Someday You'll Return Takes Inspiration From A Horror Classic
There once was a time when the video game horror genre was virtually nonexistent, with even the most long-running series abandoning their roots for a more action-oriented approach. However, the huge success of Amnesia: The Dark Descent in 2010 saw that trend reverse in a big way, and now new horror games are releasing regularly. In fact, two of the most-talked about Xbox Series X console exclusives are horror games, showing that the genre is here to stay.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent was notable for its first-person view and how players were helpless against enemies, requiring a stealthy approach if they wanted to make it through the game alive. However, Amnesia also had great world-building elements, sharp writing, and interesting physics-based puzzles. Amnesia's focus on puzzles kept it aligned with the survival-horror games that preceded it, and made the game engaging for more reasons than just its scares.
Amnesia's success saw a huge number of copycat games, with notable titles including Outlast and Layers of Fear. However, those games, and many of the other horror titles that popped up in Amnesia's wake, largely left the puzzle-solving by the wayside. Instead many of them are horror-themed "walking simulators," failing to carry over some of Amnesia's compelling puzzle-solving in their imitation.
Someday You'll Return, however, is an exception. The game is still very clearly inspired by the likes of Amnesia and Outlast, but it actually retains puzzle-solving, and is a bit more involved than some of the other Amnesia copycats on the market. But whereas Amnesia relied on physics-based puzzles, Someday You'll Return features more adventure game-style puzzles, with players having to find items hidden in the environment and use them in conjunction with things in their inventory to progress.
Someday You'll Return is at its best when featuring these kinds of puzzles and encouraging players to explore its game world. It also helps it stand apart from the endless line of Amnesia clones that are on the market, making it a much more interesting option for horror game fans looking for something new to play.
Someday You'll Return puts a lot more into puzzle-solving than similar games, but that doesn't mean it's neglected other things that fans look for in the genre. Someday You'll Return is just as scary, if not scarier, than many other games it's similar to, successfully cultivating a creepy atmosphere and delivering effective, jarring jump scares that come out of nowhere.
One reason why Someday You'll Return is so effective in creating a disturbing atmosphere is thanks to its generally great sound design, particularly when it comes to its soundtrack. Someday You'll Return's musical score is easily one of the best things about it, and it does a great job at getting players engrossed in the story.
Unfortunately, Someday You'll Return's voice acting does a great job of ruining that immersion at times. The voice acting in Someday You'll Return is lacking, with protagonist Daniel coming across as more annoying than sympathetic. Daniel's lines are delivered in a cartoonishly evil and over-the-top way at times, making it difficult to care all that much about his plight or take him seriously. Having an unlikable main character makes it difficult for players to become truly invested in their story, and that may very well sour some horror fans on Someday You'll Return.
Someday You'll Return also suffers when it starts leaning heavier into the stealth gameplay, which has become tired in the genre. Part of the reason why Amnesia's stealth sections succeeded was that they were few and far between. They never overstayed their welcome, and players were able to get around Amnesia's monsters with minimal frustration. The monsters in Amnesia were still enough of a threat that the stealth sections had weight to them, but other games have really struggled with finding that balance. Someday You'll Return is one of them, and any horror enthusiasts who are tired with the genre's obsession with stealth should be warned that there's plenty of that here.
Someday You'll Return really takes the best and worst aspects of modern horror games. It has the great puzzles and more engaging gameplay of Amnesia, but it also has the frustrating stealth sections that are found in many Amnesia clones. Those that can't stand the stealth sections that dominate many modern horror games may not find Someday You'll Return to be up their alley, but others will be able to look beyond its issues to find a fairly compelling horror game experience.
Someday You'll Return is far from the worst horror game released in recent years, but it's unlikely to be hailed as one of the best horror games of 2020 by the time the year is out. The game is a bit of a mixed bag, but there's definitely enough compelling stuff here to make the idea of CBE Software doing a similar game in the future a very appealing prospect.
Someday You'll Return is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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