

It's a major hint that the game's events aren't entirely real.
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Is Atropos real? Did Selene actually travel back in time (as the Astronaut) to cause the car crash? In fact, it's not even entirely clear which character in the car crash ending is Selene the driver, or the child? Ambiguous Situation: Given that the game's narrative merges hard sci-fi with deeply subjective psychological ideas, these are understandably rampant.Selene in turn was just as resentful towards her son, Helios, though it horrified her to realize she'd become no different than her mother.
#Returnal ending free#
Selene's mother Theia is implied to be merely neglectful before the crash, but turned into a resentful, emotionally abusive horror after the accident left her paraplegic, to the point where Selene eventually shoved her down the stairs of her farmhouse and set the entire building on fire just to be free of her. Abusive Parents: One of the story's main themes.

1-Up: There are a few ways for Selene to keep herself in the current loop a little longer when her health reaches 0, such as the Astronaut Figurine or Reconstructors, which bring back Selene after a fatal blow on the spot/at the reconstructor's location, respectively.
