When The Past Was Around

 PC
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. GameSpace
    Jan 15, 2021
    90
    If you’re a hopeless romantic like me that loves to have their heart shattered into hundreds of pieces over a thought-provoking story, When the Past Was Around is exactly what you’re looking for.
  2. The Digital Fix
    Dec 18, 2020
    90
    When The Past Was Around is a beautiful game by Mojiken about love, loss, and life. Through art and music we discover the love story of Eda and Owl, putting pieces together scene by scene by solving puzzles. It's a short, sweet game clearly made with a lot care, and a soundtrack that will be stuck in your head for days.
  3. Buried Treasure
    Oct 25, 2020
    82
    There’s a really smart use of melody here, in amongst some really beautiful drawings. It’s not quite Gris, but hey, at least it’s not Gris. There’s a real feeling of visual poetry here, made all the better by the complete lack of dialogue. It’s pretty short, coming in around one to two hours, which is just about perfect for the tone.
  5. Hey Poor Player
    Jan 16, 2021
    80
    When The Past Was Around feels like playing a cozy cup of tea on a rainy day, despite its sad nature. The aesthetics are far too comforting to make players stay depressed, especially considering its overall uplifting, positive message about grieving after the death of a loved one.
  6. Adventure Gamers
    Oct 19, 2020
    70
    Beautiful and bittersweet, When the Past Was Around is a brief but touching point-and-click adventure with simple puzzles that tells a tale of loss and love through gorgeous hand-drawn graphics and elegant, memorable music.
  7. Eurogamer Italy
    Sep 22, 2020
    70
    When The Past Was Around is an emotional story about love, pain and letting go, where the music is the real common thread.
  8. GameCritics
    Oct 9, 2020
    65
    In the end, When the Past was Around is just… okay? It’s a short experience that never goes for big moments, instead remaining quiet and subtle throughout. Sadly, the short length and simple play don’t lend itself to more than one playthrough and, after the credits rolled I found myself shrugging instead of brooding.
  9. CD-Action
    Feb 8, 2021
    60
    Don’t expect a traditional point’n’click adventure game with engaging puzzles. When the Past Was Around is more of an artistic experience, a very easy, roughly hour-long journey into an intimate world of the main heroine’s memories. [13/2020, p.43]
    All this publication's reviews

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 16
  3. Negative: 1 out of 16
  1. sadmammal
    Jul 11, 2023
    5
    It's far too nothing. And it does make me feel somehow bad because this does feel like a labor of love. But the narrative, as easy to see youIt's far too nothing. And it does make me feel somehow bad because this does feel like a labor of love. But the narrative, as easy to see you represented in it as it can be, it's far too saccharine and brief and surface level to be poignant. The idea of an escape room-like game as a vehicle for an exploration of memory is a nice one (even if not the newest idea on the block in the escape room camp), but the problem, for me, is it doesn't propose anything that makes gameplay and storytelling hit harder, feel like they do stuff together, that they're not just a series of tasks that must be completed because what would be a game without tasks to complete. At its best, the game feels like a kinetic novel (and if that's the point, why bother with puzzles); at its worst, the game stops you with a pointless puzzle box with the solution written on another room in plain text. Maybe the random touching that sometimes destroys a room felt more important than any puzzle because it made me feel the anger, the desperation, and the playfulness of a relationship that the rest of the game it's severely lacking. The art is nice, sometimes really nice, the experience feels alright enough, and the musical motif is slightly overused (and that's a lot in a game as short as this one), but I kept waiting on the crying and the chills and the satisfaction in this very celebrated game.… Full Review »
  2. LastResource
    Jan 26, 2023
    10
    Ughhh the story is sooo freaking awesome. It really drew me back to point click puzzle game. Love it for every single moment of this game
  3. matildax007
    Feb 23, 2021
    10
    A cute game about getting lost, going through storms and problems during life, but learning from the good and bad times and moving on knowingA cute game about getting lost, going through storms and problems during life, but learning from the good and bad times and moving on knowing that everything will be okay.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »