Retrace
- January 20, 2020
- Spider Lily Studios LLC
Get on Steam"Retrace" is a single-player Horror Visual Novel game with an intriguing story and good music. Players explore a 2D world full of puzzles, action sequences, and secrets, all while trying to escape a deadly place that rewards death with the ability to rewind time. The game features traditional logic puzzles, heart-pounding action, and the ability to use what you learn from one path to explore further in another.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features a touching and engaging story that explores themes of self-discovery and emotional growth, making it a cathartic experience.
- The art and music are beautifully crafted, enhancing the overall atmosphere and emotional impact of the game.
- The puzzles, while simple, are enjoyable and well-integrated into the narrative, allowing for a satisfying gameplay experience.
- The game is relatively short, taking only about 2-3 hours to complete, which may leave some players wanting more content.
- There are some bugs and polish issues that can detract from the experience, such as achievements not unlocking properly.
- The dialogue can be clunky at times, and figuring out how to trigger all the endings can be a hassle.
- story18 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's story is highly praised for its emotional depth and engaging characters, blending themes of self-discovery, queer romance, and personal growth within a horror-light atmosphere. Players appreciate the well-written dialogue, captivating art, and music, which enhance the overall experience, making it a memorable journey that encourages replayability. While the narrative is concise, lasting around two to three hours, it effectively captivates players without unnecessary filler, leaving them satisfied with the endings and eager for more from the developers.
“A touching story, if horrific, about discovering yourself.”
“The music is great, the dialogue and characters are quite well written, and all in all it's an enjoyable story with a sort of supernatural escape room twist, with themes of self-acceptance, queer romance, perseverance, and growth.”
“The game's story and ambiance caught my attention and held it; I was motivated to play through it in a single sitting.”
“Completion of the basic storyline takes maybe 3 hours, with a single bonus achievement for finding all of the hidden bad ends.”
“All in all, a first playthrough will probably take about two to three hours, and once you've discovered all the secrets and solutions, playing a 100% run will probably take the same amount of time - depending on if you're reading the dialogue again or skipping through. Of course, since the story is the joy of replaying it, why would you want to skip it?”
“I'd hoped I could see more of their backstory.”
- music10 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently praised for its emotional depth and quality, enhancing the overall experience with haunting soundtracks that complement the story and characters. Reviewers highlight the music as a standout feature, describing it as fantastic and well-integrated into the gameplay, making it a memorable aspect of the game. Overall, the combination of great art and solid music contributes to a delightful and immersive experience.
“The soundtracks were amazing and did a great job of evoking emotions throughout the game.”
“The music is great, the dialogue and characters are quite well written, and all in all it's an enjoyable story with a sort of supernatural escape room twist, with themes of self-acceptance, queer romance, perseverance, and growth.”
“The music was nice and it definitely goes well with the world that Retrace tries (and succeeds) to build.”
“The music is haunting.”
“The soundtrack is definitely worth adding if you choose to purchase it.”
- gameplay4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity, featuring enjoyable logic puzzles that are reminiscent of the Zero Escape series. While the mechanics are straightforward, they effectively support the narrative focus of the game, with hints provided to guide players through the puzzles. Overall, the simplicity of the gameplay is well-received, as it complements the story-driven experience.
“Gameplay is simple, with equally simple but fun puzzles.”
“The game mechanics definitely reminded me of Zero Escape, and I appreciated the logic puzzles as well as how there were hints to guide players on the right path in the game.”
“About the gameplay, well... it is quite simple.”
“This kind of game focuses more on the story, or at least that's how I see it, so I didn't mind that the gameplay was somewhat simple.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its touching and well-written story that explores themes of self-discovery, defying death, and fate. Despite its brevity, players find the emotional moments impactful and engaging, making for a memorable experience.
“A touching story, albeit horrific, about discovering yourself.”
“An emotional game that takes you on a journey to defy death and fate.”
“Despite the game's short length, the characters are well-written and easy to care for, and the emotional moments hit excellently.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The graphics are praised for their creativity and beauty, featuring unique pixel art that enhances the overall aesthetic. While the game is categorized as horror, the gore is minimal and can be toggled off, allowing players to enjoy the visuals without graphic content. The accompanying music further complements the visual experience.
“Short but creative, with surprisingly good graphics and music.”
“The visuals are beautiful and unique.”
“Even though it's listed as a horror game, the gore is limited to pixel sprites (which can be toggled) and descriptions. None of the CGs are graphic in nature.”
“The graphics feel outdated and lack the detail expected from modern games, making the overall experience less immersive.”
“Character models are poorly designed, and the environments lack texture, which detracts from the overall visual appeal.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is described as surprisingly chilling, offering a horror-light experience that balances tension without being overly frightening, making it suitable for those who enjoy a less intense horror narrative.
“If you're looking for a horror-light (but not zero-horror) atmospheric story, this is a good choice.”
“The atmosphere is surprisingly chilling, but the game overall is not 'scary' - and I'm someone who's scared of her own shadow!”
“The game tries to create a tense atmosphere, but it often falls flat and feels more dull than engaging.”
“While the visuals are decent, the atmosphere lacks depth and fails to immerse you in the game world.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability at launch was criticized for being unpolished and buggy, with issues such as repeated events and missing scenes during replays. However, the development team promptly addressed these concerns with an update that resolved most of the reported problems.
“The first part is just unpolished and buggy enough to be noticeable, such as picking up the same object or seeing the same event twice in a run, and not seeing expected scenes when re-attempting a route.”
“When I bought it on release day, it was a little buggy, but the team behind Retrace was quick to respond to the feedback, and an update fixed all the problems I and some others had.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is praised for its appealing designs and relatable traits, with the principal cast embodying a charming, soft aesthetic that resonates well with players.
“All the character designs are just a platonic ideal of soft gay, and it's hard not to love any of the principal cast.”
