- A cyberpunk noir set in a neon-lit city … Scheduled for console release in 2027
- A narrative RPG where you track down a case while managing dice … A new title combining detective work and narrative
- From Kickstarter to IGN Fanfest, the demo launched with an 87% Very Positive rating.
Metaphor Games, an indie developer based in Istanbul, Turkey, and publisher Shoreline Games officially released the dice-based narrative RPG ‘Celestial Return’ on Steam on July 14.
[Related Article: Cyberpunk Noir RPG ‘Celestial Returns’ Announces Steam Release]
Celestial Return is a narrative RPG where you take on the role of Howard, a fallen detective, and explore ‘Nethervale City,’ where corpses come back to life and secrets are hidden throughout the city. With a few stolen dice and a talking rose as companions, the player tracks down the truth behind massive corruption.
In the work, dice transcend simple probability elements to become bullets, bribes, and sometimes even a means of sustaining a last life. In a city where death is closer than survival, every choice revolves around limited dice resources.
Celestial Return was first unveiled via Kickstarter last December and was originally targeted for release in May, but after postponing the schedule once, it has now reached its official launch.
Cyberpunk noir completed with the rough texture characteristic of hand-drawn art
The game adopts a hand-drawn art style that combines the delicacy of Japanese manga with the gritty expressions characteristic of American comics. The neon-lit city and characters with a gloomy atmosphere intensely express the unique worldview of cyberpunk noir.
In the Kickstarter campaign, the development team introduced works such as ‘Blade Runner’, ‘Berserk’, and ‘Akira’ as major inspirations for the art and story, and explained that the gameplay is a combination of ‘Disco Elysium’ and ‘Citizen Sleeper’.
In actual overseas reviews, the game’s strengths are recognized as its unique artwork and atmosphere, distinctive writing, and music and sound effects. The worldview, a blend of corrupt mega-corporations and cosmic horror, creates a gloomy yet tension-filled atmosphere unique to the game.
A dice system where conversation becomes combat
The core of Celestial Return is a dialogue system utilizing dice. Players acquire dice through exploration and spend them to develop their personalities and abilities. Subsequently, they can use the dice to achieve favorable outcomes through conversations with various characters and the resolution of events.
In dialogue, different inner dispositions such as foolishness, intelligence, and virtue influence choices. A balanced growth strategy is also important, as excessively developing a specific disposition can limit certain choices and story progression.
Dice are essentially a survival resource. If you conserve them too much, you might miss a crucial opportunity, but if you use them excessively, you might lose your options at a critical moment.
However, the overseas media outlet GamingBoulevard cited the limited means of replenishing dice as a drawback, noting that gameplay can feel somewhat monotonous once resources run out.
Released with a ‘Very Positive’ Steam rating, backed by a fandom that has grown since the demo.
Celestial Return has steadily garnered attention by unveiling demos at various events, including Steam Next Fest.
Immediately after its official release, it recorded a ‘Very Positive’ rating (87% positive) based on 62 reviews on Steam. The development team has been actively incorporating user feedback through the Steam community since before launch and has continuously carried out balance adjustments and bug fixes.
The development team unveiled an official trailer at IGN Fan Fest and distributed pre-order keys to Kickstarter backers. Although major ratings such as Metacritic have not yet been compiled, the game has garnered attention as a highly anticipated title since the demo stage, receiving praise for its unique combination of detective fiction and narrative RPG elements.
The first digital game containing the know-how of a renowned TTRPG developer
Metaphor Games is a dedicated digital game development studio under the multi-award-winning TTRPG studio Metis Creative, established to extend the world-building and storytelling experience accumulated in tabletop RPGs into digital games.
The development team aims to create a game as a single work of art where visuals, writing, and music harmonize, and they have embodied this philosophy in their first digital project, ‘Celestial Return’.
Celestial Return is also scheduled to be released on console platforms such as PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo in the first quarter of 2027. In addition, support for additional languages is planned, so it is expected that more global users will be able to experience the grim world and story of Nethervale City in the future.
Information regarding ‘Celestial Return’
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | Metaphor Games (Istanbul, Turkey, under Metis Creative) |
| Publisher | Shoreline Games |
| Genre | Dice-based narrative RPG |
| Release platform | PC (Steam) and consoles (PS, Xbox, Nintendo) are scheduled for the first quarter of 2027. |
| Release date | July 14, 2026 |
| price | $14.99 (20% launch discount) |
| Demo evaluation | Very positive (87% positive, based on 62 cases) |
| Development Background | Kickstarter launching in December 2025, IGN Fanfest trailer released |
| Steam Page | Shortcut |
