From Brigitta Rena, the creator of A Raven Monologue and She & The Light Bearer.
When the Past was Around is an adventure point-and-click puzzle game about love, moving on, letting go, and the joy and pain of everything in between.
This is the story of Eda, a girl in her early 20s....
From Brigitta Rena, the creator of A Raven Monologue and She & The Light Bearer.
When the Past was Around is an adventure point-and-click puzzle game about love, moving on, letting go, and the joy and pain of everything in between.
This is the story of Eda, a girl in her early 20s.
Like anyone in her age, she’s lost.
She lost her way in the journey to achieve her dreams.
She lost her way in the journey to find love.
That until she met The Owl.
The man that would help her burn her passion,
the man that would help her find the spark in a relationship,
and also the man that would teach her about heartbreak.
The game tells a bittersweet tale between a girl and her lover in a surreal world consisting of disjointed rooms from memories and time. With each gathered clue, solved puzzles, and unlocked door, the girl will find her way, unraveling the secrets between her and her lover, the secrets which she used to know.
Features:
A picture speaks a thousand words.
Experience the game’s story not through words nor dialogues but beautifully hand-drawn art created by famous Indonesian artist, Brigitta Rena.
A short, sweet and whimsical journey.
Explore a bittersweet tale between a girl and her lover in a surreal world consisting of disjointed rooms of memories and time.
Personal and ubiquitous.
a game about overcoming the past and finding the self.
Solve brain-teasing puzzles.
Various intriguing puzzles to solve and stories to uncover.
Let the music guide you.
Atmospheric violin music will accompany you from the peaceful days to the angstiest moments
When The Past Was Around is a short silent narrative experience that can be finished in less than 2 hours. Even though it is a short game, we’ve put all our hearts into delivering a deep and meaningful experience for you. We hope that the brief moment you spend with Eda and Owl would be priceless and unforgettable.
Popular achievements
Tea Time Symphony
Finish the Tea Time with Eda and Owl
common
·
66.62%
Shattered
Break all the pots
common
·
52.17%
Virtuoso
Play all the music notes
common
·
38.75%
Behind The Curtain
Open the curtain
common
·
75.7%
Memoir
Look at the photo inside the drawer
common
·
75.83%
Sound of Silence
Turn off the Radio Tape
common
·
54.6%
Spick and Span
Tidy up Eda's room
common
·
74.42%
Requiem
Break all of the tombstones
common
·
54.48%
Let The Wind Blows
Open all the windows
common
·
31.59%
System requirements
Minimum system requirements:
Recommended system requirements:
Recommended system requirements:
Why buy on GOG.COM?
DRM FREE. No activation or online connection required to play.
Imagine a world without words, just music, images, actions and reactions.. In this world you solve simple puzzles which brings you to the next scene where you do the same thing.
Does it sound boring? it's not.
It is a game about emotions and loss with beautiful graphics and sound.
I am not able to finish it since I play offline, but if you play using the Galaxy client you will be able to finish it. The Galaxy client requirement should have been noted on this page, hence I mention it here.
For more information, please check the forum page.
There used to be a bug preventing to progress beyond the end of chapter 2 when Galaxy is not running, cf. https://www.gog.com/forum/when_the_past_was_around/white_screen_bug
This bug has been fixed, and it seems that the game is now fully playable even if you do not want to use GOG client.
Look, I could do an in-depth review going over everything in this relatively short game, or I could give you the most precise image I can give of this game.
Imagine Florence, but if it had better puzzles (I'm not even sureif you can call the "puzzles" in florence as such, whereas here the later stages have decently complicated puzzles), more surrealism, a slightly darker theme, and an owl-man. I'm sold.
I'm not exaggerating when I compare this to florence, by the way. One of the scenes is pretty much exactly the same and the narrative structures are extremely similar. So yeah, basically the quickest way to guage whether you'll like this game is to see if you like Florence and want more.
And if you haven't played Florence, well uh, I guess just play one of the two to see if you like this type of game, and then play the other if you want more. I know this might not be the best review, but imo this the fastest way to find out whether you'll enjoy this game or not. As for myself, I enjoyed it quite a bit, since I had also enjoyed Florence before it
7/10 - Would recommend to those who like this specific type of game. While it's more interactive than Florence, if you're wanting to play this for the gameplay I wouldn't recommend it. This game is very heavily driven by the narrative.
I really loved this game. It has a heart and soul to it. It has real emotional depth. I really liked how it doesn't go easy with the darkness and pain of grief - it doesn't simplify it. It helped me feel less alone in the position of loving someone who is unwell, too. The puzzles were also enjoyable and satisfying - I liked the satisfaction of solving the more difficult ones towards the end. I also liked that the puzzles weren't so frustrating that I couldn't also sit back and enjoy the emotional storyline. Overall, the game had such a warm feeling, like receiving a loving hug. It really holds you gently and warmly as a viewer. It has a warm and cosy and friendly atmosphere which runs through it. The game made me cry. Beautiful. Thank you to the creators. <3 <3 <3
...if it's already what you are looking for. It's more like an art gallery than a game... even for point and click standards. I had a blast with it, but I would only recommend it if you are looking for a couple of hours worth of story, told via beautiful art.
Also, the game has some of these point and click puzzles, where you have shapes associated with numbers that reveal a code... I don't mind those, I like drawing little notes on a piece of paper, but I don't think such puzzles were well suited here.
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Last 30 daysLast 90 daysLast 6 monthsWheneverAfter releaseDuring Early Access
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