Among indie games, not many of them have the same quiet sense of beauty of the human emotion that When the Past Was Around is able to elicit. The game is published by Toge Productions and created by Indonesian studio Mojiken It is a point-and-click adventure game through love, loss, and healing told without text, or any words at all.
When the Past was Around to the core is a journey of Eda, a twenty-something young lady who is confused in the dreams of adulthood and despair of a lost love. Using a dreamlike sequence of puzzles and metaphorical memories, the game plays through one as Eda remembers how she spent her time with her stranger lover who is portrayed as a human-like owl. Their involvement is revealed bit by bit in the world of fantasy and absurdity where there is metaphor and sentiment.
A Story Untold In Word
The most amazing feature of When the Past Was Around is that it tells a story without speaking. There are not even written lines or spoken words. Rather, the game is based on visual language, lush animation, and eerily gorgeous music to tell us profound emotional stories. Players are not merely the spectators, but also active participants of the Eda journey in her memories, her healing process.
Slaying with silence is effective. It is a spiritual exercise that makes you take time to think. Each object, each room and each memory is well distributed to carry a piece of the story. You develop to read between the lines, to experience the weigh of what is not said.
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Stunning Visuals & Symbolic Scenes
Puzzle Mechanics with Heart
Gameplay blends hidden-object exploration with light environmental puzzles—opening boxes, tuning instruments, assembling origami—all woven into the narrative flow. Console Monster described it as a musical puzzle that “hits all the right chords,” with gameplay reminiscent of escape-room stages but rooted in Eda’s emotional journey
When the Past Was Around is a beautiful film to look at. The soft art style is hand drawn and has plenty of soul. The monotone shade range makes the game look nostalgic and even sad, whereas the characters and particularly the owl figure introduce the elements of mystery and fantasy. Nevertheless, all the scenes seem to be full of meaning despite the simplicity.
The visual metaphors are particularly effective ones. Memories in the form of the doors that open, clocks that roll back and time, and musical instruments that speak volume with passion were a part of creating the feeling, as opposed to just comprehending the story.
Puzzle Mechanics with Heart
It has point-and-click puzzles built around the gameplay, which is focused on emotion rather than challenge. The riddles reflect the sort of attempts that Eda is trying to hold her life back together, literally. You go to places, collect and put together items, open doors, and resolve rather easy logic puzzles, revealing pieces of the past of Eda.
The puzzles are not strange or inorganic; quite on the contrary, they belong to the story, symbolic parts of the emotional recovery of Eda.
A Soundtrack to Heal the Soul
The artwork is accompanied by a similarly poignant soundtrack of Masdito ittou” Bachtiar. The music is melodic, slow and very emotional. Violin is another key element of the plot that is reflected in the soundtrack: whether it is elevating or deflating to experience the memory, the violin depicts that mood. It is more than the music to accompany the story, it is the story itself, bringing another touch of emotion, a kind of touch that repeats itself even when the game is finished.
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Themes of Love, Loss, and Letting Go
A about 2-3 hour long game, When the Past Was Around is a short game. It is however not in length but in emotional intensity that it compensates.
Why It’s Worth Playing
- Emotional storytelling with no words hence such strong and unusual storytelling.
- Music and art are entwined- the image and violin composition get in tune.
- Light, but fruitful puzzles, Bad gameplay that adds to, not distracts.
- Shoe-shined, sincere indie workmanship- well-produced in every detail, composing, and tone.
From One Human to Another
When the Past Was Around is a sweet masterpiece. It is not action-adventure, it is feeling, remembrance, and acceptance. Driven by the absence of dialogue, the gorgeous artwork, and the moving score, the game can present to the players a safe area where they can manifest the grief of letting someone go and the promise of recovery.
To anybody seeking a heartfelt game, this is a silent jewel waiting to be found.
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