When The Past Was Around

 PC
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

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  1. SuperkenGaming
    Dec 22, 2020
    7
    When the past was around
    more like a point and click sadventure
    When the past was around is a point and click adventure that’s about to have you all up in your feels as you relive the memories of you and youre violin playin owl boyfriend.. youll be going through these memories, collecting items and finding clue to unlock other items to progress, pretty simply concept, something you’ve    When the past was around
    more like a point and click sadventure
    When the past was around is a point and click adventure that’s about to have you all up in your feels as you relive the memories of you and youre violin playin owl boyfriend..
    youll be going through these memories, collecting items and finding clue to unlock other items to progress, pretty simply concept, something you’ve seen a million times, but the story, art, and music here made this hour and a half worth going through for me…reliving the memories, and trying to find a way to let go.. gameplay wise I kinda got over the click on stuff til I find something probably halfway through and just wanted to get through the story.. but that just goes to show how good the story was for me.. I was willing to retrace steps in the chapter, finding all the clues I needed to set up the answer to the final clue to move on…
    When the past was around reminded me a lot of Florence, while it doesn’t do much to engage you as much as Florence does, and there isn’t anything crazy special here, I found that this was still a point and click adventure worth taking..
    I give when the past was around
    a 7/10    … Expand
  2. xfeliixx
    Dec 16, 2020
    9
    This game is just amazing. The soundtrack has a meditative effect on you.
    The graphics are so simple jet so beautiful (Praise to the graphic designers) and the puzzles are neither too hard nor too easy. The story is told in a slow and calming way. Playing this game is just relaxing.
  3. nanaindie
    Feb 23, 2021
    10
    Very perfect, I really liked the hand-drawn art and the game music. A short game, with the story based on the protagonist's memory. I was satisfied with the quality of the puzzles. Half
  4. 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 knowing that everything will be okay.
  5. 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
  6. 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 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 escapeIt'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.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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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. 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]
  2. 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.
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  3. 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.
    Read full review
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