The term “walking simulator” can sometimes be used as a criticism, but that doesn’t mean that these games can’t have an incredible impact. As demonstrated in the character-driven mystery of Firewatch, it’s a genre that – when implemented correctly – can create some excellent story-focused experiences. Return To Grace, from Creative Bytes Studios, is the latest game to aim to be a success with the genre.
Return To Grace casts the player as Adie, a space archeologist looking for the resting place of Grace, a powerful AI that once helped humanity rule the solar system. By finding Grace, Adie hopes to lead humanity out of a current dark age and into an era of development and glory. Behind it all, however, there’s still the question to be answered of exactly why Grace disappeared in the first place. Can Return To Grace rank up there with those great detective video games?
Adie isn’t going it alone on this journey, though, and is joined by various AI characters who speak to Adie via her intercom. These AIs are different, shattered parts of Grace’s personality, and it slowly showcases the complexities of this forgotten AI. It helps add character to the overall game, too, from the calmness of Empathy to the matter-of-fact approach of Logic, through to amalgams of different personality traits seen in the child-like enthusiasm of Pal.
The game builds to a decent enough conclusion, although it does lack a bit of impact. This could have been addressed if the player had more context about the world at large, as Adie essentially arrives at the location of Ganymede in media res, with no snippets of exactly what struggles humanity is currently facing. A little more time expanding what pressures Adie (and the human race at large) is facing could have helped here, especially given Return To Grace’s relatively short run-time.
Alongside its strong story, the other key immediate selling point of Return To Grace is its excellent visual design. When the player walks into Grace’s complex from the bitter chill of Ganymede, they will immediately be struck by its bold and powerful art deco design choices, intensifying the idea of the setting being a relic of a glorious bygone age. It creates a wonderful contrast, between the bold and luxurious colors of the station and the barren world outside.
2023-05-30 08:30:05
Original from screenrant.com
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