This last week I’ve had the chance to play something that I went into an open mind with. I love sidescrolling games and horror games, and Re: Turn - One Way Trip marries them together while adding a ton of puzzle elements. I’ve never played a 2D horror game so this was something that I really wanted to see through to get a sense of how developer Red Ego Games executed it. The final product is a beautifully designed 2D puzzler with a flair of horror that doesn’t try to jump-scare you more than a couple of instanced throughout your playthrough.

Story

The story is set during a camping trip where a group of young adults is trying to enjoy themselves by getting away from the world for a bit. Your group consists of 5 friends and you’ll take control of Saki, the game’s protagonist. During your camping trip, a secret gets out and arguments ensue. It separates the group but once something ominous happens in the forest, you set out to regroup with your friends. Upon your search, you find an old abandoned train, and that’s when things kick-off.

Overall I’d say that the story is very good. It offers something unique with its time-travel type of sequences mixed with the horror elements. I will say that I think the ending is extremely rushed though. There are tons of loose ends, or at least they felt that way because it’s not really clear what is the outcome of all of our cast members. I’m not sure if it’s sequel-bating or what. The time travel aspects, while cool also fail to clearly explain just how much of an impact Saki actually has on changing the future by altering the past.

Gameplay

Gameplay-wise, it’s extremely easy to learn experience. Some aspects do get thrown into the mix every once in a while but nothing seems to linger around for long. You move left and right along each area, equipped with a flashlight. You’ll pick up items and clues along the way that help serve as lore, plus they’re a way to progress into different areas of the train.

Even though the train is only a few cars long, the devs did a fantastic job of making the environment feel dynamic. Areas change, uncovering even more pieces of the story and objects to help propel everything even further. The only real complaint I had about it was the backtracking. Because it’s a train and there are only a handful of cars, at a certain point it started to drag. Luckily, the devs add the ability to sprint, towards the latter half of the game and it makes it feel a lot less tiresome.

Moving from train car to train car is really interesting because when the train is in ghost-mode, it’s really eerie. I loved looking around this gruesome scene to find more clues and pieces of the story. I only wish that we got to see more of it and maybe a little less of the time-traveling scenes. They serve the story well but the spooky train is the best part of the game, hands down.

Something I appreciated in this game was the use of manual save locations. You have to physically go to a certain area of the train every time you can to save. The only thing that kind of makes this feel obsolete though is the fact that you never really get a game over screen aside from one point in the game. But even dying in that instance doesn’t make you go all the way back to your save. I understand and enjoy that they have this in the game but there really isn’t any point of urgency built into it.

There aren’t any enemies that you’ll have to watch out for or sneak around and that’s honestly the only thing that I felt was missing but I can see that mechanically it wouldn’t have worked for the 2D aspect of the game. We do get a chase sequence with a boss and it’s a unique little piece. I didn’t love it but I appreciated its existence to enhance the gameplay. There are a couple of other instances where you do get to interact with these not so friendly ghosts but I think that maybe a couple more would’ve been good to give the players. Sometimes there are moments where the gameplay does feel a little lacking.

Visuals

Re: Turn boasts a beautiful pixel-art style that is grim when it needs to be and lively when it calls for it. I loved the work put into it from the moment I started until the credits rolled. You can especially tell how great the game is when it’s utilizing the spooky settings on the train. It’s foreboding and haunting, begging to be explored because of the great work done by the artists. Fantastic!

Audio

I enjoyed the soundscape throughout the game majorly. I did think some of the spirit sounds did come off as a little silly but I think it goes well with the anime look of the game. The music is fine quality and the opening is a standout.

Replayability

I can see some replay value in the game because of its environment and story but there isn’t anything else besides that. No other modes or collectible items I mean. I personally might not play it again unless there’s a sequel coming out and I wanted to refresh my memory. I think the story was great but the ending just didn’t satisfy me after its fluid build up until then.

What It Could Have Done better

I think the game would’ve been improved slightly in the story areas if the game was just a chapter or two longer. There are some characters and themes that begged to be peeled back more and I feel as if they got tossed to the weigh side. I understand the ending and like its substance but it feels really rushed and underwhelming because of it. Gameplay-wise it was solid and the story is too for about 95% of the game.

Verdict

Re: Turn - One Way Trip is a fantastic light-horror game with a great story to tell. While the gameplay is simple, the puzzles and clues were intricate enough to introduce something new every now and then. It’s the perfect game for people who enjoy the horror genre but aren’t too keen on jump-scares every time they play. Even just to experience the ghost train, this is worth the price of admission. I’m hoping to see a sequel to finish out this story completely.