Someday You'll Return, the recent PC horror on the way for consoles in 2020, has had content removed following fan disapproval.
In a lengthy letter to fans, the Czech studio CBE Software wrote of what it's like to work on a game with a small team for so long, and admitted the studio did not get everything right. Thus, the team has removed certain elements of the game, making for an unorthodox way of supporting a game post-launch. In particular, what's been removed includes some of the game's puzzle and stealth elements, though they remain in the game in a more optional capacity. Here's the letter from the team:
"After reading feedback from our customers, it became clear to us that some parts of the game, mostly in the second half, were not enjoyed as we had expected them to be. We took a hard look at the game and asked ourselves how we could make it better. While it is very important for us to remain true to our vision for the game, we felt if there were ways we could make improvements without compromise, we should do this even if it means sacrificing months of hard work.
We realized that some of the content and puzzles were not adding any value to the main game story. It is very important to us that our players have the best game experience, so after careful consideration we cut away hours of superfluous content, making the game better as a whole. Ingenious explorers out there shouldn’t worry, though, as they would still be able to access some of the “missing” areas by careful exploration and doing additional tasks well off the beaten path.
One of the features some players didn’t enjoy was stealth. To aid those players who dislike stealth, we’ve added a new, in-game potion called “Devil’s Pact”. This potion turns the player almost invisible to enemies during stealth sequences. Now players who dislike stealth sequences can drink the potion and through them easily, while players who enjoy being stealthy can keep playing the original version. We strongly believe that offering this choice is the best option for both types of players."
The team is likely hoping the adjustments will make the upcoming console ports better received. Currently the PC version has seen mixed to low reviews, with 28 critics giving the game a "Weak" OpenCritic score of 64 so far. The Xbox and PS4 ports have not yet been dated but are on track to launch in 2020.
