RETURNAL | R_A.0204 Tower of Sisyphus, Phase 16 [Dreadbound] (HDR)

Part 1 of 3. Part 2 is located at • RETURNAL | R_A.0205 To... , and Part 3 at • RETURNAL | R_A.0206 To... .
This run started as most do for me: farming Phases 1 through 4 to find ASTRA Scout Log AST-AL-094. And then, having reached peak Proficiency, I found a Dreadbound that prompted me to wonder, "How far might I climb with this weapon at my disposal?"
The answer to this question is better shown than told and begins with this clip. R_A.0204 is the first in a three-part series, chronicling my latest attempt to achieve the lofty heights of the Tower of Sisyphus. We begin here in Part 1 in the ninth room of Phase 16 and push ever onwards, ever upwards.
▶️ RETURNAL
🎯 Dreadbound
🧭 Tower of Sisyphus
🌗 Phase 16, Room 9-20
🌟 Recorded 2022 April 4
Chapters
0:00 Phase 16, Room 9 (Continued)
0:34 Phase 16, Room 10 (Contender for Favourite)
2:01 Phase 16, Room 11 (Lobby)
2:20 Phase 16, Room 12
2:31 Pylioid Room (Parasite Extractor)
3:10 Phase 16, Room 12 (Continued)
3:54 Phase 16, Room 13
4:18 Phase 16, Room 14 (Favourite)
5:21 Keyed Door
5:31 Phase 16, Room 15 (Bloody)
6:53 Phase 16, Room 16 (Footwork)
7:54 Phase 16, Room 17
8:18 Phase 16, Room 18
9:30 Phase 16, Room 19
10:41 Algos, aka Phase 16, Room 20

[@Fackletard]

Question: Why do I see you all shooting the statues in the Obolite bonus rooms with the lasers? Just curious if it's "just because/why not" or if there some sort of bonus, etc.? Great gameplay. Really appreciate you sharing these videos. I'm pretty new and only at Phase 6, Room 3 on my best so far. Lots to learn. ESPECIALLY post patch. Seeing previous streamers having 20-40-60+ Shields in their bank... WOW! Only carrying 5 max now really sucks. Wish I would have played it before the patch. Nonetheless, your talent is excellent and a lot of fun to watch. :)

[@returnalarchive]

What a great question! The answer is this: points! The breakable statues and stone structures in RETURNAL, including those found in the Tower of Sisyphus, sometimes contain a Lamiadon, the flying, purple-and-black hostiles commonly found in the Overgrown Ruins. They are easy kills that, when cut down with the Atropian Blade, will net the player 250,000 points apiece when running with a Multiplier of x100.00. Because of this, I usually take the time to shatter what stonework I find in otherwise encounter-free floors: the Lobby (at 2:01 here, though I don't bother with those behind and above Selene in this recording), Pylioid chambers (such as 2:32 here, though again I neglect those at the rear of the chamber in this clip), the locked chambers found between Floors (as seen at 5:22), and even Obolite chambers, as you point out (as visible at 6:57). The time it costs one is minimal, but the gains can be tremendous; even if one only finds eight Lamiadon spread across 20 Phases in this way, that is still 2,000,000 more points than one would otherwise have. Thanks for watching, thanks for your kind words, and thanks for your question. Best of luck in the Tower! (And, as an aside, relish the challenge that the current iteration of the Tower offers-in the long run, you will be a better player for it.)

[@Fackletard]

@@returnalarchive Thank you so much for the response. Educated and intelligent to read, which I appreciate very much! I had been destroying everything just for the added Obolites, and hadn't thought about just how many extra points that would collectively be down/up the road in the Tower. Good advice. I have been watching your videos and dissecting them in my free time. Incredible! So tonight I got to sit down and have my best run. I made it to Phase 8, Room 10 (22,17,527 points.) I previously climbed to Phase 9, Room 3 yesterday but my multiplier was terrible so my points were well below standards for that phase. Tonight I placed rank at 1,386. Super proud to be *almost* in the top 1,000. Again, I am very thankful for your videos and response. It truly helped me in my runs. I look forward to continuing to watch your videos to learn more. My goal is to get into that top 1,000 bracket (which won't be enough once I get there.) Who knows where this will end. Have a great rest of your night, Bryan!

[@returnalarchive]

@@Fackletard I'm happy to help and hope the information provides you with points aplenty. From the sound of things, you'll break into the top 1,000 shortly-and from there, only time and persistence will tell. Since you bring up scrutinizing RETURNAL recordings, something that aided me considerably in overcoming challenging enemies and situations was saving and studying my own gameplay. I did this to discover the disconnect between the game's behaviour and my own to learn how best to succeed. Doing this again and again (and again and again and again over almost eighteen months) let me learn the game's intricacies, identify my own assumptions, and hone my playstyle. Best of luck to you!

[@simonotterpohl4284]

The good old Times before they Patch enemy counter in Hit

[@elbaronsass]

IT IS POSSIBLE TO HAVE THE COMPLETE LIVE OF PHASE 1 TO 17

[@returnalarchive]

I can't guarantee anything, but I can't rule out the possibility, either. If I get the urge to try the Tower once more (rather than searching the first four Phases for the one Scout Log I am missing), I'll try to remember to save all everything as I progress.