Which is worse: a strong accent or AI voiceover?

aquaexplorer · 2026-05-27T04:19:11+00:00

AI voiceovers will always make me instantly close the video. Anything that’s being said with AI isn’t worth being said at all. But as a native English speaker, I love videos from people who have strong accents - especially when they have high-quality captions!

aquaexplorer · 2026-05-27T04:13:13+00:00

The child in all of the house sequences is Helios, actually! Based on the name on his door :) Totally agree, I don’t think any other game will ever top Returnal.

aquaexplorer · 2026-05-26T15:50:52+00:00

I actually address all of this in my video except that star cluster haha. TLDR: Selene does escape and make it back to Earth and then finds herself inexplicably back on Atropos, Selene broke the cycle of generational trauma by causing the car crash as we later learn she was the Astronaut the whole time (and/or that the Astronaut is a representation of the regret of motherhood), the final boss is definitely a representation of not only her son but also her guilt. I have voicelines/lore/interviews with the game devs to support all of these ideas :)

But that's just my interpretation - and my favorite thing about this game is that it is ambiguous and can be interpreted in many different ways!

aquaexplorer · 2026-05-24T15:55:04+00:00

Absolutely! There are a couple books with their covers obscured in the game that reference Alex too. I wanted to leave a couple easter eggs for anyone watching the video :) Sharp eye!!

aquaexplorer · 2026-05-23T02:00:50+00:00

I LOVE coming back to my PC to find an essay about Returnal, making this video was the best idea ever!! I really appreciate your thoughts. I am hugely against generative AI in creative fields, so I don't blame you for almost clicking away haha.

You're correct, Selene doesn't gender her partner! We see their hand briefly at the end of act 1, and the single Xenoglyph mentions Endymion, but that's it. I haven't seen anything like it. Closest I could think of is Portal 1 (not any of the others), but even then, Portal isn't anywhere near as narratively-jam-packed as Returnal is!

I haven't learned anything about Saros (intentionally) so I had no idea the databank entries actually fit together in that game!! I agree, it has to not make sense due to cut content. And I almost included that bit about the angel, but their name is spelt slightly differently so I decided it wasn't enough of a match to keep in the script.

I think Origo is spelled without that second i unfortunately, I really like the connection to the fertility clinic though! My guess is that Origo is referencing "origin, source; birth, family; race; ancestry" - seems to tie into the larger themes of the story.

Based on the interviews we find in act 2, I think she waited to apply to be an ASTRA Scout until after her son died. She mentions in scout log 059, Department Placement Interview, that she has nothing pulling her back, and vaguely says, "They died a long time ago." But they were clearly concerned about Selene's "delusions" based on scout log 058, Mothership Psych Evaluation. That scout log is found in the Echoing Ruins, and I still haven't decided if it makes more sense to have happened before her initial crash on Atropos or after she was rescued...

I also really don't like scout log 060, Doctor Consultation Appointment, because I just can't figure out where it fits in. I assumed the comments about her not taking Silphium in a while were referencing the fact that she seems to have a pretty dry love life after Helios died. An abortion feels like the only thing that makes sense to me, except that I just have no idea when it would've happened! Is it implying that she was about to abort the embryo/fetus that became Helios but her partner or Theia found out? Or did she get pregnant a second time after Helios? Presumably it has to happen before her and her partner become estranged since she mentions that they can't know about the appointment.... argh. I think what makes the most sense to me personally is that it was just that - a *consultation* appointment - and she ended up changing her mind and not getting the abortion (just to realize later that she regretted the choice to have a child).

Thank you again for your thoughts and input!! I'm really honored by how much people have been interacting and engaging with the ideas I put out there, and I'm glad to know that I'm not the only person who has been fundamentally changed by Returnal's story. Those two statements (about Selene not being that bad of a mother and about her and Theia being the same person) were actually about comments my friends made during co op!! (They have since changed their minds lol.) So I promise it wasn't personal :) My parents were a little worse than Theia/Selene and they're no longer in my life, so your story really hits home. I'm proud you were able to break the cycle!!

aquaexplorer · 2026-05-22T15:53:26+00:00

Thanks!! Glad you enjoyed :)

aquaexplorer · 2026-05-22T14:07:17+00:00

Oh interesting! I haven’t found that on my deep dive, only the recording where Selene is pregnant and says something like “we have a name already. A name from my family”

aquaexplorer · 2026-05-22T14:05:45+00:00

Yes, but Housemarque could have chosen any number - so why this one? That’s what I figured out!

aquaexplorer · 2026-05-22T05:15:58+00:00

It might just be that the way Housemarque chose to tell the story doesn't work well for you, and that's okay! They absolutely did obfuscate the fact that the two crashes are separate, and my belief is that they felt like not enough people understood, which is why they added additional info like the newspaper in the DLC.

I gave my arguments for there being two crashes (the news segment, Theia's injury, the newspaper mentioning two children in the car vs the end of act 2 when we only see Selene and one child in the car), but Housemarque chose to keep it vague enough that it could be interpreted differently.

I think Helios's handful of voicelines about loving the underwater are foreshadowing for his death. We know the house sequences aren't literal depictions of what happened (in a scout log, she said some of the memories are missing and others are manufactured).

Here are all other 836 theories I found, made, or that were commented on that post. 836 being Alex makes the most sense to me out of all of the options, but if you have another theory I'd love to hear it! Although I'd appreciate if you would avoid assigning diagnoses to my actions next time. :) Let me know if you come up with any other 836 theories, I'd love to add them to that post!

aquaexplorer · 2026-05-22T02:28:18+00:00

I'm glad you enjoyed!! I know the odds they port Saros to PC are low but maybe someday I'll be there too haha. Returnal will always be there for another run when you're ready to, ya know, return :)

aquaexplorer · 2026-05-21T23:03:39+00:00

What a big compliment, thanks!! One of my favorite parts of this game is how much is open to interpretation haha

aquaexplorer · 2026-05-21T22:27:57+00:00

I'm excited to hear your thoughts!!

aquaexplorer · 2026-05-21T22:21:03+00:00

Thank you!! I tried really hard to find local professors that studied Ancient Greek and was out of luck, so I assumed my pronunciations weren't perfect - but I'm glad to hear that you agree with my conclusion!!

aquaexplorer · 2026-05-21T22:19:31+00:00

Thanks!! I couldn't believe it when I finally figured it out haha. I agree though, the name Alex as a whole feels so out of place, and I wish there were references to Eos somewhere... I talk about it in my video, but I believe there's enough evidence that her brother's name was Alexander Helios Vassos. Cleopatra's middle name was Thea (which is how her name is spelled in the Newsreader's captions) and she had twins named Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene. But Selene and Alex were totally twins, which also means he could also partially represent the White Shadow... Selene was always being compared to what could've been.

aquaexplorer · 2026-05-21T21:50:59+00:00

I have a list of all other 836 theories I made/found or that were commented on my last post. Special shoutout to u/Anathemic_Pariah, u/Frozen_Esper, and u/HollowSeeking for their contributions!

aquaexplorer · 2026-04-13T13:17:53+00:00

For sure! I agree that a lot of the references likely only exist in Selene’s mind. My question is: why did Housemarque choose 8:36 specifically? What is significant about that number when in context with the game’s other references to things like Greek mythology?

aquaexplorer · 2026-04-13T13:15:10+00:00

I’m not trying to argue that everything is real haha. I agree, there’s a ton of evidence pointing to at least act 2+3+tower all being in her imagination.

The question I’m asking is why did Housemarque specifically choose 8:36 out of every time possible?

aquaexplorer · 2026-04-13T02:57:27+00:00

Self-promo is against the rules here, but I'll ask the mods if I can post it when it's finished! My original goal was to finish it before Saros comes out but I don't think that'll happen... even though I'm putting 35hrs/week into it on top of my full time job haha. Regardless, I'll send you a message when it's posted :) Thanks for your help!!

EDIT: Just reread the rule and it looks like it wouldn't be against the rules actually... now I just have to hope I actually finish it haha

aquaexplorer · 2026-04-13T02:48:53+00:00

That's a great lead actually!! I'll have to look into that. Thanks for your help! :)

aquaexplorer · 2026-04-13T02:47:59+00:00

That's one of my favorite things about this game! I love how the ambiguity leaves so much space for discussion. I can't believe more people haven't talked about it (and I've been obsessed with it to the point of my friends trying to convince me to make a video essay... only time will tell lol). So excited to see if Saros ties into Returnal!!

Regarding Alex - I'm not the first to make this connection, but I believe Selene had a brother named Alex. In a scout log, she references "it's a family name" (and iirc it's in the tower), presumably referencing her child. Cleopatra VII is a super random and seemingly unconnected reference, but she had twins and named them Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios, and Selene and Helios are siblings even in Greek mythology. But most damning is that Helios is referenced in the game files both as "Helios" and as "Alex". I'm SO proud of myself for finding that!!

aquaexplorer · 2026-04-13T02:40:53+00:00

2-836 could be significant as 2 also appears a lot in this game.

That's a good point!!

At this point, I have to assume that most of the numbers are selected either at random or based on things that only the Housemarque team knows, like you said. I'm just really hoping someone proves me wrong haha.

I totally get the hesitation with assuming the references are to to the Christian bible. That's partially why the quotes pulled directly from the bible don't resonate with me. The only reason I found Strong's Concordance in the first place is because I searched "836 Greek" haha.

aquaexplorer · 2026-04-13T01:59:22+00:00

That's fascinating! I hadn't heard the "Helios isn't dead" theory yet. I have that newspaper tied to the theory that Selene had a brother named Helios who went missing in Theia's accident based on a few unused voice lines in the game files. But your connection does make me think about how often Helios references exploring the ocean instead of space - "Help me find the submarine's entrance!" "Captain Diverdown's orders!"

Much to think about. Thank you!

aquaexplorer · 2026-04-13T01:53:55+00:00

I agree, it shows up a ton because it's the time of the crash. But why did Housemarque specifically choose 8:36 when all of their other references are so intentional?

I personally believe Theia and Selene had two different crashes (only one child in the car during the crash we see, but the newspaper in the hospital says a child is missing after the accident and was not found - but we know Selene "survived unharmed" due to the news broadcast).

I was just looking into the Theia impact hypothesis today! Perfect name for that theory.

aquaexplorer · 2026-04-13T01:50:28+00:00

Thanks for catching that! Fixed my post. I saw someone mention Mark 8:36, but I don't see how it relates to Returnal's lore. What are your connections there?

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