdxp]

Best explanation on youtube - subbed!!

[@TheLastBonfire]

Thanks !!

[@thevinylboss5367]

There are a ton of great examples of the varying theories about it being one or two car crashes, but there is one little detail that makes me think there were two… In one of the house scenes, when the TV is showing news coverage of the crash, the scenery at the bridge looks like autumn (yellow and Orange leaves, etc). Whereas the crash we see at the end of act 2 happens not only at night but most likely in a different season, as the trees around the car in that aerial shot looks to be green colors like the Ruins biomes, or the summer season. This leads me to think there were two crashes.

[@TheKatana333]

Awesome explained, thx 👍

[@slowcheedah]

Even after watching this spot on breakdown that confirms my own thoughts, there still so much to be explained

[@OGEGODBYANNAPOLIS]

Game is now a near 10/10 after hearing an explanation lol. Thank you. I was kinda lost. Cause I played this game off and on for the past 6 months. But honestly it's a great game! As someone who has gone through grief. This is a very relatable story.

[@Kappa_Katz]

Great video and commentary. I just beat the final boss, what a tough game but so, so worth it.

[@TheLastBonfire]

Agreed. Tough, but that feeling after you beat a boss is amazing.

[@Gulatek]

Amazing job on this video!!! This game is my GOTY so far.

[@TheLastBonfire]

So far it is mine as well. Definitely Unique

[@cottonbun1244]

I was so confused and honestly misunderstood a lot of the story, but after watching this video the one line that stuck to me means so much more now. "Helios... how old would you be now?" Great video, thank you!

[@sheracarter8661]

Ty for explaining it. I watched the gameplay of this and was super confused. Lol. It all makes sense now.

[@TheLastBonfire]

Glad I could help!

[@StruffyTheClown]

What I find fascinating is that we actually learn that a similiar accident happened to Selene and her mother about halfway through the game in one of the house sequences. Selene was the child that survived and her mother Theia survived with severe spinal injuries (there is a lot of "spine" imagery throughout the entire game, potentially a symbol for selene blaming herself for the injuries of her mother)

[@gustavocna]

Finally someone got it right! Saw many people thinking that selene is the child and Theia the driver in the accident.

[@drakewiz]

I don't know why people would think it is Theia driving. Selene said how much her mother hated the same kind of music that she likes, the one playing in the car during the accident cutscene.

[@JsttomM]

The devs confirmed already, Theia is the one driving. She starts to hate the music that Selene likes AFTER the accident. Also, you get around 6 audios about how the news said the little girl that survived the crush got Heterochromia because the trauma... so yeah. Beyond that, it's pretty much ok this review. There's lore missing but, it's an "ok" review.

[@gustavocna]

@@JsttomM Can you tell me where the Devs confirmed that They is the one driving? Makes no sense to me.

[@JsttomM]

@@gustavocna Maximilian_dood it's an streamer from twitch. Towards the second day of the release, he was almost at the end of the second act, wich caught the atention of 3 devs. One from motion video, one from History/lore and i think the productor of the game was in too. The point's that , without confirming or deniying stuff so they did not spoil something, the 3 of them confirmed: A: The kid on the car it's Selene. B: The woman driving it's Theia . C: The Astronaut looks confused before the crash. I think the VOD it's on his channel, but they're confirmed devs from the game. It's not some random troll.

[@MistaFiOth]

Small parts of theorizing apart, this is a very good interpretation. I'm of Hellenic decent (Greek) and always wondered if people would actually be bothered to look up the names. One correction: Atropos is the Fate that cuts the thread of Life, thus killing the person tied to it. Excellent work. If you want help growing your channel drop me a line.

[@TheLastBonfire]

Thanks for the info my guy!

[@FennecDigitalArt]

I'm just in the Crimson Waste biome and this game is so captivating, beautiful and addictive. An easy 8.5/10

[@TheLastBonfire]

The ambiance is def one of the best out there

[@saltyslacker109]

This was an AMAZING video, wasn't unnecessarily long, and had a lot of research and honestly very well done. I'm surprised you don't have more subscribers

[@sharpgaming6237]

Very well explained, you did a fantastic job explaining this amazing game. I’m still stuck on the 3rd Biome!

[@TheLastBonfire]

Just stick with it, that was my hardest one

[@sharpgaming6237]

@@TheLastBonfire thank you my friend, I heard it the most difficult Biome but I sure will keep playing. Returnal is fun, hard and addicting.

[@Plasmacat1]

Great video dude! I actually like to think this is her purgatory manifested is into reality by a great one Atropos (planet and big tentacle monster) so in a way, it reached to her the moment after the crash and makes her attone for what she did or maybe she even makes a deal on the spot and stuff, it just adds to a cosmic horror aspect that I really enjoy. Idk lots of interpretations left open so that's cool.

[@TheLastBonfire]

Space purgatory lol love it

[@jgsouza12]

Nice video man

[@Idkkkkkkkkkize]

OHHHHH! Man I'm dumb, I kept wondering why she was so in love with her ship Helios. She kept grieving over it and I was just like "Damn it's just a ship, does it have an important AI or something?"

[@mujtabaellari2597]

One thing you missed is that at one point Selene says that she's the one who shot down Helios. I think that's her way of acknowledging that she's the cause of her child's death.