*Note: from here on, this article is nothing but spoilers.<\/strong><\/p>\n At its heart, Returnal<\/em> is the story of one family and the cycle of domestic abuse that continues through the generations. So, let\u2019s go through it chronologically.<\/p>\n In the 1970s, Selene’s mother, Theia, was in the running to become an Apollo-era astronaut<\/a>. However, one night, when driving with a young Selene, the car mysteriously crashed off a bridge and into a lake<\/a>.\u00a0Selene was miraculously unharmed but Theia had spinal damage which left her confined to a wheelchair. With this, Theia\u2019s entire world crumbled. All she had worked for was for nothing. She would never be able to go to space.<\/p>\n To cope with her loss, Theia began to live vicariously through her daughter<\/a>\u2014forcing her dreams of becoming an astronaut onto Selene. Yet, even then, she ingrained in the child\u2019s mind that it should have been her to go to space, not Selene.<\/p>\n Even as an adult, Selene still struggled to live up to Theia\u2019s expectations and become an astronaut. However, one night, Selene had enough and irately confronted her mother<\/a>. Her mother responded by forcing herself out of her wheelchair and tried to strangle Selene<\/a>. Selene pushed Theia off of her and to the ground\u2014fatally injuring the old woman in the process. Even as Theia reached out, imploring for her daughter to help her, Selene turned away and left her to die.<\/p>\n Years later, Selene found herself as a single mother to her son, Helios<\/a>. Sadly, Selene\u00a0was never able to connect with Helios emotionally\u2014never able to love him like a mother should<\/a>. Like Theia had done with her, Selene tried to force a love of space onto Helios\u2014to build a connection through a shared passion. She filled Helios\u2019 room with space-related toys, books, and other decorations<\/a>. But Helios, as with most children, had his own likes and dislikes. Rather than journeys through space, he dreamed of adventures below the waves<\/a>. And while he tried to share his passion with his mother\u2014inviting her into his imaginative world of make-believe<\/a>\u2014he only succeeded in driving them further apart.<\/p>\n What was once a lack of connection became outright neglect\u2014with Selene opting to work late hours rather than come home<\/a>. However, even this eventually transformed into outright physical abuse. She took out her frustrations on Helios. She would rap his knuckles till they bled<\/a> and wake him up by strangling him<\/a>. And when he would hide from the monster she would sometimes become<\/a>, she would get even more violent\u2014even breaking the lock on her living room door to get to him.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/FDHQcmzXoAQdRRo.jpg?w=700&ssl=1\")
Image source: Housemarque<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n