Though full of captivating moments, a unique art style, and amazing sound design, upon finishing Return of the Obra Dinn I find it difficult to say that I fully enjoyed it. The story is interesting, the voice acting is superb, and it is exceptionally tightly written.

However, it is also marred by a horrendous interface that is not conducive to a pleasant experience. As much of the game is spent in this interface, I often found myself losing engagement with the mystery to be solved while becoming frustrated at how much time I was simply spending in menus; an issue that could easily be rectified in more ways than one.

Moreover, while I was initially impressed by the puzzles, they quickly devolved into a guessing game that was less than challenging. Sure, it's satisfying to solve all the little mysteries contained within the larger mystery that is the story of the Obra Dinn itself. But, that story was largely known to me before solving a vast majority of the clues.

I generally enjoyed my time with Return of the Obra Dinn and would love to see more games created in this style. However, I'd be hard-pressed to experience a (pseudo-)sequel without a major overhaul of the UI, an increased difficulty in the puzzles themselves, and a reimagined narrative structure.

Content: Single-Player Campaign
Difficulty: N/A (None)
Source: Steam
Input: Mechanical Keyboard & Mouse
Display: Monitor
Audio: Headphones
Location: Home
Audience: Solo
Tweaks & Mods: N/A (None)