Retrace
Spider Lily Studios LLC · 2020 · Psychological Horror, Psychological, Puzzle, LGBTQ+, Visual Novel
PC
Positive97% · 31
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About Retrace
A WORLD THAT DESIRES YOUR DEATH
You and your friends find yourself in a strange, unforgiving place. Frantically you seek a way out, but death lurks at every corner, and when it finds you — that’s when your resolve is rewarded with the ability to rewind time. What path will lead you out? What decisions will you have to make? And what secrets will you uncover in the dark?
A RICH TRADITION
Explore a beautifully atmospheric 2D world with a mix of pixel art and painted portraits. Within it you’ll find a mixture of traditional logic puzzles and heart-pounding action sequences, as well as secrets and mysteries.
DEATH IS YOUR TEACHER
https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1052640/extras/awakening_600.gif
This world desires your death, but that does not mean the end. Use what you learn on one path to explore further down another. Find shortcuts, piece together clues and study patterns that will lead you to victory.
USE YOUR HEAD OR LOSE IT
https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1052640/extras/newspaper_clipping_600.gif
Freya is faced with locked door after locked door in her quest to escape, and the only way to unlock them is to play her captor's game--solving the logic puzzles contained within each room. The consequences for getting them wrong can be ... unpleasant.
QUEER ROMANCE IN DANGEROUS PLACES
https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1052640/extras/wlw_mlm_solidarity_600.gif
Complicating matters is Freya's long-standing crush on her best friend, Mia. Will the terror of their experience bring them closer together, or tear them apart? And what of Claire, the prisoner who admires Freya as her saviour? Freya's choices will influence more than just her survival, but also her relationships.
ABOUT THE TEAM
Retrace is being developed by Spider Lily Studios lead developer Els White, with programming assistance by Julian Adams, art by @rustorange and music by harmonicblend.
You and your friends find yourself in a strange, unforgiving place. Frantically you seek a way out, but death lurks at every corner, and when it finds you — that’s when your resolve is rewarded with the ability to rewind time. What path will lead you out? What decisions will you have to make? And what secrets will you uncover in the dark?
A RICH TRADITION
Explore a beautifully atmospheric 2D world with a mix of pixel art and painted portraits. Within it you’ll find a mixture of traditional logic puzzles and heart-pounding action sequences, as well as secrets and mysteries.
DEATH IS YOUR TEACHER
https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1052640/extras/awakening_600.gif
This world desires your death, but that does not mean the end. Use what you learn on one path to explore further down another. Find shortcuts, piece together clues and study patterns that will lead you to victory.
USE YOUR HEAD OR LOSE IT
https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1052640/extras/newspaper_clipping_600.gif
Freya is faced with locked door after locked door in her quest to escape, and the only way to unlock them is to play her captor's game--solving the logic puzzles contained within each room. The consequences for getting them wrong can be ... unpleasant.
QUEER ROMANCE IN DANGEROUS PLACES
https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1052640/extras/wlw_mlm_solidarity_600.gif
Complicating matters is Freya's long-standing crush on her best friend, Mia. Will the terror of their experience bring them closer together, or tear them apart? And what of Claire, the prisoner who admires Freya as her saviour? Freya's choices will influence more than just her survival, but also her relationships.
ABOUT THE TEAM
Retrace is being developed by Spider Lily Studios lead developer Els White, with programming assistance by Julian Adams, art by @rustorange and music by harmonicblend.
DLC & expansions
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What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
✦ AI summary
Players praise this short indie game for its charming pixel art, clever writing, and surprising emotional depth, with many highlighting its thoughtful LGBTQ+ representation and satisfying story payoff. Common complaints center on underwritten dialogue, insufficient character development, and unclear visual storytelling in places that could have benefited from more narration or exposition. One player also reported a persistent achievement bug that remains unfixed after years.
Had this game for awhile and finally decided to play it! I'm glad I did, I love the concept and the simple-but-cute pixel art is really charming. I love the story and little puzzles. Definitely worth the time to play. My only gripe is that one of the achievements (might be bugged) There is one to get the secret endings and no matter how many times I have tried to get it, it will not unlock, I am stuck on 7/8. Its been a couple years since the game came out and it seems this is still not fixed. I am an achievement hunter and like to try to 100% my games so it's quite frustrating.1 found this helpful
So full of character and clever design for such a short and sweet game! The art and writing came together to create a surprising amount of emotional depth by the end, which I think is sold by just how likeable the characters are. Plus its all super queer. Hope that people who stumble across this give it a chance. It's a little rough here and there, but still an impressive achievement overall with a satisfying payoff.
gay²
I did like this, but frankly, it feels more like a proof of concept or alpha than a complete game. The dialogue feels underwritten in a lot of places, even by the end I didn't really feel like I had a firm grasp on some of the characters. I was surprised how little dialogue there was, and I think the game could have used some more internal narration, if nothing else, to make it more clear what is happening on screen. There are some moments where the visuals weren't really clear about what was happening, and then there wasn't much dialogue and no narration explaining what exactly I was looking at. Some emotional moments too, I feel could have used additional dialogue. I wouldn't have minded a much longer prologue to get more a handle on the dynamic between the characters, even if there was no additional gameplay. There are also some continuity errors visually regarding items, where you can pick up an item twice if you leave and come back, though it luckily doesn't make the game bug out. The game is nonlinear, which is a fun idea, but it feels like there isn't enough unique content for the characters to stretch their legs and have truly unique interactions and situations happe…
its hard to say much without giving away the story, but if you enjoy psychological delving, its cathartic. neat puzzles too
A touching story, if horrific, about discovering yourself. no spoilies.
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