Celestial Return Devlog #3 | A Soundtrack Built on Chaos, Contrast, and Collision
We're back with the third Devlog for sci-fi noir RPG Celestial Return, and this time, the spotlight is on sound. The previous installments peeled back the neon-drenched veneer of Netherveil City, giving us a look under the hood at the design choices, influences, and intent that have shaped Celestial Return. This week, we're unpacking how sound design and storytelling intertwine in Celestial Return, reinforcing its themes with every note.
Celestial Return's 20-track soundtrack blends jazz, metal, and electronic music to provide the perfect background for the sprawling story players will experience. The game does not bend to one musical identity, it does not fit neatly into any given box; instead leaning into an intentionally fragmented sound that parallels the story beat for beat.
The soundtrack created is not clean or uniform, but neither is Detective Howard, or the city he calls home. An individual shaped by circumstances beyond his control, and thrown into the jaws of a monster he can only hope to survive, Howard is a creature born from a collection of unfinished parts hastily pulled together, none of them quite fitting the whole, but somehow coming together to be something more.
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Missed the previous two devlogs? Find them below:
In the run-up to launch, the Metaphor Games team is available for interview opportunities, so if you would like to chat to the team about the soundtrack, inspirations, or anything else to do with the upcoming narrative-driven adventure, please let us know, and we can arrange a chat!
About Celestial Return
In Celestial Return, players will step into the well-worn loafers of Detective Howard, and, armed with a pocket full of dice, a sentient smart-mouthed rose, and a rusty badge, they'll take to the neon-washed streets of the Lovecraft-influenced Netherveil City to solve a string of mysterious, grisly murders. Not all is as it seems though - corpses won't stay dead, secrets won't stay buried, and the corruption oozing from Netherveil is set to blow.