Review: Celestial Return – When Cyberpunk Hits the Mark

When Cyberpunk Hits the Mark

As someone who has spent more than 300 hours in Cyberpunk 2077, exploring every corner of Night City, completing side quests, and diving into every piece of lore I could find, I'm always looking for games that can capture even a fraction of that feeling. I love cyberpunk aesthetics, futuristic cities, stories about megacorporations, and morally gray characters, but it's surprisingly difficult to find a game that successfully brings all of those elements together. That's why I didn't have particularly high expectations for Celestial Return.

It looked interesting, but I never imagined it would pull me into its world so quickly. After just the first hour, I realized I had found something special. The atmosphere clicked with me immediately, and before long I found myself thinking about the game even when I wasn't sitting at my PC.

From the very beginning, the game throws you into a dark neon-lit city that feels like it's collapsing under its own weight. Megacorporations dominate every aspect of life, while mysterious forces lurking beneath the surface slowly introduce elements of cosmic horror. You play as a detective trying to unravel a conspiracy in a world where the line between reality and something far more terrifying grows thinner with every discovery.

The dialogue is well written, the characters are memorable, and the story immediately sparks your curiosity, constantly pushing you to uncover what's really happening behind the scenes.

Dice That Change the Entire Story

Without a doubt, the game's most original feature is its dice-based decision system. Unlike many RPGs where dice rolls are mostly limited to combat, here they influence nearly every important moment.

Whether you're bribing a corrupt official, picking a locked door, or convincing a suspect to tell you the truth, almost every major decision depends on a dice roll.

What impressed me the most is that failure rarely feels like punishment. Instead of ending the encounter or forcing a reload, failed rolls often unlock entirely new dialogue options, unexpected situations, or alternative story paths. Rather than worrying about succeeding every single time, I found myself excited to see how the world would react to my mistakes.

During one playthrough, I approached everything as a calm, methodical detective who relied on logic and evidence. In another, I embraced chaos, solving problems through bluffing, risky decisions, and pure luck. It's impressive how differently those two playthroughs unfolded.

Combat That Keeps You Engaged

Combat also strikes a satisfying balance between action and tactics. Battles play out in real time with the ability to pause, while dice rolls influence attack success, dodges, and special abilities.

One particular moment has stayed with me. I found myself in what looked like a hopeless situation and decided to bluff instead of fighting. The dice were on my side, the conversation took a completely unexpected turn, and I avoided combat altogether while unlocking an entirely new branch of the story.

Moments like that constantly reminded me that every decision matters.

A World That Makes You Want to Explore

The biggest reason I kept playing wasn't just the story or the dice mechanics—it was the world itself.

The city feels like a perfect blend of classic cyberpunk and cosmic horror. Neon lights illuminate dark alleyways, while every street corner hints at another mystery waiting to be uncovered.

More than once I completely forgot about my main objective simply because I wanted to explore another suspicious alley or talk to a strange NPC. To me, that's one of the biggest compliments I can give an RPG. The world encouraged exploration even when there was no obvious reward waiting for me.

The characters you meet leave a strong impression as well. From cynical corporate employees to people who have stared too deeply into cosmic horrors, nearly everyone has their own story to tell and a believable place within this universe.

It's Not Without Its Flaws

That doesn't mean Celestial Return is perfect.

The dice system can sometimes feel brutally unforgiving, occasionally punishing you even when your choices seem perfectly reasonable. Some parts of the story could also be explained more clearly, and there were moments when it felt like the game expected me to already understand parts of the world's lore that I was only beginning to discover.

Still, none of those flaws were significant enough to ruin my overall experience. In some ways, they even reinforce the unpredictable nature of the cyberpunk setting.

Final Verdict

Celestial Return genuinely surprised me. As a huge fan of the cyberpunk genre, it gave me that rare feeling of discovering a new world where every decision carries weight and every conversation could dramatically change the outcome.

If you enjoy RPGs where dialogue is just as important as combat, where dice rolls shape the narrative, and where atmosphere is every bit as important as gameplay, then Celestial Return absolutely deserves a place on your wishlist.

It already offers a fantastic experience, and with future updates, I can easily see it becoming one of the most memorable indie cyberpunk RPGs I've played in recent years.

Game Information

Developer: Metaphor Games

Publisher: Shoreline Games

Genre: Cyberpunk RPG / Detective RPG / Narrative Adventure

Platform: PC (Steam)

Release Date: 16.06.2026

If you enjoyed this review, be sure to check out all of our other game reviews here.