Celestial Return news & patch notes

It’s been one week since our game hit the wild.

For four years, this game was almost our entire lives. Every evening after work, every weekend, every holiday Bilge (Whiplash) and I poured absolutely everything we had into this project. Seeing you all actually play it, and care about it... has been the most overwhelming, beautiful experience of our lives.

The Bumps in the Road

Of course, not everything went flawlessly. We had more bugs than we'd like. Some systems misbehaved, and players rightly pointed out continuity hiccups, awkward pacing, or spots where we could have done better.

As a result, this week has been a blur of patches. We’ve smashed progression blockers, fixed save issues, ironed out dialogue bugs, added more collectible Dice, buffed items, and tweaked the Dice economy. We know the balance still isn't quite where it needs to be, but we are wrestling with those systems every single day. The whiteboard is still full, but we're excited to keep crossing things off. Thank you for your incredible patience while we get it right.

The Highlights

The best part of this whole week? Watching the community form around this game. I've never felt such a deep sense of belonging.

A Massive Community W: To the absolute legend who took it upon themselves to fully localize the game into Russian. you completely blew our minds. We never in a million years thought something like that would happen. Just... wow. We are so incredibly humbled and grateful. You can find their work here:

PlayStation Store is LIVE! Console players, we've got news: our PS Store page is officially open! The page still needs some polishing, but we wanted to spread the word early so you can go hit that wishlist button. https://store.playstation.com/tr-tr/concept/10020364

Known Issues

We're still investigating a few issues that haven't been fully solved yet:

Quest Log: Sometimes the quest log appears to lock itself visually. This is only a visual issue, your actual quest progress is not affected. We're still trying to track down what's causing it.

Intro Video Stuttering: The opening cinematic is still stuttering on certain setups. We are actively looking into it.

First-Launch Colorful Blocks: When opening the game for the first time, some players are greeted by random, colorful blocks on the screen. It behaves very differently depending on the machine.

So far, the community has found two temporary workarounds:

• Switch to Windowed Mode, then back to Fullscreen.

• Restart the game.

We're still investigating the root cause and working on a proper fix.

What Comes Next?

We want to make this the game it deserves to be.

Finally, thank you to everyone who has left a Steam review. We're still hoping to reach more players. We've got a few Steam events coming up, so fingers crossed more players discover Celestial Return through those.

Whether you've been here since day one or just picked up the game yesterday... Thank you for giving our first game a chance.

Here's to week two.

– Kerem (Vermin Devourer) and the Metaphor Games Team

Another patch is live!

Changes

• Improved the reliability of save/load in a few edge cases.

• Fixed several dialogue issues and typos reported by the community.

• Updated the Dice tutorial to make it clearer that Dice are consumable resources.

• Added more collectible Dice to several scenes throughout the game.

Hey everyone!

Another small update is live!

Changes

• Added an autosave at the end of every Book. The game already autosaves at the beginning of every scene, but we've also added an autosave at the end of each Book to make sure you have a more reliable checkpoint before moving on.

• Fixed an Insight leveling bug. There was a bug that allowed Insight skills to level beyond the intended maximum of Level 3. This has now been fixed.

Thanks again for all the bug reports and feedback. We really appreciate everyone taking the time to help us

Hey everyone!

Our goal was for spending dice to feel tense and meaningful. The idea behind the system is that money is luck and you're only as lucky as the dice count you have.

(We might have drawn a little too heavily from real-life inflation for this one... it's rough, folks.)

That said, we realized that in some spots, the tension tipped over into frustration. That's definitely not the experience we want. To smooth things out, we've made the following balance changes:

• Added more collectible Dice throughout the game.

• Reduced the difficulty of several Dice checks.

• Buffed a number of items to make them more worthwhile.

We'll keep reading your feedback and continue tweaking the balance in future updates. Thank you all so much for playing and sharing your experiences. You guys are the best, and we hope this patch makes the experience a whole lot smoother.

Hey everyone!

Another patcy is live. Thanks again for all the bug reports and feedback. We've been reading everything and working through the list as fast as we can.

• Fixed several issues that could prevent saving or loading the game correctly.

• Fixed a bug that could cause dialogue choices to not appear.

• Fixed an issue that could cause character portraits to appear in the wrong position during certain scenes.

• Fixed an issue where the "Who Let the Dogs Out?" random encounter could trigger after the story events it was meant to introduce.

• Fixed an issue where DK could reference Yara before the player had actually rescued her in certain story paths.

• Fixed a progression blocker where players could get stuck at RR Industries if they couldn't afford the required drones.

• Fixed a bug that could cause "Different Kind of Muse" quest to end incorrectly in certain situations.

• We're still working on improving the overall game balance. As a temporary solution, we've increased the amount of starting Dice players receive.

Thanks again for all the reports and feedback. Here's what's included in this update:

• Switched to new video codecs to fix the broken video playback on Steam Deck.

• Fixed the stuttering during the intro video. (The intro was originally rendered in 4K, which was causing performance issues on some systems. We've reduced the quality a little, and it now plays smoothly.)

Thanks for helping us make Celestial Return better!

• Fixed the incorrect Neural Archive Boost description.

• Fixed an issue where loading a save from the main menu could incorrectly start the intro sequence.

• Fixed an issue where Howard could get stuck outside RR Industries, preventing players from entering the location.

• Fixed an issue where multiple Communist Dice weren't calculating correctly.

• Fixed an issue that caused the game to lock up at the graveyard scene.

Known Issues

Hey everyone! We wanted to share the issues we're currently aware of and working on.

H.264 Video Issue (Steam Deck / Linux / Proton)

Some Steam Deck and Linux (Proton) users may experience issues with H.264 videos.

This issue only appeared after the game went live (due to H.264 licensing), we never encountered it during testing. We've already identified the cause, and a fix is coming today.

(Edit: This issue has now been fixed in Patch 1.0.0.11. If you're still experiencing any video-related problems after updating, please let us know in the discussions so we can take a look.)

Grey Screen When Starting a New Game

Some players may encounter a grey screen the first time they click New Game.

If this happens, simply close the game and launch it again. That should resolve the issue, and you shouldn't encounter it again.

We're actively working on a permanent fix and hope to have it out as soon as possible.

Thank you so much for all the bug reports and your patience. They help us fix issues much faster.

Hey everyone!

Sorry for being a little quiet. The last few weeks have basically been us playing our own game an unhealthy number of times, finding bugs, fixing bugs, creating new bugs, fixing those bugs, arguing over dialogue, tweaking tiny details nobody will probably notice... and then doing it all over again.

But we finally made it.

Celestial Return is officially launching on July 14.

Thank you all for sticking with us. Whether you've been here since the demo, wishlisted the game yesterday, or just randomly stumbled across us somewhere on the internet, you've helped us get to this point. We genuinely couldn't have done it without you.

We also have one more piece of exciting news.

We're working on bringing Celestial Return to consoles! If everything goes according to plan, we'll have a pretty big announcement to share with you very soon.

Now excuse us while we play the game another hundred times before July 14.

See you all in Netherveil.

Hey everyone, This one’s a bit hard to write. We have made the difficult decision to move our release date from May 7 to around July / early August. We'll lock in a final date as soon as we're confident. We know this is very disappointing, especially this close to the original date, and we’re really sorry about that. But we've realized that we need a little more time to polish the final chapters and squash remaining bugs. Please know that we didn't make this decision lightly. We let our excitement get ahead of reality, and that is on us. Thank you for sticking with us. We’re doing everything we can to make the wait worth it.

- Metaphor Games Team

Hey all, Shoreline Games here.

It’s been a while but we've finally made it. With release just a few months away and Steam Next Fest right around the corner, we’re finally ready to really show off the game. We encourage everyone to play the Steam Next Fest build, live now and to leave the team as much feedback as possible on our discord https://discord.gg/NPPs8SNgvw. 

Want to see more? Check out IGN FanFest here for more information: https://www.ign.com/videos/celestial-return-official-announcement-trailer-ign-fan-fest-2026

For those who backed Celestial Return on Kickstarter, we'll be having updates about how we'll send out keys soon, so stay tuned!

Need a quick refresher on what Celestial Return is? Well, here’s a quick rundown. 

• Doomed Gameplay Loop: Earn and spend your dice while leveling up your own personality, to gain the edge needed to survive conversational combat. It’s sometimes violent, but always desperate. 

• Simple Currency: Dice aren't just tools. They’re oxygen. Earn 'em, spend 'em, lose 'em. Hoard them too long, and opportunities vanish. Roll recklessly, and resources burn.

• Welcome to the Crossroads: Discover a vast sci-fi story, rich with twists, turns, mind-bending crossroads, and a branching narrative fully shaped by your decisions. 

• Sounds & Visuals to Bleed For: Immerse yourself in a completely hand-drawn world where manga’s precision meets the raw nerve of American comics.

• Choices Matter: Your choices are the weapons, and your mind the battlefield. Decide the outcome with each small step. Just remember: Intelligence picks locks in silence. Virtue pleads for mercy. Foolishness laughs at the abyss.

A disillusioned detective and a sarcastic sentient rose investigate impossible suicides in a drifting cyberpunk city, uncovering a plot to weaponize reality-warping conceptual beings, and a hidden truth threatening existence itself: something ancient and far more terrifying is waking.

~Shoreline Games & Metaphor Games

Hey everyone,

Quick update from the team: Celestial Return is part of Steam Next Fest!

The demo is live right now, and we’ve also put together a short teaser to celebrate. You can check that out below:

If you enjoy the demo, a positive Steam review helps us a TON. Genuinely. It’s the single biggest way you can support the game's visibility right now.

And if you find something broken, buggy, or just plain annoying... come yell at us on Discord. We want your unfiltered feedback so we can crush those issues before they ever hit a permanent review.😅

Join us on Discord

Thanks so much for being here and supporting us 🖤 More news coming very soon.

🔗Our Socials

Heyy all!

We’re running a livestream loop of Nina playing the Celestial Return demo throughout the Choose Wisely Festival! Enjoy the stream and if you haven’t yet, give the demo a try! 🖤

Nina’s channel:

It’s been an amazing ride so far. From the very first wishlist to now, every comment, share, and message of support has helped us shape this game, and we couldn’t be more grateful.

🖤 The Final Stretch: Help Us Give Howard His Voice

✦ Be Part of Netherveil

✦ One Last Roll

Hey everyone! We’re getting really close to the end of the Kickstarter, and there’s one last thing we want more than anything: to hit $20K and finally bring voice acting to Celestial Return. That means Howard would finally speak. And not just him. Intelligence, Virtue, Foolishness… we have the scripts ready and the vision clear. We just need that final push to bring them to life.

We’ve been imagining how they’d sound for months, and honestly, hearing them come to life would mean the world to us. 

What you can do:

1.  SHARE, SHARE, SHARE! Post the Kickstarter Link on your social media, in relevant forums, or with a friend who loves deep narrative games. This is the single biggest thing you can do.

2.  CONSIDER UPGRADING. If you've been thinking about moving up to a higher tier, now is the perfect time. Every single dollar gets us closer to hearing Howard's mind speak.

3.  CHANT WITH US! Even just a comment of support on the Kickstarter page boosts our visibility and keeps us all motivated.

Here’s the link → https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/metaphorgames/celestial-return-sci-fi-noir-rpg We have 10 days. Let's do this together. Let's give these characters the voices they deserve. – The Metaphor Games team

Hey everyone, Our very first community event just finished and honestly, we’re so excited (and a bit emotional) about it. We didn’t expect many entries, but we got 7 amazing ones, and every single piece is so full of soul. Seeing people recreate what we created… it’s a hard feeling to put into words. Just pure joy. So from the bottom of our hearts thank you to everyone who joined and shared their art. To celebrate, we’ve created a Community Art Gallery on our website where you can see all the entries together. And just so you know, you don’t need to wait for the next contest to share your art. Anyone is welcome to submit Celestial Return-inspired art anytime, we’ll keep featuring community creations in the gallery as they come in.

Take a look at some of the amazing entries:

Originally, we planned to pick our top three and then run a community vote but since we have only seven entries, we decided to include all seven in the community voting! Voting starts tomorrow on our Discord! Come say hi, leave feedback about the game, and help us pick the winners.

Join our Discord here!

Hey everyone! Just a quick and happy update from our side: Episode 2 of our Celestial Return Webtoon is now live and free for everyone to read! If you want to see more of Howard and the moody streets of Netherveil, you can read it right here:

🔗 Read Episode 2 Here!

This Webtoon is our little gift to everyone following the project, a chance to explore more of the world of Celestial Return outside the game.

For those who want to go deeper, there’s also a longer, expanded comic available as a reward on our Kickstarter. That version includes bonus scenes, creator notes, and early sketches from the making of Celestial Return. 🔗 Kickstarter Link!

We hope you enjoy the new episode, and thank you so much for supporting us and being part of this journey!

The day is finally here! We're thrilled and humbled to announce that our Kickstarter for Celestial Return is now OFFICIALLY LIVE! This game has been our heart and soul. We've poured everything into it, and to be here now feels surreal. To make things even more special, Celestial Return has also been selected as a Kickstarter “Project We Love” 💜 We're so excited we can barely sit still (and yes, a little nervous!), but mostly, we're just incredibly grateful. None of this would mean half as much without this community behind us. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for wishlisting, following, and believing in us. If you’d like to follow along and support the campaign, you can find it here: Kickstarter Page

Wish us luck, we’re going to need it! Thank you for being part of this with us. ❤️

Hey everyone! Get ready! 🙌

We have the BIGGEST news to share... Our Kickstarter finally has a LAUNCH DATE! 🚀 Mark your calendars for OCTOBER 14! We know our follower count isn't where we dreamed it would be, but we are so, SO grateful to every single one of you who has followed our pre-launch page. You're the real MVPs! ❤️ Thank you for bearing with us and believing in this project.

To everyone who hasn't followed yet, you can still join the party! Here is the link: 

CELESTIAL RETURN KICKSTARTER <3 By following the campaign, you'll get a notification email the second we go LIVE, so you can snag our early bird deals!

We've prepared some amazing rewards, and we can't wait to share them with you. The countdown begins! We LOVE you all! ❤️❤️❤️ - The Metaphor Games Team

Another week, another festival. We’re basically speed-running them at this point. ːsteamhappyː

Catch Celestial Return at Hungry Ghost Festival 2025 hosted by SEAGamethetic!

Check out the full lineup: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45022621-South-East-Asia-Game-Aesthetic/sale/thehungryghostfestival2025

Hey everyone! 👋 We’re super excited to share that Celestial Return will be part of the BIG Fall Showcase hosted by Clemmy! It’s a massive indie showcase, and we’re thrilled to be part of the lineup!

🎬 We even put together a brand-new trailer just for this event, and we can’t wait for you to see it.

📺 Watch it here: YouTube link 🕒 Goes live: TODAY at 15:00 UTC

We’d love it if you tuned in, dropped a comment, or just hung out with us during the stream. It really helps a ton!

Thanks again for all the support. ❤️

Hey everyone! 💜 We’ve got something exciting to share. Celestial Return is gonna be part of the Moonlite Madness Showcase hosted by the awesome folks at NeverMore Niche! 🌒✨ 🗓️ Thursday, June 26 ⏰ 11PM UTC 📺 Watch it here → NeverMore Niche YouTube Channel or here → NeverMore Niche Twitch Channel If you’re into discovering cool new indie games, this is the place to be. We’re super excited to be part of it, and grateful to be featured alongside so many creative projects. Thanks for sticking with us. Hope to see you in the chat! 💬 - The Metaphor Games Team

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to share a little behind-the-scenes on the capsule art for Celestial Return. Over the past year and a half, I ended up redrawing it three times, mostly because I couldn’t quite settle on a look that felt right for the game.

The first version was too safe. It didn’t really capture the weird, noir atmosphere we were going for.

With the second one, I tried something more minimal and leaned into the cyberpunk vibe. It looked cooler, but still felt a bit off.

The third version is where I think things finally clicked. I focused more on visual storytelling, bold shapes, and making sure it feels like the game, not just looks like it.

I definitely learned a lot from going through all these iterations.

(And yeah, sorry about the lower resolution on the first two. I didn’t keep the high-res versions 😅)

Would love to hear what you think of the progression!

Kerem Akman – Layer Abuser