When The Past Was Around

Sometimes the smallest games manage to tell the most heartfelt stories, and this is one of them. ♡ Through fragments of Eda's past and her relationship with Owl, you slowly uncover a bittersweet journey about love, loss, grief and learning to let go. It's short, beautifully hand-drawn and tells everything without a single line of dialogue. The gameplay itself is simple, mixing point-and-click puzzles with hidden object elements as you explore each scene and interact with your surroundings to move forward. Nothing felt overly difficult, which I personally really enjoyed because it allowed me to focus much more on the atmosphere and narrative rather than getting stuck for ages trying to figure things out. The artwork was probably the first thing that made me fall in love with it. Every scene looks like an illustration from a storybook, with soft colours and so many lovely details. There's an incredibly warm and comforting feeling to it, even as the journey becomes more bittersweet. The music deserves a special mention too. The soundtrack, especially the violin, is absolutely gorgeous and plays such an important part in the game. It feels like another way of telling Eda and Owl's s…

[h1]For my best friend <3[/h1] Ganhei este jogo de presente, e foi um dos melhores presentes que já recebi. [i]When the Past Was Around[/i] é um jogo curto, mas muito, muito marcante. Há algo nele que me fez perceber como o caminho, a jornada, pode importar mais do que o fim dela. Tudo o que vivemos ao longo do caminho pode ser mais importante do que aquilo que encontramos no final. Um amor verdadeiro, único e honesto, mesmo que um dia termine, ainda pode ser algo maravilhoso. Porque aquilo que foi vivido foi real. Cada momento, cada memória, cada sentimento existiu (e isso, por si só, já torna tudo especial). Talvez seja isso que mais tenha me encantado: [b]Algumas coisas não precisam durar para serem eternas dentro de nós.[/b] E a música... [b]A M O.[/b] Com toda a minha alma.

🦉 don't forget ur duolingo!

At the risk of being called a furry, this was a beautiful game. There obviously is not much to it in terms of actual gameplay, but the art, music, and story all keep the point and click nature satisfying enough given its complimentary nature. I really enjoyed it. Going in blind, I was caught off guard by the narrative. While this is nothing overly revolutionary, it should be a staple in your library if you enjoy this genre. Very short, very sweet, extremely well done on all fronts. Also somewhat a sense of nostalgia while playing it. Puzzles were all nicely done too.

Fun, sweet.

Small but beautiful game made me contemplate my life, 10/10 It's very beautiful, it's very sad. Playing this game makes me feel grief, or think back on times I felt grief, and fear for grief in the future.