Return of the Obra Dinn Reviews

Return of the Obra Dinn is ranked in the 99th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Essential
Oct 18, 2018

The Papers, Please creator offers up an intricate and mesmerising puzzle game with a rich and detailed sense of place.

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Tom Marks
Top Critic
9.2 / 10.0
Oct 22, 2018

Return of the Obra Dinn stands as something wholly unique, a challenging detective game that empowers you to solve its mysteries through actual investigation.

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Andy Kelly
Top Critic
90 / 100
Oct 19, 2018

A beautifully constructed and powerfully atmospheric mystery that you really have to work to solve.

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
9 / 10
Nov 1, 2018

Easily the best detective game of the modern era, with challenging and rewarding gameplay combined with some of the most evocative visuals of the year.

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Metro GameCentral
Top Critic
9 / 10
Oct 21, 2019

The best detective game ever made, that tells its unpredictable story through a mix of idiosyncratic visuals and equally unique puzzle gameplay.

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8.8 / 10.0
Oct 18, 2018

Return of the Obra Dinn marries challenging investigation puzzles to a striking visual presentation to create an adventure worth taking.

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Unscored
Oct 19, 2018

Return of the Obra Dinn is a superb murder mystery game

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9 / 10
Oct 22, 2018

Return of the Obra Dinn is a startlingly original detective adventure full of murder, mutiny, and monsters.

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Kotaku
Top Critic
Unscored
Oct 18, 2018

I was glued to it until I was done. My only wish is that I could erase my brain and play it again.

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9.5 / 10.0
Oct 18, 2018

Small musical cues are also used perfectly. I didn't notice how catchy these were at first until I found myself mimicking them in the shower. They are only a few seconds long, and I love them all so much! Special shoutouts to the voice actors as well. More than usual, the voice actors accurately representing their characters is of the utmost importance as players may recognize an accent or voice inflection that allows them to pinpoint the identity of someone on the ship. Everyone in the sound department did a tremendous job.

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9.2 / 10.0
Nov 19, 2018

A unique game that makes new things using old mechanics. An example that proves us that there's still room for new things on videogames.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8.9 / 10.0
Dec 13, 2018

Return of the Obra Dinn is simply gorgeous, from the idea to the execution. Finally a gem in which your deductive skills, your logic and your patience are really important: this game doesn't help the player. With an amazing graphic art and a strong gameplay, another great game from Lucas Pope.

Review in Italian | Read full review

9.5 / 10.0
Oct 21, 2019

Return of the Obra Dinn is finally on consoles, and if you've never played it before you need to play it right now.

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Unscored
Oct 26, 2018

Obra Dinn asks you to tease out social lives from a freeze frame of murder. It doesn’t take the little grey cells to realise this is remarkable stuff.

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ZTGD
Top Critic
9.5 / 10.0
Dec 5, 2018

Return of the Obra Dinn is a unique experience worth every penny. I can’t recommend this game enough. There is nothing quite like it.

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9.5 / 10.0
Oct 25, 2019

Thickly atmospheric with an impeccable sense of place unmatched by other games, Return of the Obra Dinn is the smart, stylish and curiosity detective adventure that you've always wanted.

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9 / 10
Oct 25, 2019

Some may struggle with the visuals as it can be a little too noisy in places, but if that's our only quibble, you can deduce that this comes highly recommended.

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Oct 29, 2018

If someone had told me that a career in insurance involves exploring intricately detailed worlds with a magic watch, I would probably be working in insurance right now.

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9 / 10
Nov 20, 2018

With Return of the Obra Dinn, Lucas Pope once again aims for the heart : this post-mortem mystery demands quite a lot from the player, but delivers one of the most rewarding experiences of this year. Return of the Obra Dinn is not suited for everyone, but its wonderful disjointing storytelling will keep those who agree to its formula awake for long.

Review in French | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Oct 26, 2018

An artistic manifesto of overflowing power.

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