Someday You'll Return

63%
Game Brain Score Based on 214 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Someday You'll Return Game Cover
Someday You’ll Return has some incredible atmosphere, but ultimately fails to scare due to some poor, forced stealth sections and tiresome crafting mechanics.
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"Someday You'll Return" is a single-player Horror Adventure game with an intriguing story of a father, Daniel, forced to return to his past and confront his fears to find his missing daughter. The game boasts good mechanics, outstanding visuals, and a fantastic soundtrack, but is marred by bugs. It explores intimate themes of fatherhood, fears, and past secrets, with malevolent forces and nightmares adding to the terror.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

63%
Audience ScoreBased on 214 reviews
story91 positive mentions
stability10 negative mentions
  • The game features a captivating story that keeps players engaged and guessing throughout.
  • The visuals and atmosphere are stunning, creating an immersive experience in the beautifully crafted Czech wilderness.
  • The game offers a variety of gameplay mechanics, including puzzles, crafting, and exploration, which enhance the overall experience.
  • The main character is often unlikable and frustrating, which can detract from the player's emotional investment in the story.
  • Some gameplay mechanics, such as stealth sections and potion crafting, can feel tedious and poorly implemented.
  • The pacing can be uneven, with certain sections dragging on and leading to player frustration.
  • story243 mentions

    The game's story is a central highlight, featuring a haunting narrative about a father's search for his missing daughter in the Czech forests, enriched by emotional depth and psychological themes. While some players found the plot predictable or the protagonist unlikable, many praised the immersive storytelling, atmospheric setting, and the integration of folklore elements, making it a memorable experience. However, the pacing and gameplay mechanics occasionally detracted from the overall narrative engagement, leading to mixed feelings about the execution.

    • “The story is amazing.”
    • “A very touching story that you get to experience in a truly immersive way.”
    • “The story is intriguing and captivating, making you wonder what it's all about, especially since it seems to deal with local legends most people will never have heard about.”
    • “The story is poorly written and easy to figure out long before our dumb protagonist does so.”
    • “However, I want to say that the plot and storyline of the game is where there is a massive falloff.”
    • “The whole story is pretty foreseeable once you're like half an hour to an hour into the game even though some details remain hidden until mid or late game.”
  • gameplay93 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of innovative mechanics, such as potion-making and climbing, alongside traditional exploration and puzzle-solving elements. However, many players find the experience marred by repetitive tasks, clunky mechanics, and pacing issues, leading to a sense of frustration and tedium. While some aspects, like the herbalism system and environmental design, are praised, the overall execution leaves room for improvement, particularly in integrating the various gameplay elements more cohesively.

    • “It has such a big variety of gameplay elements that you barely ever see in a game like this.”
    • “Beautiful scenery, really interesting gameplay mechanics along with an immersive and compelling, mature story, that left a lasting impression in my mind for days after completing.”
    • “The gameplay consists largely of exploration (at least initially) and various game mechanics that support world traversal, puzzle solving, and story progression.”
    • “Being forced to hear your character behave this way, having extremely limited agency in how you respond at all, makes for uncomfortable gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is horrific, lots of backtracking and crazy demands that will make following a walkthrough a necessity.”
    • “The gameplay itself is okay, but again not enjoyable, the puzzles feel like a chore, and movements are a bit unresponsive and in some areas buggy!”
  • graphics48 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beauty and attention to detail, particularly in outdoor environments like the Czech forest, showcasing impressive artwork and atmospheric design. While some users noted minor graphical stutters and bugs, the overall visual quality is considered among the best for indie games, with a unique aesthetic that enhances the gameplay experience. Despite a few criticisms regarding the audio and repetitive gameplay, the visuals remain a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere.

    • “Beautiful Czech nature, amazing soundtrack, great artwork, and an interesting story.”
    • “The game is beautiful; it perfectly captures the atmosphere and visuals of a Czech forest.”
    • “Graphics are amongst the best I’ve seen in an indie game, especially the forest scenes.”
    • “The graphic settings leave a lot to be desired.”
    • “My cell phone was inaccessible, the graphics turned to garbage, and the functionality of the game tanked.”
    • “The graphics aren't the best ever or too realistic, but they do their job nicely.”
  • atmosphere35 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and beautifully crafted environments, particularly the depiction of a Czech forest, which enhances the overall experience. Reviewers note that it effectively builds tension and suspense without relying heavily on jump scares, allowing players to fully engage with the unsettling locations and rich storytelling. While some find the gameplay tedious at times, the atmospheric design, sound, and attention to detail contribute to a captivating exploration experience.

    • “The game is beautiful; it perfectly captures the atmosphere and visuals of a Czech forest.”
    • “The atmosphere, tension, and uneasiness the game generates is enjoyable and a real treat to experience.”
    • “It offers intriguing landscapes and a unique atmosphere, based upon real locations and using the folklore of its Czech heritage.”
    • “The game does not seem that scary to me, although it has its moments; it's more about the atmosphere of the forest, whatever the state of it.”
    • “As for criticisms, as much as I hate to say it about a creation packed with so much impressive content, which applies to both art and surroundings, the game is too long… which means it loses traction occasionally, the atmosphere vanishes together with my motivation to go on, which, being only held by story at that point, is just not enough to stay immersed.”
    • “Whenever the guy opens his mouth, it destroys all the atmosphere that was built by the rest of the game's elements.”
  • music27 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the atmosphere, particularly through the inclusion of Czech folk songs that complement the stunning visuals and storytelling. While many players appreciate the soundtrack and its emotional resonance, some note inconsistencies in music placement during tense moments, leading to a desire for more consistent musical accompaniment. Overall, the sound design is considered a strong aspect of the game, contributing significantly to the immersive experience.

    • “Beautiful Czech nature, amazing soundtrack, great artwork, and interesting story.”
    • “A fantastic game with brilliant graphics and game design with some nice local folk music thrown in.”
    • “Amazing music and sound design really sells the feeling of hiking through Moravian forests.”
    • “I didn't like the music.”
    • “Like when a monster chases me, that's the one time I'd expect the voice lines to come in to help sell the high tension, but oddly the game sometimes has nothing here and is missing music.”
    • “The music with an opera singer, singing, in the most off-timing scenes I've ever seen.”
  • emotional10 mentions

    The game is praised for its deeply emotional narrative, with a gripping story that evolves into a tense and immersive experience, often evoking strong feelings from players. Many reviewers highlight the impactful character development and the emotional weight of the multiple endings, with some even noting that it elicited tears. However, there are suggestions for improvement in gameplay mechanics to enhance emotional engagement further.

    • “A very touching story that you get to experience in a truly immersive way.”
    • “The ending is satisfying and emotional, and it’s nice to see a game that will keep you thinking about it even after you finished it.”
    • “The story is gripping and it gets more and more emotional and tense; be sure to read all the diary entries and listen to all the whispers if you can, as it really helps to further expand the story and character development.”
  • stability10 mentions

    The game's stability is marked by a mix of bugs and glitches, particularly with enemy detection and sound issues, which can detract from the overall experience. While players note that the developers are actively working on patches to address these problems, some glitches remain, making the gameplay feel unresponsive at times. Overall, the game is considered enjoyable despite its stability issues, especially given its small development team.

    • “If you get spotted - something that happens often and from places you didn't even know there was an enemy - you are dead, unless the enemy glitches and gets stuck.”
    • “Toward the later chapters, I began to encounter consistent and frequent sound glitches where certain activities clearly should have accompanying sounds, but didn't.”
    • “The gameplay itself is okay, but again not enjoyable; the puzzles feel like a chore, and movements are a bit unresponsive and in some areas buggy!”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is characterized by tedious and repetitive gameplay, particularly in tasks like herbalism and exploration. While the atmosphere and story are appreciated, players find the mechanics frustrating and often feel stuck in monotonous environments.

    • “Whether it's trying to figure out what in the world the developers want you to find and click on, or walking over thin planks, it's just tedious...”
    • “- the game's herbalism feature - which sees you collecting plants to brew into various buffs - is tedious.”
    • “The atmosphere, story, and audio are all rather nice, but the gameplay is a little tedious and repetitive and you do get stuck/fall through the world sometimes.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    Overall, the game is praised for its smooth performance and effective optimization for modern hardware. However, there are concerns regarding the lack of specific controller button optimization, as it primarily emulates mouse controls. Visuals and environmental design are decent, contributing to a solid overall performance experience.

    • “The game runs smoothly and is optimized well for modern rigs.”
    • “The game seems to be optimized very well.”
    • “Decent visuals and environmental design. The herbalism system is a nice change of pace and offers some interesting mechanics. Performance is fairly solid.”
    • “The controller basically just emulates mouse; there’s no optimization for controller buttons whatsoever.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of crass millennial jokes and amusing game physics, particularly highlighted by a comical moment involving a spinning bridge that launches the player across the map. While some players find the overall gameplay tedious, the humor adds a layer of entertainment to the experience.

    • “But there was a funny part where one of the bridges I needed to cross was spinning a lot, and when I went to cross it, I flew across the map.”
    • “Interesting story and funny game physics.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    The game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it lacking due to its length, others appreciate the numerous opportunities for replay, citing engaging elements that encourage multiple playthroughs.

    • “Replay value? Oh yeah!”
    • “You do have to walk around a lot in this game, but it definitely has a lot of replay value.”
    • “No replay value, especially given the game's length.”
    • “The game lacks replayability, making it feel tedious after the first playthrough.”
    • “Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Character development is notably strong, with a gripping and increasingly emotional narrative that deepens as players engage with supplementary content like diary entries and whispers, enhancing their understanding of the characters' journeys.

    • “The story is gripping, and it becomes more emotional and tense as it progresses. Be sure to read all the diary entries and listen to all the whispers if you can; it really helps to further expand the story and character development.”
    • “The character arcs are incredibly well-crafted, making each decision feel impactful and meaningful throughout the game.”
    • “I love how the characters evolve based on the choices you make, creating a unique experience that feels personal and immersive.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and predictable, lacking the depth needed to make me care about their journeys.”
    • “I found the character arcs to be underwhelming, with little growth or change throughout the game.”
    • “Despite the interesting premise, the characters remain one-dimensional and fail to evolve in a meaningful way.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

55% average critic score

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Play time

24hMedian play time
21hAverage play time
19-30hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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