Returnal 1.4.0 update will drop on Monday – here’s the patch notes

Stefan L 11/06/21 Comments Closed

Housemarque are gearing up to drop a new update for looping roguelike shooter Returnal next week. So, this is your official warning: version 1.4.0 will be released on Monday, June 14th at 1PM BST (UK Time), and PS5s in rest mode with automatic updates enabled will wipe any run progress you have at that time. Disable automatic updates if you have concerns.

As for what the update does, this one seems to be focussed on balance improvements and fixes. In particular, there’s a number of trophy fixes that will help that platinum trophy ping, and there’s improvements to the DualSense haptics.

Returnal 1.4.0 patch notes

Highlights:

Platinum: Added support for replaying certain Act 1 & Act 2 Trophies
Platinum: Added support to retroactively award Trophies which cannot be replayed
Platinum: Added additional locations for Scout Logs 9, 34, 35 & 46 to appear more often
Platinum: Fixed an issue where 1 Cipher was sometimes unobtainable for Biome Survey Trophies
Platinum: Fixed an issue where some Activity Cards displayed an incorrect count
UI: HUD labels for items are now hidden when Selene is firing a weapon
UI: Fixed an issue where 2 actions could be mapped to a single button after switching controller presets
Cinematics: Fixed a rare audio sync issue in the secret ending
Audio: General mix improvements across the experience
Audio: Improved surround sound setup support across the experience
Audio: Added more DualSense haptics across cinematic moments for deeper immersion
Audio: Added DualSense haptics when using the Icarian Grapnel
Audio: Improved the dynamic range recommendations system
Audio: Allow users to override the dynamic range recommendations
Audio: Allow users to change audio output from the game menu

Game Balance:

Balance: Various bug fixes to certain artifacts, parasites, consumables, and when certain malfunctions can occur in the early parts of the game
Balance: Players no longer receive parasites as rewards when players avenge their corpses
Balance: Enemies, Weapons, and Bosses – difficulty adjustments in all Biomes for a more balanced gameplay experience

Misc Bug-fixes:

Fixed an issue where Hyperion may drop the Key out of reach
Fixed an issue where Ophion may become invisible if the player uses a Reconstructor during the fight
Fixed weapons not being found in Biomes after scanning but not collecting them
Fixed an issue where Selene could jump impossibly long distances
Fixed multiple issues where Selene may become trapped in a room
Fixed a rare freezing issue when teleporting in Crimson Wastes
Fixed occasional frame rate drops when using the Electropylon Driver
Performance improvements, crash fixes, and multiple minor bug fixes

When we reviewed Returnal, we gave the game a stellar 9 out of 10:

It feels immensely satisfying to be sat here in 2021, eons after playing Super Stardust HD on PS3, and see just how far Housemarque has come. Offering a visual bullet hell spectacle, a showcase for the DualSense controller and a rewarding sci-fi narrative woven around the roguelike loop, we can say with unflinching confidence that Returnal is the PS5’s best game to date.