Returnal Players Spot Creepy Astronaut Easter Egg
With Housemarque's Returnal being dubbed as one of the first truly great next-gen games, the PlayStation exclusive is blowing fans away with its unique premise, glossy graphics, and female-first perspective. The game follows the Ellen Ripley-esque Selene, as she's stranded on the alien planet of Atropos and tries to track the mysterious "White Shadow" signal. With time loop mechanics and Selene dying A LOT, Returnal is like nothing we've seen before.
Despite it being a solitary sci-fi shooter, Selene has company in the form of the creepy astronaut. Although Selene is left marooned on Atropos, a replica of her childhood home, a tragic car accident, and the astronaut's looming presence suggest the whole thing is linked. We won't ruin the game's ending here, but rest assured, it's worth the wait. There are plenty of Easter eggs to the likes of the Alien movies, but now, fans have spotted another hiding just out of plain sight.
What is the Returnal astronaut Easter egg?
Posting on Twitter, GameSpot's Allesando Fillari shared a screenshot of a particular moment where the astronaut can be spotted in the distance of Returnal - suggesting that they're always watching Selene. It's definitely a haunting scene, knowing the astronaut is out there and staring down on Selene. For those who've played through the game, you'll know why the astronaut is so obsessed with Selene, but still, it's unnerving that they're potentially over your shoulder at every turn.
Responding to the clever spot, other players were suitably impressed. One wrote, "Well shoot Iโm going to have to watch out for that now. Never noticed that", while another added, "Have seen him twice so far. Once in the cockpit, when i got behind the wheel and also in the third world, but in another place. Very creepy". A third said, "Very cool, I'm almost 30h and did not notice/ever see that". It's only a small Easter egg, but you should definitely look out for the astronaut on your next playthrough.
Are there more Easter eggs in Returnal?
This being a modern game, there are (of course) more Easter eggs out there on the barren surface of the planet. If you look in the cockpit of Selene's ship, you'll find a little statuette that homages Resogun. Delving back into the archives of video games, Resogun was a simplistic side-scroller that was developed by Housemarque and launched alongside the PlayStation 4. Elsewhere, eagle-eyed fans have spotted a potential nod to Konami's canned P.T. (aka Silent Hills).
In another life, it's easy to imagine Returnal being a Silent Hill successor thanks to its atmosphere and aesthetic. It definitely isn't connected to that tormented town, but still, if you look hard enough, you'll notice a homage to P.T. in the shadows. Players claim Selene's house looks suspiciously similar to the one Norman Reedus' character explores in P.T.. It's unclear whether Housemarque specifically included this, but it's still an interesting theory. As we prepare to do another loop as Selene, we'll be sure to keep our eyes open for that stoic astronaut and all the other Returnal Easter eggs.
Images via Sony Interactive Entertainment