Project Introduction

Return is a pixel art souls-lite that tells the story of a traveler who finds themselves stranded on their unfamiliar home planet.

As the planet collapsed, the traveler left home 200 years ago, seeking refuge on the new colonies. While dreaming in cryo-sleep, they find that the autopilot on the ship is returning home for repairs after encountering an error. Without enough cryogenic fluid for another sleep, they wait for the journey home to be complete. Upon waking up, they are stranded on a world they no longer recognize, the traveler must search tirelessly for parts to repair their ship.

Explore the mutated landscapes, discover mysteries of the past, meet new friends and enemies, uncover secret treasures. Slash, roll, and shoot your way through enemies. Find parts to repair your ship and collect resources. Purchase items and equipment from merchants to fight ancient bosses.

The game was originally released as an entry into Alberta Game Jam 2020, after surpassing 1500 downloads and 8300 views, it was determined the game deserved a full release. The development team consists of a single self-taught, first-time commercial developer.

The open alpha for the game was released in December 2021 and has since surpassed 7900 downloads.

The closed beta for the game launches October 31st 2022

About Developer

Creator - Jesse Eisenbart

Jesse is a self-taught independent game developer, pixel artist, and web developer born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

He has released over 2 dozen games for various game jams. He has a passion for game development and pixel art, a love for the 80's aesthetic and everything cyberpunk/horror.


Sound Designer & Composer - Jake Coyle

Jake is a sound designer, composer, and audio specialist from Philadelphia that creates lush audio and music. For the past several years, he has created instrumental music, working with independent labels all across the globe, from the Belgium based Urban Waves to the Canadian Inner Ocean Records.

In addition, he has used his compositional and sound design talents with several independent film / game studios. His expertise in audio and music creation come together to create compositions that are wholly unique experiences, while still remaining emotionally succinct.