Celestial Return Review – Dice Decide All

People are complex even during the best of times, but what do you do when said complexity rears its ugly head? Multiple voices guide you or make you give in to your worst impulses. Celestial Return turns the dial up to eleven by making you deal with all of those voices with a game of chance. It’s a story rich CRPG developed by Metaphor Games and published by Shoreline Games where you might not survive.

You are Howard, a detective in Netherveil City. A case comes your way involving three people who have died in a mysterious manner. It’s an urgent case and you must do everything in your power to solve it. Fortunately or unfortunately, Howard has several facts of his personality advising him on what to do. He must keep his personality in control if he wants to solve the mystery. Or give in to his impulses because it’s funnier that way.

Celestial Return is a mystery game that’s heavy on the reading. There isn’t much exposition; you must pick up the story as you go. Howard’s life, acquaintances, and past must be gleaned from the narrative. There’s also the case that is more complex than it initially appears, with your success dependent on how the dice roll. Every time you play the game, you learn something different due to your success or lack thereof.

I enjoyed reading through the text and giving in to dark impulses, but I felt that there were lots of areas that needed exposition. Learning about everything on my own felt like a chore because I did get lost a few times. Remembering the relationships between characters was a struggle, especially when new characters are introduced. The story made it sound like you already knew them, but I had no recollection of it.

You must take your time to read through and understand the story or the game’s strengths won’t appear. Celestial Return has a mind-tingling story that shouldn’t be skimmed through. I had to sit down and focus on the game for several hours to truly understand what was going on. Even then, I accidentally skimmed and had to reload a previous save to ensure I didn’t miss anything.

The real charm of the game is in the dice mechanics. Howard can sometimes use dice to influence his choices. Depending on the numbers he rolls, you either succeed or fail. Success can unlock options that were previously inaccessible while failure forces you to find another way to proceed. With several types of dice conferring different benefits, there’s lots of options to bypass an obstacle. Rolling dice is a game of chance though and even good dice can give you bad rolls.

However, Howard doesn’t have an infinite supply of dice. While you can replenish your stock through quests or events, you can’t roll for every decision. This makes you think about whether you want to use dice for a roll or save it for a greater decision. Due to the nature of Netherveil City, you might need to ignore any obvious wrongdoing to ensure your survival. Otherwise, your story might come to a sudden end.

I found it enjoyable to go through the different choices and celebrate my success or curse my failure. Failing always meant that I had to find another solution, but on another playthrough I could succeed. The thrill of a story with an outcome that isn’t set in stone makes it tempting to replay; even if you know how the story ends, knowing that the ending is subject to change is too tempting to ignore.

Rationing the rolls also immerses you in the tough world that is Netherveil City. Howard isn’t a hero and can’t claim to be. Intervening in every situation is a bad idea because soon Howard won’t be able to keep himself alive. Deciding whether or not I should intervene hooked me to the story. Would I step in to save someone’s life and take a risk? Or should I just walk away knowing that there’s a more pressing matter that needs my attention?

The downside is that because it’s a game of chance, sometimes you must play in specific ways to see the outcomes. Some options are locked because you must have prior information or answer a specific way. But it’s not always clear how or why said choice influences the future.

Celestial Return sets up a complex protagonist whose inner voices provide interesting choices. You can resolve situations in many ways and the dice game makes every playthrough unpredictable. It’s a text-heavy game that requires focus or you might miss crucial details that will make it hard to follow. For those who enjoy complex stories where the outcome can change, you will enjoy this game. If you aren’t into text-heavy stories or if games of chance infuriate you, it’s best to look elsewhere.

Victor reviewed Celestial Return on PC with a provided review code. This review is based on the version of the game available at the time of writing and our score will not be changed.