When the Past was Around

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Grief, love, healing.
I’m not even sure how to write this review.
Or how to rate the game, for that matter.
Do I give it five stars for the stunning art, the beautiful soundtrack, the clever puzzles, and the heart-wrenchingly well-written story?
Or do I give it one star—for the sheer emotional damage it caused me?
This game is a quiet storm.
A delicate blend of grief, love, and healing—told through a series of puzzles that feel less like challenges and more like moments of reflection. The art is absolutely gorgeous, and the music wraps around you like a soft blanket… right before pulling it away and leaving you in tears.
I didn’t finish the game.
The game finished me.
By the time the credits rolled, I was an emotional puddle. I wanted to scream. Maybe even throw it out the window.
And yet, I can’t stop thinking about it.
It’s beautiful. It’s haunting. It broke me, and I’m still thankful for it.
So yes—five stars.
And also, one.
(But mostly five.)
--
𖹭 Click here 𖹭 to understand the star rating.

This is a very beautiful game.
Not so much of the game play but it's more of the meaning behind it.
If you're grieving, this game will help you to realise that memories last forever. The people you love will always be in your heart.

Sometimes, things happen without a reason.
Sometimes, there's no answer, and it's okay.
It happens. Life happens.
People come and go. What stays is the lesson you've learnt from it.
It's part of the human experience.
It is okay to move on.

This a short but touching game that tells a story without needing many words. Through soft music, lovely hand-drawn art, and gentle puzzles, it explores love, memory, and letting go. It’s emotional in a quiet way. It's beautiful, a little sad, but also comforting.

A lovely story about love, loss and acceptance. When The Past Was Around is a charming game with easy puzzles and a heartfelt message. It’s a short, touching experience that leaves you feeling calm and moved.


🎚️ Difficulty
🔲 My grandma could play it
🔲 Easy
☑️ Normal
🔲 Hard
🔲 A challenge to be reckoned
🔲 In the heat of confrontation, (Only PVP games)


🗺️ Graphics
🔲 MS Paint
🔲 Bad
🔲 Meh
🔲 Normal
🔲 Very Good
☑️ An original artistic direction
🔲 Beautiful
🔲 Masterpiece


📚 Story
🔲 This game has no story
🔲 Basic element of the contractual requirements
🔲 It's there for people who want it
☑️ Well written (The story is told clearly and beautifully, even without words.)
🔲 Leading to more in-depth researches/thoughts
🔲 A model to get inspired by


⌛️ Length
🔲 0 (No story)
☑️ Short
🔲 Average
🔲 Long
🔲 To infinity and beyond


🎶 Music
🔲 Just filling noises/No music
🔲 Trivial and uneventful
☑️ Good and/or fitting the game's artistic dispositions
🔲 Memorable
🔲 Transcending whispers of a forgotten world


🕹️ Interest
🔲 I would rather watch paint dry
🔲 Hard to enjoy
🔲 Repetitive and/or uninspired
☑️ A good moment
🔲 Sticking out of the pack
🔲 You will remember it long after


🔁 Replayability
🔲 A one-time experience
☑️ For achievements
🔲 If you wait a few months/years (or with mods)
🔲 Definitely
🔲 Infinitely replayable (or almost)


🐛 Bugs
☑️ Never heard of
🔲 Minor bugs
🔲 Can get annoying
🔲 Impacts the player's experience badly
🔲 The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs


⚙️ Requirements
☑️ You can run it on a microwave
☑️ Low
🔲 Average
🔲 High
🔲 NASA computer


💰 Price
🔲 Free
🔲 Underpriced
☑️ Perfect Price
🔲 Could be cheaper
🔲 Overpriced
🔲 Complete waste of money


🤑 Worth Buying
🔲 No
🔲 If you have nothing else to play
🔲 Wait for sale
☑️ Yes


🎯 Expectations
🔲 It's a completely different game
🔲 This game is a scam
🔲 It's missing many features they announced
☑️ Looks very similar to the steam page
🔲 Better than expected and/or announced
🔲 Masterpiece, no patch or feature has to be added.


✒️ Final Rating
🔲 1
🔲 2
🔲 3
🔲 4
🔲 5
🔲 6
🔲 7
☑️ 8
🔲 9
🔲 10


Thank you for taking the time to read and think about this review.

This story left me with a heavy, quiet ache, it was the kind that comes from missing someone deeply and feeling the space they leave behind. The game portrays loss in a gentle but direct way that stays with you long after you finish.
The art is soft and expressive, and the point and click mechanics are simple yet effective. Even with its straightforward design, the game includes small touches that keep the experience engaging without overwhelming the emotion at its core.
It’s a short experience, but a powerful one. Very honest, thoughtful, & memorable.

(Played on Steam Deck)
A soft, sorrowful hug of a game that lingers long after the credits roll.
When the Past Was Around is a short, emotional point-and-click adventure that quietly explores love, loss, and the process of letting go. Through dreamlike imagery and tender music, it tells the story of a young woman mourning someone she loved deeply - and the memories that still haunt and comfort her in equal measure.
For me, the emotional core of the game was all about grief. You can feel it woven through every interaction - the heaviness of absence, the fragility of memory, and the quiet strength it takes to move forward. As someone who feels things deeply (empath life), I had moments during this game where I genuinely felt close to tears. It doesn’t shout its sadness - it lets it settle in gently, like fog.
The art style is stunning - soft, simple, and deeply expressive. It evokes a sense of calm, even when the story tugs at your heart. The music is especially meaningful. It doesn’t just play in the background - it is part of the story. The music box theme felt like a memory brought to life, a sound tied so tightly to love that it aches.
Puzzle-wise, it’s just the right level of challenge to stay engaging without dragging the pace. That said, the hint system could definitely use some improvement - I had a few moments where I felt a little lost. Still, nothing broke the experience for me. If anything, it made me slow down and sit with the moment a bit longer.
I only unlocked half the achievements on my first play through (approx 2.5 hours but my SD didn’t register it) which means I’ll be going back through the emotional rollercoaster again. And honestly? It’ll be worth it. (*Edit - So I ran through it a second time to unlock the missed achievements. 1.6 hours on the second run)
This game isn’t for everyone. If you’re not in the right headspace for themes of loss and grief, it might be better saved for another time. But for those who are ready for something raw, beautiful, and quietly healing - I can’t recommend it enough.
🕯️ Rating: 8.5/10
A quiet journey through grief, memory, and music - told with elegance, heart, and a whole lot of soul.

Letting go is not forgetting...
The French Philosopher Pascal once wrote, “All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room.”
Without words, it speaks about love as loss, memory as ritual, and closure as gentle transformation.
It's an invitation to sit, to reflect, to mourn quietly, and to look at our own feathers - to see what we've carried, what’s fallen, and what we've learned to cherish. In embracing this quiet narrative, we learn that to release is not to lose - but to live on.