Housemarque has released teh Returnal update 2.000.001 patch this October 26, and this adds one of the most requested feature in the game, and that’s a suspend mode! In addition to that, there’s a Photo Mode added as well. This is called patch 2.0 by the developers, and you can check out the official patch notes and trailer below.

Returnal Update 2.000.001 Patch Notes:

Size: 10GB

New features:

• Suspend Cycle – Pause the cycle and resume your run later!

• Photo Mode – Capture the bullet-hell action or the dark beauty of Atropos; compose your shot, apply your favorite filters, and share with the world!

This update also includes numerous bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements.

Here’s a quick explanation of Suspend Cycle by Housemarque’s Harry Krueger who directed Returnal (via PlayStation Blog):

One of the main features of this update is the Suspend Cycle functionality, which will allow you to pause your cycle to be continued later, letting you exit the game and turn off your console without losing your progress in that session. The structure of the game remains unchanged, so this functionality is not a traditional mid-game “Save Game” option: by suspending the cycle, Returnal will simply create a single use suspend point, and once you resume playing the suspend point is deleted and cannot be used again. Your game will continue directly from the moment you left it, and if you want to suspend the cycle again, your progress will be captured from that new point onwards. There are some limitations in place – for example, players won’t be able to create a suspend point during Boss battles, cinematics, first-person sequences or during intense combat scenarios – as we felt there are certain moments in Returnal that are best experienced unfragmented to preserve the intended challenge and flow.

With this approach, we can keep the roguelike spirit and “high stakes” commitment to your run intact, while still providing some quality-of-life convenience for players who like to experience Returnal in shorter bursts. So next time you’re deep into a lengthy session on Atropos and life comes knocking at your door, you’ll be able to simply Suspend Cycle and jump back in at a more convenient time.

Some players might remember us posting that the developer build of the game got the 2.0 update, and it seems this is what it’s for.

Source: Housemarque