Let’s Talk About Re:Turn – One Way Trip

It is my absolute favourite time of the year! It’s the spooky season! Admittedly, I disappeared off the face of the horror game earth for a little while. But I’m back with some spooks today! Today, I’m going to talk about Re:Turn – One Way Trip. 

So, what is Re:Turn – One Way Trip?

Re:Turn – One Way Trip is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle adventure horror game. You play as Saki, one of five college friends on a post-graduation camping trip. Unfortunately for them, a sinister force has found them and hungers for their souls. Saki awakes in the middle of the night to find all of her friends missing from their campsite. In an attempt to find them, she is lured to an abandoned train. However, on this train, things are definitely not as they seem. Soon, Saki is flicking between the past and present as the barrier between them start to dissolve. Saki must search through a ghostly train in both timelines to find and save her friends, all while using her wits to survive. What else can she do when an unspeakable evil is hellbent on avenging unrequited love?
Re:Turn – One Way Trip comes to us from developer Red Ego Games and publisher Green Man Gaming.

Re:Turn to Fatal Frame?

There is no way I can talk about Re:Turn – One Way Trip without drawing similarities between it and Fatal Frame. I started getting these vibes early on, but it got more intense as I kept playing. It’s all down to the puzzles. However, I will admit there is A LOT of back and forth action. Honestly, Fatal Frame was the same. That’s where I first started drawing similarities. I love being able to draw similarities between different horror games. Especially when it’s an older game and a new game.

There was one puzzle element that really stood out to me. The masks. I honestly don’t see how inspiration WASN’T taken from Fatal Frame for this. There is a section where Saki is collecting masks and using them to open doors. In Fatal Frame, there is a section where Miku is collecting different masks to use for opening doors also. The masks in both games are different, but inspiration is definitely there from the 2001 survival horror game. This legitimately made me so happy.

Let’s get techy!

I want to start this section by saying I did run into a couple of small issues while I was playing. Nothing major, just a couple of points where I couldn’t pick items up. Little things are fixable by a quick restart. I have faced worse bugs in other games this week. More about that in a future review.

Let’s talk about the style and graphics. This time last year, hell, even only a few months ago, I was very iffy with 2D side-scrollers. I’m not quite sure why I just wasn’t much of a fan. Re:Turn – One Way Trip is another one of those games to make me reconsider my feelings on the style. There is something oddly satisfying about this game being a side-scroller. It just… works. Of course, we do get those full view of the characters, and they fit well too. The character design is nice enough, and the times are easy to differentiate. The actual ghosts also fit in well with the environment.

Lately, I’ve really been getting interested in colour palettes. Blame the painter side of me. I never gave it much notice in games before, but now I can’t stop. By now, you definitely know where I’m going with this. I won’t get too heavy into this, I’ll just keep it short. The colour palettes suit the whole style and genre perfectly. It is very aesthetically pleasing. That said, I just love the whole style overall here.

But would you Re:Turn? 

Re:Turn – One Way Trip is definitely a fun game. I really enjoyed playing, and I was pleasantly surprised by the length and the story development. Something else that really stands out (although it’s relatively common in games nowadays) is the multiple endings. There is a secret ending you can achieve in Re:Turn – One Way Trip. However, please don’t ask me how. I suck at most games, especially when there are multiple endings. Throwback to getting the Nightmare Ending in my first playthrough of Those Who Remain.

I will admit, spoiler-free of course, the ending really is… something. I’ve definitely experienced much worse in games, so I feel more neutral about it. However, there is a huge general consensus of the main ending being frustrating. And honestly, I can definitely see that. The alternative/secret ending isn’t much better. The more I think about all this, the less neutral I become. Here’s the kicker though, the game already has a sequel coming. Not only that, the developer has claimed that the ending and story will all make more sense in the sequel. I don’t know about you, but that sets off some alarm bells in my head.

For the most part, I did really enjoy Re:Turn – One Way Trip. It’s by no means a bad game, but it does leave something to be desired.

Stay tuned to GamEir. Come talk with us on Twitter (@gam_eir), Facebook (@GamEir), and Instagram (@GamEir). I promise we’re nice! Keep up with our streams over on Twitch (GamEir) and our videos on YouTube (GamEir) and we’ll give you all the latest content.

If for some reason you like the things I do, you can stalk me here! Or if you want to see some art, stalk me here or here!