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Housemarque has offered fans its best look yet at the upcoming Returnal: Ascension expansion in a new gameplay video.
In addition to co-op, the free update dropping next week adds a Tower of Sisyphus challenge mode. A nod to the developer’s earlier games, it’s an Endless mode where the challenge gets tougher the higher you climb. You’ll enter the Tower at Phase 1, level 1 and have to battle your way through increasingly difficult waves of enemies.
While chasing a high score, players will be taking on baddies from across the Atropos campaign, with some twists. There’ll also be a boss battle with a new screen-filling tentacle nightmare known as Algos. You’ll be keeping on your toes though, as you’ll also have a score multiplayer that depletes whenever you’re not killing. Naturally, there’s also plenty of weapons, power ups and parasites to help you, and some brand new weapons and items to discover too.
If that wasn’t enough, the first person sequences also make a comeback. Only this time, the ominous house has been swapped out for a Hospital Bed. You’ll be creeped out all over again in this new hospital location as you uncover more of the game’s narrative within. Lovely stuff.
The PlayStation Blog also details how the expansion’s co-op mode will work too. While this won’t be available in the Tower, you will be able to summon a friend to help in the campaign. Players who stray too far from each other will be tethered back together. Meanwhile, progress will be saved by the host, while guests will retain any logs or xenoglyphs they discover too.
Returnal: Ascension will be a free update, available to download for Returnal on PlayStation 5 from March 22.
