RETURNAL | R_A.0206 Tower of Sisyphus, Phase 18 [Dreadbound] (HDR)

200 million points? Check. But how high can we go? Then again, how high do we want to go? (This is Part 3 of 3. Part 1 is available at • RETURNAL | R_A.0204 To... , Part 2 at • RETURNAL | R_A.0205 To... .)
R_A.0206 is the concluding clip in a three-part series, chronicling my eleventh attempt to ascend the Tower of Sisyphus. It resumes where Part 2 concludes: Phase 18 and fighting ever onwards, ever upwards.
▶️ RETURNAL
🎯 Dreadbound
🧭 Tower of Sisyphus
🌗 Phase 18, Room 1-15
🌟 Recorded 2022 April 4
I ended the run shortly after this clip concludes. Following the footage's final Room (15, for those yet to watch), I paused for a brief break. Upon resuming play, I realized I had not only surpassed my goal of 200 million points, but also earned enough for second place on the Global Leaderboard (as of 2022 April 4). This marks the longest I’ve pushed a run in a single sitting, in excess of five consecutive hours, and I must confess: I don’t know how others do it, but I am impressed by their stamina! WIth this all on my mind and an urge to escape the basement for a sunny spring afternoon, I fell to Algos and stepped blinking into the cold light for a long walk.
Thank you for watching. I update this channel regularly, showcasing select areas and encounters I experience in Housemarque's RETURNAL. If you enjoyed this video, you may find joy in the contents of my RETURNAL_ARCHIVE playlist, accessible at • RETURNAL_ARCHIVE .
Chapters
0:00 Phase 18, Room 1 (Restock)
0:24 Phase 18, Room 2 (A Keyed Door Ignored, Empty Statuary)
0:34 Phase 18, Room 3 (Drones + Severed)
1:46 Phase 18, Room 4 (An Easy Choice)
2:02 Phase 18, Room 5 (Melee Jackpot: Tripods)
3:22 Phase 18, Room 6 ("Why did that hit me?")
4:22 A Keyed Door Ignored, Empty Statuary
4:34 Phase 18, Room 7 (Pylioid Rush)
4:45 Pylioid Detour (Blood from a Stone)
5:01 Phase 18, Room 7 (Death from Above)
6:02 Phase 18, Room 8 (Melee and the Archivist's Obstinance)
8:33 Phase 18, Room 9 (Pylioid Detour)
8:56 Phase 18, Room 9 (Firefight)
9:50 Phase 18, Room 10 (Gorgolith Wall)
11:50 Phase 18, Room 11 (A Roll of the Dice)
12:17 Phase 18, Room 12 (Patience)
12:52 Phase 18, Room 12 ("Wait, what?")
13:12 Phase 18, Room 13 (Parasite Choice)
13:32 Phase 18, Room 14 (Contender for Favourite Room)
14:37 A Keyed Door Ignored, Empty Statuary
14:49 Phase 18, Floor 15 (Favourite Room)
16:40 Thank you for watching!

[@ChickenSoupLotion]

Wow that large silphium came in clutch in room 15!!! Also thanks for setting up chapters on these videos too. You're really doing to much but I think everyone that watches will appreciate all of this.

[@returnalarchive]

Agreed! I didn't expect to both mistime by dodge and misjudge the Grapnel at 16:03; the Large Silphium drop was a blessing. For the larger videos, I'm trying to include chapters to ease viewer navigation-and for myself, too, if only so when I look back at these clips in, say, ten years' time I have some context for what I'm looking at.

[@bluraymex23]

Any tips for a noob like me multiplier plus High floors?

[@KenobiStark1]

I could imagine the constant struggle of doing something over and over again being called The Trial of Sisyphus

[@IconOfSin]

Dreadbound at any level with Expanding & Exploding shards level 3 is the most broken thing in this entire game, the AOE you can get from it is genuinely absurd. I doubt anybody makes it this far in the tower without that combo because it will wipe all weak ads with ease on every floor in seconds, without even needing to try, just shoot it kills everything.

[@tlholohelontsasa106]

love how this game starts out as one of the most gruelling experiences but ends up being one of the best forms of catharsis ever

[@RaidenLimbSlicer]

this game is so damn good

[@mwm433]

Bro ur a legend holy crap this tower is insane

[@returnalarchive]

Thank you. And the intensity of the Tower is certain; I replayed Biomes 1, 2, and 3 earlier today and they seemed glacial in their pace!

[@mwm433]

@@returnalarchive yeah I can tell they upped the temp in tower to insane levels

[@returnalarchive]

@@mwm433 It's amazing to me how Housemarque took pieces from the base game and recombined them to form something almost entirely different. The enemies are familiar, sure-but in these combinations? Never. The levels seem simple enough-but without walls to protect the player from falling, and sweeping, open areas that make once-familiar enemies suddenly devastatingly powerful? iIt's almost a different game!

[@dirtsquids9854]

You’re amazing My record currently is only 36.7 million I work at it every day. Going through some stuff so I can’t be properly active and this game is really amazing. Just got my ps5 in October and returnal was one of the first games I got. 160 hours of playtime already! I’ll be top 1000 one day very soon !

[@returnalarchive]

Thank you for kind words! 36.7 million is quite the feat. With continued practice and persistence in the face of adversity, you'll crack the top 1000 any day now. Keep climbing, keep going, and hey-whatever you're going through right now? You'll overcome it, too. Hang in there, mate: 2024 is your year.

[@AboveTheTrees00]

crazy run wow

[@thophidaubo123]

So sick

[@user-hw4gh7pc2g]

Holy crap, this is crazy, Iwas happy getting to phase 4, haha

[@returnalarchive]

Keep at it! Progress, I find, is limited only by patience, persistence, and a willingness to learn from one's errors. One of the things that helped me develop most as a player of RETURNAL was maintaining this Archive. Specifically, by reviewing footage of my successes and failures, I was able to critically and honestly assess my approach to hostiles (and combinations thereof) and adjust my actions accordingly.

[@sucodefuta]

can't wait to play this on pc

[@JesuisParte]

That is just incredible. Right now I am only at 3 million.. but still proud haha

[@returnalarchive]

Keep at it, friend, and there's no telling how high you'll climb. Persistence is all!

[@geminigem_]

we need more

[@postyman86]

And here I am sweating my ass off for nearly an hour to get 10 million 😂 How long did this run go for?!

[@returnalarchive]

10 million is excellent. Keep at it and there's no telling where you'll plateau! Having accomplished what I set out to do, I ended the run shortly after this video concludes. At that point, I had been playing for approximately 5.5 hours and was eager to escape the house for some fresh air. (Some more information is available in the video's description.) Thank you for commenting.

[@kilroy987]

The highest Phase I ever got to was 8 - after that my brain is too exhausted to continue. The gameplay is so excellent, though.

[@La1983Dvo]

N I thought I was good. This person on beast mode

[@DaSkarekrow]

Will doing the Tower help level up my traits? It is hard for me to find a gun with Trait III, does most have to be Rank II for them to drop at III? (btw I love the dreadbound, but the lobber is my fav)

[@returnalarchive]

Weapon traits can be levelled in the Tower of Sisyphus-and quite quickly, too, due to the number of hostiles present. If you are looking to upgrade Selene's arsenal, ascending the Tower time and time again will be a quick way to do so. Happy hunting!

[@DaSkarekrow]

@@returnalarchive today i got my first 900k, lol not a lot, but I know the constant fighting helps ya anticipation/reaction... I get into almost a zone like state, it is STILL hard for me but when good item/perks drop, it fkn fun!

[@returnalarchive]

@@DaSkarekrow Achieving new personal bests is a terrific feeling. Keep at it and you'll be amazed how high you climb!

[@DaSkarekrow]

@@returnalarchive right now I am getting discourage from trying so hard to get far just to be one shotted....need to make sure I am never too safe I guess

[@coolworld6655]

could u tell me about the big cube next to the 18 cubes

[@user-yj3xj2sq3t]

На скилле👍🏻

[@wayne0320]

this is hell, lmao

[@roswell851]

watch this stoned. sick

[@hikariprojet2235]

Hollyy molly😮😮😮18 phase??? But how many phases at all?

[@returnalarchive]

To the best of my knowledge, the Tower of Sisyphus is endless!

[@itzJuztThomas]

Love playing Returnal but i think it's just a bit too hard for me 😂

[@impussybull]

What are the traits on your dreadbound? Never mind, saw them at 06:14

[@returnalarchive]

I am glad you saw that, and am thankful you included a timestamp for the benefit of others. Of this Dreadbound's Traits, Expanding Shards and Explosive Shards were vital contributors. If I could change anything about this particular weapon, it would be its alt-fire. At this stage, Voidbeam is effectively useless; I would happily swap it out for Shieldbreaker (shields are the Dreadbound's greatest weakness) or Tendrilpod (for catastrophic ongoing damage and the ability to slow enemies).

[@impussybull]

@@returnalarchive Thanks for these tips! I found tendrilpod to be devastating on malformed or heavy hit enemies too, especially when you can fire 3 at a time. Doombringer is great on bunch of small ones. Any other weapons + traits you recommend for sustained long run like this?

[@returnalarchive]

@@impussybull The only thing better than tagging a target with three Tendrilpods is hitting them with four thanks to Tendrilpod III. As you say, they tear heavy and Malformed hostiles down. I'm fond of hitting bosses with them, too. Doombringer is great for clearing a room in the base game, but I tend to avoid it in the Tower because I'd rather go for mid-air melee kills and the points they award. Insofar as weapons and traits in the Tower are concerned, I wrote a 25-part thread on Twitter addressing this the other day (as well as a handful of other things). The thread can be accessed here twitter.com/ReturnalArchive/status/1512519681969582080?s=20&t=suH8KUn8HnhJov11VB-D4Q, though weapon-specific portions are numbered 9-15.

[@BloodyWoopah]

@@returnalarchive Hello bro, currently rank 187 with 48mil. I read your twitter post, however I still have some questions and I think something is fundamentally flawed in my game file. I would love to share it with you, some screenshots etc. Can you tell em where can I contact you(please don't make me create a twitter account). Thanks in advance!

[@returnalarchive]

@@BloodyWoopah Greetings! Upload what you would like me to examine to Google Drive and share the file(s) or directory with me; an email address for the channel is listed in its KZbin profile in the About tab. Please specify in the Share what seems to be amiss and we'll take it from there. Let's see what we can do!

[@sergioherrmann4080]

Man I fucking hate these teleporting aliens with the sword, they kill me every time in phase 4 Awesome gameplay btw🎉

[@returnalarchive]

I sympathize. Of RETURNAL's many hostiles, the Frost Severed of the Fractured Wastes have killed me more than any other. Thankfully, I learned how to dodge their teleportation attack. Keep at it, and you will, too!

[@coupleofthoughts8143]

How did you avoid the "hostiles counter on hit" for 18 phases ?

[@returnalarchive]

This recording, made 2022 April 7, pre-dates the patch that guaranteed "Hostiles counter on hit" as the fifth (and final) Permanent Malfunction.

[@simonotterpohl4284]

Whats your opiniion for the new Update for the Tower Especially the enemy conter Balls in Hit i hate them so bad

[@returnalarchive]

From a design point of view, I do not object to the change; in fact, I appreciate how Housemarque made "Hostiles counter on hit" a universal affliction rather an intermittent issue that befalls select players some of the time. From a player's perspective, I do not object to the change; RETURNAL demands players remain mobile should they wish to survive, and "Hostiles counter on hit" underscores this. Additionally, given the tiles in the Tower of Sisyphus are significantly larger than those in the base game, players have far more room to maneuver, which undercuts the power of this Malfunction significantly. All told, I appreciate that the change is not to everyone's taste, but I do think it is an improvement.

[@Seb01011]

Hi, how do you get there? I beat the Game but never saw THIS!

[@returnalarchive]

Depending no when you played RETURNAL, this content may not have been available. Specifically, the Tower of Sisyphus was added to RETURNAL with the ASCENSION DLC, released for free on 2022 March 22. Provided players have the Icarian Grapnel, which is unlocked after completing the Crimson Wastes (the game's second biome), they can access the Tower via the Helios crash site in either the Overgrown Ruins or Echoing Ruins.

[@scrunts666]

This makes Doom Eternal look pathetic.

[@Alice-eo1zc]

Doom returnal

[@KadUnion]

This is housemarque games idiots

[@guilleperez7493]

You must be on drugs

[@optimusprime4090]

Doom eternal makes doom eternal look pathetic

[@warrensid]

Go play Tara’s nabad master level on ultra nightmare. The two games are very similar in combat though. I recommend everyone that is a fan of one to try the other

[@StudyWithNika]

This game staters on a very high end PC.

[@micaeleriksson7235]

is the dreadbound best weapon in the tower?

[@returnalarchive]

For how I play, the Dreadbound fits like a glove. That said, it is far from perfect: it is stopped dead by whatever Gorgoliths the player encounters (as seen in this video from 9:50 through 11:50) and, while not having to Overload removes a lot of stress from any combat situation, it prohibits the player from capitalizing on Disrupting Overload, which make shielded hostiles that much more of an issue. If you are comfortable for those drawbacks, perhaps the Dreadbound will be best for you, too-and if not, the Coilspine Shredder may be a suitable substitute, or even the Pyroshell Caster!

[@trustypatches5244]

@@returnalarchive I think I'll have to give returnal another run, cause in my playthroughs I didn't use any of those xD. Only used hollowseeker, tach, pylon, and pistol. Crazy to think I missed out on such great guns.

[@Demigodishe]

Why are you skipping bonus loked rooms? To get more point for combat levels?

[@returnalarchive]

Need, more than anything, drove my decision-making. Specifically, I wanted the points offered by combat more than I needed the material goods of the locked room. Had this clip been recorded after "Hostiles counter on hit" became a universal concern and the number of Shield Vials one could carry was limited to 5, my priorities would have been quite different. (For that matter, I wouldn't have been using a Dreadbound, either!)

[@charliepeterson1745]

This makes me depressed Nex Machina wasn’t successful. I wish Returnal had the amazing level design and perfect gameplay of it’s predecessor 😔

[@herbst2941]

I don't remember this location at all.. Is it an add on?

[@returnalarchive]

Depending on when you played RETURNAL, this area may not have been accessible. The Tower of Sisyphus was added to RETURNAL with the ASCENSION DLC, released (for free) on 2022 March 22. Provided players have the Icarian Grapnel, which is unlocked after completing the Crimson Wastes (the game's second biome), they can access the Tower via the Helios crash site in either the Overgrown Ruins or Echoing Ruins.

[@herbst2941]

@returnalarchive oh, I see. I've played it after it was released, so i just haven't seen it. Thank you for your clarification.

[@returnalarchive]

@@herbst2941You're welcome. Have a wonderful weekend!

[@kadoman0]

I am still a complete cokehead for this game.... I WANT SOME MORE !!!!!!😜🤪

[@returnalarchive]

You and me both! It is my hope that when RETURNAL hits Steam, there will be sufficient demand for Housemarque to create another expansion.

[@kadoman0]

@@returnalarchive yes I completely agree, the unique and beauty nature of this game... the speed, the art, the sound... it is beyond magnificent

[@panic_diver]

@@kadoman0 Playing this game nonstop for the last week as I skipped it on PS5 (I like to play shooters with Mouse+Keyboard) and its a shame that this game didn't win GOTY in 2021, I cant imagine how It takes two won over this masterpiece, stuff like this makes me lose hope in humanity. And yeah people would say GOTY doesn't matter but I wanted it to win not for me but for the folks at housemarque, with that kind of recognition this game would have reached a wider audience and they would be under no financial pressure which would allow them to continue to make games they want that target core gamers. Hoping for a spiritual successor with similar awesome gameplay woven into another story depicting underlying eternal mental struggle to feed the roguelike mechanics of the game.

[@iDTecKt]

@@returnalarchive Nah they're done with Returnal, onto their new ip project :(

[@Berserker006]

Why are the malfunctions permanent?

[@returnalarchive]

I do not speak for Housemarque, but presumably because they wanted Selene's ascent of the Tower of Sisyphus to be increasingly difficult.

[@chamamemestre]

Ah yes, the trials of Syphilis.

[@den4ikar736]

Привет с Казахстана! Мои достижения в этой игре, по сравнению с тобой, на стадии - зародышь!)))

[@giusepperusso3383]

troppo difficile

[@_sideush_]

How the f*ck do you play this game?! I can’t even reach the third boss😭

[@sergioherrmann4080]

Try again and again and again.

[@aronatur5903]

Он псих!

[@renegarcia2463]

There is a Phase 18…?? 🥲🥲🤣