Retro Relics Review: A Casual Adventure With Metal Detecting

Not too long ago as I browsed through the upcoming games on Steam, I stumbled across this intriguing new title, Retro Relics. This is essentially a casual adventure game involving metal detecting, which in this context functions as a full-time career. As it turns out, metal detecting is a rather lucrative activity, digging up valuable antiques. But the main driving force behind the protagonist’s motives for metal detecting in Retro Relics involves a mystery left behind by their late grandpa, who inspired them to take up metal detecting in the first place.

Retro Relics may not be the longest game to complete, but if you’re a completionist, finding all the hidden relics can hook you for much longer. Plus, metal detecting is a relaxing pastime, even in a video game! My review explores why this game isn’t one that should be overlooked.

Retro Relics is now available on Steam for $9.99.

Story – A Letter From Grandpa

The basic summary of Retro Relics is that your character (in which you can choose male or female and name them) discovers a letter from your late grandpa in the basement of their house, alluding to a hidden ancient treasure, in which they were never able to find. It is then you are inspired not only to follow in their footsteps as a professional metal detectorist, but also continue with the quest they were unable to finish.

If you’re following the main story of Retro Relics, it really doesn’t take long to complete. You can have it done within a few short hours – but this is fine. As you complete the missions that eventually leads to the conclusion of the treasure hunt, you unlock new areas, earn more money, and finally solve the mystery started by your grandpa. Along the way, you get to meet some memorable characters and explore interesting locations.

Retro Relics is one of those games where the narrative succeeds in driving it forward, encouraging you to keep going to discover everything the game has to offer in terms of storytelling, gameplay, and collectibles, a big part of Retro Relics.

Gameplay – Full-Time Metal Detectorist

The core gameplay of Retro Relics focuses on the art of metal detecting and collecting old artifacts you dig up, which you can then choose to either sell for money or display at home. Metal detecting also plays a key part in completing missions.

Sweep and Dig, Repeat

Fortunately, metal detecting in Retro Relics is not a complicated procedure. There are a few steps to take, but it’s straightforward enough and not too fiddly or time-consuming.

The Process of Relic Finding

You first equip your trusty metal detector, walking up and down as you sweep the device back and forth. Once you pick up a spot, you equip your shovel and dig where the sparkles are (but you have to be quick or you’ll miss it – but you can sweep over again if you do).

Next, you use your tool to trace the exact spot in the dig spot. Finally, you get your shovel and start digging away at the dirt, uncovering the hidden artifact. With the relic found, you receive information on what it is, how old it is, and its value.

A Rewarding Activity

Metal detecting isn’t just an uncomplicated process; it’s also intriguing, fun, addictive, and relaxing. You never quite know what you’re going to get. You might find something really valuable – or just a piece of old junk.

It’s not just about uncovering fascinating artifacts. Just the act of walking up and down with your metal detector in a large area is simply relaxing. Plus, you can enjoy the scenery, whether you’re on a sandy beach, on a farm, or in a forest. 

Retro Relics truly does engage you in the art of metal detecting, demonstrating what a fascinating activity it is.

The core gameplay of metal detecting is straightforward but very rewarding.

To Sell or Display

With all these relics you find, the question is: what do you do with them? You haven’t got an infinite inventory. Dig up too many artifacts at once and your inventory gets full, preventing you from digging any further.

In Retro Relics, you have a few options. Some of the items you find are tied to quests, but most artifacts are yours to keep. This leaves you with two options: to sell them online, or display them at home.

Online Auction

Selling antiques is a simple process. At home, you can use the online auction on the computer to sell the items you don’t want to keep. You can make a serious profit from this, which you can then use to upgrade your metal detector or trash bag, or buy items to display your relics.

Setting Up a Museum

If you want to show off your discoveries, you can do so by purchasing display tables and wall mountings. You can get as many as you like, funds permitting, and place these displays anywhere in your own private museum. It’s a cool feature if you want to keep what you’ve found.

Initially, it was a bit confusing figuring out how to actually set up the displays, partly because I accidentally skipped the tutorial instructions for this. However, I did soon work it out, as fortunately, nothing in Retro Relics is really difficult.

Why not display what you’ve found in your adventures in your very own private museum?

A Helping Hand

Retro Relics is at the heart of it a metal detector simulator, but it does include quests and a storyline to push you forward and unlock new areas, which in turn gives you access to more relics to uncover to complete your collection.

Looking for Relics in Main Story Quests

Most of the main quests in Retro Relics involves you equipping your metal detector and locating specific items in a specific area. Some artifacts come in three parts, and you must find all three to finish the quest and move on.

You are also given instructions by the quest giver where to look in the area, such as by a river or the northern part of the map. It’s important to pay attention and keep note of this information, or it might take you longer to find what you’re looking for.

Optional Quests Are Rewarding Too

Some quests in Retro Relics are optional. A late-stage quest includes interacting with a park ranger to deal with an aggressive boar, but this only appears if you are caught by the charging boar and respawn at home. Doing this side quest is useful because the ranger will help you deal with the boar so you search the area more easily.

Another optional quest crops up frequently in Retro Relics, but this is a really sweet one, especially if you’re into looking after the environment and animals. You have a trash bag and gloves, in which you can collect trash around the area. Once your bag is full, you need to dump the trash in a bin. When the bin gets full enough, you unlock the area’s animal. For example, you can get turtles, sharks, peacocks, and red pandas. It’s a very cool extra that’s enjoyable and very rewarding to do.

Collect enough trash in an area and you can unlock new animals.

Graphics & Audio – Luscious Places to Search in a Relaxed Environment

Retro Relics is presented in 2D pixel art in luscious vibrant colors that suits the game perfectly. I personally have a soft spot for pixel art, so I enjoyed playing through Retro Relics in this art form. Everything is wonderfully presented, including the different areas, the people, animals, and plants. The relics themselves are also shown in pixel form. Even the text matches the pixel art with its square-like appearance. Retro Relics gives off the feeling of a classic retro game, but still feeling modern.

Dreamy Music and Useful Cues

The soundtrack is as pleasant as the visuals, giving off a fabulous dream-like feel. It’s almost making you feel euphoric, like you’re living the dream as a professional metal detectorist, searching for relics in these pretty areas.

The sound effects play an important role in Retro Relics. The metal detector gives off a satisfying beep whenever you find something, and the sound of the shovel digging up dirt is equally satisfying. Then there’s the uplifting sound cue that plays when you discover exactly what you’ve found, the information displayed on your screen. Retro Relics hits the right notes in the audio department, like everything else.

Retro Relics was played and reviewed on PC.