Bite-sized Review:
Celestial Return

By Chris Picone, 15 July, 2026

Celestial Return is a gorgeous new story-driven dice-based RPG in a similar vain to Citizen Sleeper.  Thematically it's something of a detective noir story, but set in a dark cyberpunk setting that also contains a paranormal element.  It sounds like a lot but it's all put together superbly.  

Aesthetics

The game's laid out similarly to Citizen Sleeper, featuring a map that lets you move from one hot spot to the next, and the rest of the game playing out in a dialogue sidebar with some visual teaser to pull you through - so anyone familiar with the genre will find everything very intuitive.  The art style's a bit different though - and weirdly varied throughout the game.  Most of the game's visuals are this really cool hand-drawn, dark age-esque comic style, but the map's an odd, somewhat low-res & blocky 3d affair, and there's are even weirder first-person dream sequences.  All in all though, it looks great.  And the music's fantastic.  

Gameplay

This is where Celestial Return does differ to Citizen Sleeper.  There are no clocks - everything's event-based, so time isn't an issue.  Instead, dice is the currency.  Quite literally - you use it to roll against your actions but it is also used to pay for bribes and is referred to literally as a form of payment throughout the story. There's a whole range of dice; "communist" dice always roll 4, while others give you bonuses or penalties toward particular skills.  Each action has a challenge level and it's up to you how many dice you use on each action.  Dice are very hard to come by - you will occasionally get lumped with either small or large quantities of them after finishing events but they often have to stretch a long way between resupplies. Challenge difficulty is a little odd too, ramping dramatically and not necessarily seeming to link to difficulty of the actual task at hand.  The concept's good but it's honestly a very clunky system that I think probably needs more balancing and thought. Thankfully, the game's real focus is on the story, which is simultaneously about a detective trying to bring down a corrupt government department while also dabbling in self-exploration and some paranormal themes - and it's told beautifully.  The plot is excellent. Intriguing, emotionally engaging, surprisingly original, and nails both the noir & cyberpunk vibes it's aiming at.  Some of the dialogue features an attempt at Disco Elysium-style inner monologuing, which threw me at first, but the writing's consistent and it really takes on a life of its own as the story progresses.  The other characters are both interesting and feel alive.  Also, there's plenty of choice & consequence all the way through the game, and it's all surprisingly meaningful rather than just smokes & mirrors.  Worth a replay.  

Verdict

While the dice mechanics are maybe a little imperfect and some of the visual artefacts feel slightly out of place, overall I loved Celestial Return.  The comic-style artwork and soundtrack really set the mood and stimulate the imagination, the story's fantastic, so is the writing, and it's chock full of meaningful choice & consequence.  I rate it highly and would recommend it to fans of Citizen Sleeper-type games as well as any cyberpunk fans that are down for a good read. 

Links: 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2704090/Celestial_Return/