Orpheus: To Hell and Back is a retro action-puzzle game with an 80s chibi-anime visual style that retells the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. It appeals to fans of retro Game Boy-style puzzles, Greek mythology, and possesses charm thanks to its magical lyre, chibi-anime style, and chiptune soundtrack. However, players should know in advance that losing all four lives results in a complete return to the beginning of the game, which may spoil the enjoyment before the midpoint.
In the game, you control Orpheus as he descends into Hades to save his beloved. The central mechanic is the lyre, which has three different melodies: they can charm, slow down, or repel enemies. The player must use these melodies in traps scattered across the levels to destroy opponents.
This title is not a remake of a classic but rather a new game with the appearance of an old project. It originated from a Kickstarter campaign by developer StudioLoading, which concluded in April 2025 with the goal of funding a physical Game Boy Color cartridge. The campaign raised over 16 thousand euros, more than double the initial goal. Thanks to the success, according to the game's press materials, it runs 'on your childhood portable console' without any issues.
The PC version was released on Steam on July 12, 2026. Developed by StudioLoading and Kibou Entertainment, and published by Alunite, Inc., it currently costs 11.99 Brazilian Reais on Steam. The game is available in English and Japanese, but not in Portuguese. Currently, it has few user reviews on Steam, but all of them are positive.
The game mechanics are quite simple: three commands—activating the lyre, using items, and reading texts and dialogues—in addition to movement. It does not require complexity, and each command only needs to be activated when necessary. The three lyre melodies have official names: Song of Charm (attracts the enemy closer), Song of Sleep (puts them to sleep), and Song of Fear (repels them). Theoretically, this looks elegant.
However, the implementation leaves much to be desired. The action button has three functions, the purpose of each of which is not obvious. Furthermore, there are commands that simply do not work: for example, the first boss required pushing him into a rock to deal damage, but this did not always happen despite repeated attempts.
The initial puzzles are quite simple, and the player has 4 lives before losing. But if all 4 lives are lost, the game does not send the player to a checkpoint; it sends them back to the very beginning. That is, if the player dies to the first boss, the entire game restarts, and they have to go through all previous levels to reach him again. This aspect heavily demotivated the reviewer, who tried to play the game several times but eventually gave up before completing the first phase.
It is worth noting that not everyone encountered this problem the same way as the author. The publication Console Creatures described Orpheus: To Hell and Back as a 'short and sweet journey' through nostalgia, noting the original ideas and charm, although admitting that the execution is somewhat 'janky' and the overall package seems 'undercooked'. In the Steam community, players praise the lyre mechanic as a clever way to fight enemies and solve puzzles, emphasizing that the Game Boy-esque visual style pairs well with the atmosphere of the Orpheus myth.
Thus, the general consensus is that the game has a lot of charm and takes little time—less than two hours to complete. The problem lies in the difference between calling it 'short and sweet' and 'getting stuck and having no patience to start over,' which heavily depends on how willing the player is to repeat content.
System: Windows 7/Vista/XP
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 or AMD Phenom X3 8750 (or better)
Memory: 512 MB RAM
Video Card: 256 MB or more, compatible with DirectX 9 and Pixel Shader 3.0
Storage: 15 MB free space
The game is not difficult, and its short duration is not a drawback; on the contrary, it is part of the charm noted by many critics and players. The simple lyre mechanic makes the game accessible to all types of players. However, there is another issue: if a player struggles at the very beginning, the necessity of constantly returning to the start puts much more pressure than any learning curve should.
For those who tolerate repeating content without irritation, Orpheus: To Hell and Back offers a pleasant and inexpensive nostalgic journey. For those who get easily discouraged, like the author, the invitation is tempting, but falling back to the beginning can be painful.
Game: Orpheus: To Hell and Back
Developer: StudioLoading, Kibou Entertainment
Publisher: Alunite, Inc.
Genre: Action-Puzzle / Adventure
Release: July 12, 2026 (PC)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Languages: English and Japanese (no Portuguese)
Price: 11.99 Brazilian Reais
Average Duration: Less than 2 hours
Official Website: https://studioloading.itch.io/orpheus
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