This guide will cover how to unlock one of the most useful early game artifacts – the Astronaut Figurine in Returnal. It’s located inside the 20th Century House, which is locked at first and you need to get inside to get the Figurine!
The 20th Century House is one of the out of place areas that you’ll see and want to investigate. The Astronaut Figurine Artifact rewarded for doing so is exceptionally powerful for how early you can get your hands on it. It can single handled save you and turn the tides of a rough boss Encounter.
Locate the 20th Century House
This is a fairly easy thing to do, you’ll usually find it really easily by simply staying alive and exploring the first initial biome. Due to the procedural generation of each cycle, it’s nearly impossible to show where the House is, but it will definitely stand out as you progress.
Upon approaching the house, you’ll hear Selene talk about an Astronaut. When you reach the door however, you’ll find that it’s locked.
To access the house, you’ll need to locate the key, which is found elsewhere in the stage.
Explore the House
This is a short, horror-like sequence where you’re exploring Selene’s house. Inside the house, you’ll find a few interact-able objects. These will lift the black fog covering parts of the house as you go through them allowing you to complete this mini quest.
First is a binder, where Selene states they kept their first mission log. The inside is sadly never shown, leaving less lore overall lore.
Next is a Photograph, which happens to trigger some sort of flashback, causing her to drop it and shatter the glass. The flashback itself doesn’t seem to have much context, outside of showing the house
There’s there’s two smaller less distinct objects, both being doors. The first is to the left of of the Photograph. Selene will open the door and remark it’s not supposed to be open before it slams shut from something unseen on the other side. Then you head up stairs and interact with the door on the left, which Selene can’t bring herself to open.
Then you finally come to a block on the floor, which Selene notes as having strange markings.
Moments later this block disintegrates into an eerie black and red fog.
When you finally reach the upstairs window and interact with it, you’ll see a short cutscene with an Astronaut outside the window for unclear reasons. Perhaps something to do with the person in the Photograph.
This ends with Selene becoming startled and collapsing onto the floor, for a nearby door to open with glowing bright light.
The Astronaut Figurine
You’ll wake up outside, and the Astronaut Figurine will be on the ground next to you. You can Scan it and pick it up, and it will now spawn with the rest of the game’s artifacts, either from chests or fabricators.
The item itself however does not describe what it does, or how helpful it really can be. It simply has the description of “Personal Item. Will not let you go.” What this powerful and helpful artifact does is revive you once after you take fatal damage. After that it’s gone until you get another one.
You only get this item guaranteed once this way, the house will be inaccessible on future cycles. I highly recommend saving this as a last minute pick up prior to fighting the Phrike Boss, as both the room with the house and the boss arena have teleporters in them.
Related Trophies
There are a couple trophies related to this item and it’s use.
The first is Welcome Home, which is gotten by completing the House sequence and unlocking the item.
The other is Second Chance, which is gotten when the item is triggered after taking fatal damage.
Looking for more guides? Check out the rest of our Returnal coverage content here on VULKK.com! Returnal launched on April 30th and is exclusively available only on Playstation 5.
