Info about Return: Official game description: Wishlist Our Next Game ====================== About the Game ============== Return home ----------- You left the planet 200 years ago in search of a new life on the colonies, now you've returned against your will and must fight to survive in the post-apocalyptic world you once called home. Fight powerful enemies ---------------------- As you explore the world, you'll encounter different enemies and bosses soaked with lore. Slaying them can reward you with new grimoire, relic era currency, parts for your ship, and mysterious treasures. Explore mysterious landscapes ----------------------------- Your home has mutated and evolved since you've been gone. Explore the vast ruins of the city to the desolate valleys of the wasteland and uncover secrets of the past and present. Meet new friends ---------------- On your journey you'll make new friends who can reward your efforts of bravery and meet merchants who will sell you important items and weapons in exchange for the spoils of your adventure. Upgrade your weapons -------------------- Purchase, unlock, and upgrade powerful new weapons to fight enemies. Keep your favorite weapons and upgrade them throughout the game with mastery points. Buy now ------- Release date: 29 May, 2023 Categories: Soulslike Combat, Metroidvania, Exploration, Weapon Customization, Character Progression, Tactical Combat, Single-player, Environmental Storytelling - Hardware Profile: No data Feature extractions: - Community Price: No data - Playtime Metrics: No data - Time-to-fun: No data - Player Archetypes: No data Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category. Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews. What players like: - Stunning & Unique Art Style (weight 0.99): The game's art style, particularly its unique and minimalist pixel art, received widespread praise. This visual design, combined with effective use of light, shadow, and color, created a compelling and memorable aesthetic. - Enjoyable & Satisfying Experience (weight 0.68): Players consistently found the game to be a fun, enjoyable, and satisfying experience. Its moderate difficulty and concise length contributed to a fulfilling playthrough that didn't overstay its welcome. - Immersive & Haunting Atmosphere (weight 0.55): The game excels in creating a strong, immersive, and often haunting atmosphere. This was a key factor in keeping players engaged and interested throughout their playthrough, highlighting the game's world-building and mood. - Fantastic Music & Soundtrack (weight 0.17): The game's music and soundtrack were consistently praised for being amazing, fantastic, and perfectly fitting the mood and atmosphere of the game. - Impressive Solo Indie Dev (weight 0.11): Players were impressed by the game's quality, especially considering it was developed by a solo indie developer, highlighting the dedication and effort put into the project. - Comfortable Controls (weight 0.07): The game's controls were found to be comfortable and played nicely, particularly on a gamepad, contributing to a smooth and pleasant gameplay experience. - Impactful Blood Effects (weight 0.06): The visual effect of blood scattering during combat was specifically mentioned as adding to the intensity and impact of fights. Common complaints: - Short playtime, high price (weight 0.77): Many players felt the game was too short (around 2.5-4 hours) and lacked sufficient content to justify its price point, often cited as $18-$25. This led to a perception of low value and limited replayability. - Inconsistent boss design (weight 0.41): Bosses often shared similar attack patterns, leading to repetitive strategies. While some were frustratingly difficult due to speed or screen clutter, others were too easy, indicating a lack of consistent and varied boss design. - Clunky UI and menus (weight 0.26): The user interface and menu navigation were criticized for being clunky, confusing, and lacking intuitive controls, especially regarding d-pad support and quantity adjustments in shops. - Shallow story and lore (weight 0.25): The game's story, lore, and character development were perceived as shallow, superficial, and uninspired. Players felt a lack of world-building and depth, making it difficult to connect with the narrative or characters. - Unfair enemy attacks/health (weight 0.16): Enemies, particularly low-level mobs and certain summoned minions, were criticized for having excessively fast attacks, high health, and unclear hitboxes, leading to frustrating and unavoidable damage. - Problematic dialogue system (weight 0.09): Dialogue boxes were problematic, with players accidentally skipping dialogue due to unclear cues or fast-disappearing text. Dialogue choices were also noted as meaningless. - NG+ lacks replay value (weight 0.08): New Game+ offered little new content, essentially being the same experience as the first playthrough. This, combined with losing money, made replaying the game feel pointless and unrewarding. - Incomplete tutorial (weight 0.07): The in-game tutorial was deemed unhelpful and incomplete, failing to teach essential mechanics like dodging, inventory use, or fast travel. - Unrewarding exploration (weight 0.05): Exploration was not engaging, with players finding many areas empty or uninteresting, leading to a lack of incentive to explore. - Limited movement options (weight 0.05): Movement capabilities were considered insufficient, specifically noting a lack of vertical movement options. - Irrelevant leveling system (weight 0.04): The leveling system felt irrelevant and not worth investing time in, as it didn't significantly impact gameplay or progression. - Inconsistent difficulty curve (weight 0.04): The game's difficulty progression was described as strange, with an inconsistent and jarring increase in challenge at certain points. - Lacks accessibility features (weight 0.04): Players suggested the game could benefit from additional accessibility features, noting that existing mechanics like guns and potions felt like pseudo-accessibility attempts. - Confusing area design (weight 0.04): The design of the opening forest area was confusing, with open spaces acting as doors, which broke immersion for some players. Gameplay feedback: - Engaging and Tactical Combat (weight 0.85): The combat system is generally well-received, described as simple yet challenging, with a good balance of melee and ranged options. Players appreciate the need to learn enemy and boss patterns, making fights tactical and engaging. - Soulslike Metroidvania Experience (weight 0.61): The game is frequently compared to 2D Dark Souls or Metroidvania titles, indicating a challenging, exploration-focused experience with soulslike combat mechanics. It's seen as a more accessible version of these genres. - Melee Dominates Combat (weight 0.51): While the game offers both melee and ranged combat, many players found melee to be more effective and often sufficient to complete the game, even against bosses. This suggests a potential imbalance in weapon utility. - Weapon Variety and Upgrades (weight 0.24): The game features a variety of weapons and upgrade systems. However, some players felt that many gun upgrades were not impactful, and shop weapons often outperformed upgraded ones, leading to a lack of incentive for certain upgrades. - Persistent Enemy Respawn (weight 0.16): Enemies respawn upon re-entering areas, which can be used for farming but also means there's no true 'pause' as enemies remain active in menus. This design choice impacts pacing and player strategy. - Limited Skill Utility (weight 0.13): The game includes active item slots and a single passive perk slot, but the utility of these skills and items was questioned by some players, who felt they didn't significantly alter gameplay or provide meaningful advantages. - Cryptic Storytelling (weight 0.07): The game's narrative is cryptic and relies on environmental storytelling, which some players found lacking in depth or explanation, requiring close attention to piece together the lore. - Healing Potion Scarcity (weight 0.07): Player feedback on healing potions is mixed; some found them useful for tanking bosses, while others noted their scarcity and high cost, suggesting a potential balance issue with resource management. - Convenient Fast Travel (weight 0.07): Fast travel is available to key locations like markets, improving navigation. However, the mechanic of holding a button to activate it was noted by some players. Performance notes: - Excellent technical performance (weight 0.08): Players consistently report excellent technical performance, noting smooth gameplay and a lack of bugs across various devices. This indicates a well-optimized and stable game experience. Recommendations: - Highly Recommended Experience (weight 0.69): Many players recommend the game, especially for fans of atmospheric, story-rich, or 'Souls-like' 2D action games. It's seen as a worthwhile, pleasant, and often challenging experience, particularly for those looking for a shorter game. - Desire for More Content (weight 0.15): Players express a strong desire for more content, whether through updates, DLC, or a sequel. They are eager to see the developers continue creating games in this style. - Controller Recommended (weight 0.08): Players strongly recommend using a controller for the best gameplay experience. There's also a specific suggestion to rebind movement from the thumbstick to the d-pad. - Support Indie/Sci-Fi (weight 0.04): A few players mention the importance of supporting indie developers and the sci-fi genre in general. - Alternatives Available (weight 0.03): One player suggests that other games like Hollow Knight or Blasphemous offer a similar or better experience for a comparable price. - Looking Forward to Playing (weight 0.02): One player expresses excitement about playing through the game. - Cannot Refund (weight 0.02): One player mentions trying to get achievements since they cannot refund the game, implying dissatisfaction. Other player notes: - Brilliant Sound Design Details (weight 0.2): The sound design is highlighted as brilliant, with specific mentions of satisfying gun and melee sounds. Attention to detail, such as blood splatter effects, further enhances the immersive experience. - Creative Character Designs (weight 0.1): Players appreciate the distinct and creative designs of characters and enemies, noting their unified theme. However, there's a desire for more interactable NPCs. - Game Shows Potential (weight 0.09): Some players acknowledge the game's potential and neat ideas, even if they found parts of it boring. This suggests a solid foundation that could be built upon. - Limited Dialogue and Lore (weight 0.06): The dialogue and available lore paths were described as somewhat lackluster and lacking in quantity, indicating a potential area for expansion to enrich the world and player interactions. - Sequel and Feature Ideas (weight 0.05): Players are already thinking about future content, suggesting specific features like jumping and hoping for a sequel, indicating a desire for more from the developer. - Developer Actively Updating (weight 0.04): The developer is actively working on updates to provide more content, which is a positive sign for the game's longevity and player engagement. Emotions: - Satisfaction (weight 0.37): Players expressed satisfaction primarily due to the game's strong artistic elements, including its art style, visuals, atmosphere, and music. The combat system, overall game quality, and the value provided for the price also contributed significantly to positive player experiences. - Disappointment (weight 0.19): Disappointment stemmed mainly from the game's short length, perceived lack of content, and high price point. Repetitive gameplay, shallow world-building, and issues with boss variety or design also contributed to negative feelings. - Frustration (weight 0.1): Frustration was frequently caused by the game's difficulty, particularly in combat and specific boss encounters. Issues with the user interface (UI), inventory navigation, and unintuitive mechanics also led to player annoyance. - Enjoyment (weight 0.07): Enjoyment was a general positive feeling derived from the overall gameplay experience, including engaging boss fights, appealing visuals, and effective exploration mechanics. The game's 'vibe' and the feeling of gameplay 'clicking' also contributed to this emotion. - Excitement (weight 0.04): Excitement was generated by the game's high overall quality, impressive visuals, and engaging boss encounters. Players also expressed excitement for the developer's future work, indicating a strong positive impression. - Appreciation (weight 0.04): Players appreciated the game's immersive world, effective storytelling, and strong artistic direction, including its pixel art, atmosphere, and sound design. These elements contributed to a deep sense of value and admiration for the game's craft. - Admiration (weight 0.03): Admiration was specifically directed towards the game's art style, visual design, and the evident passion and love from the creator. This indicates a high regard for the aesthetic and the effort put into the game's presentation. - Desire (weight 0.02): Players expressed a desire for more content, including additional game modes, due to the game's short length. This indicates that while the existing content was enjoyed, there was a strong wish for more to experience. - Confusion (weight 0.02): Confusion arose from unclear game mechanics, such as genre mixing and initial difficulty spikes, as well as issues with the map system, side quests, and unintuitive fast-travel controls. These aspects hindered player understanding and progression. - Suggestion (weight 0.01): Players offered suggestions for potential improvements, focusing on accessibility and game balance. This indicates a constructive desire for the game to be more user-friendly and finely tuned. - Hope (weight 0.01): Hope was expressed regarding the potential for improvements in a future sequel. This suggests that despite any current issues, players see strong potential in the game's concept and the developer's capabilities. - Joy (weight 0.01): Joy was a general positive emotion stemming from the overall quality and experience of the game. It signifies a strong, unadulterated positive reaction to playing the game. - Anger (weight 0.01): Anger was specifically directed at the game's price point in relation to its short length. This indicates a strong negative reaction to what was perceived as poor value for money. - Relief (weight 0.01): Relief was experienced upon discovering upgrades within the game. This suggests that progression and the acquisition of new abilities provided a positive shift in the player experience, potentially alleviating earlier difficulties. - Tedium (weight 0.01): Tedium was caused by repetitive gameplay. This indicates that certain game loops or activities became monotonous over time, leading to a feeling of boredom or weariness. - Awe (weight 0.01): Awe was inspired by the game's overall quality and its artistic presentation. This signifies a profound sense of wonder and admiration for the game's craftsmanship and aesthetic appeal. - Indifference (weight 0.01): Indifference was felt towards the combat and replayability aspects of the game. This suggests that these elements did not strongly engage players, leading to a neutral or unenthusiastic response. - Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance stemmed from unclear game mechanics and issues with the user interface. These problems created friction in the player experience, making the game less enjoyable to interact with. - Anticipation (weight 0.01): Anticipation was felt for the developer's future projects. This indicates a strong positive impression of the developer's work, leading players to look forward to their next releases. - Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise was specifically related to the game's storytelling. This suggests that the narrative elements were unexpectedly engaging or impactful, leading to a positive and memorable experience.}