When the Past Was Around — A Story That Needs No Words
The first time I booted up When the Past Was Around by Mojiken, I thought I knew what I was in for. Dulcet soundtrack, lovely art and style, intuitive gameplay, all introduced within the main menu and the first seconds of the game. I thought it was going to be a good, relaxing time. I was mostly right. It ended up being beautiful, perfect for its length, and told entire story without a single word, spoken or written.
When the Past Was Around tells the story of Eda, a young woman whose life is changed by meeting the enigmatic Owl, and her time together with Owl. Players are tasked with solving a series of puzzles by searching rooms and areas for items. In doing so, they glean more and more of the story with every solution.
As noted, it is an entire visual story; there’s no dialogue, no text, nothing of the sort. The entire story is told through art, music, and sound design. Scenes vying to have you swept away in the soundtrack instead, but when sound design does come in, it stands on its own during their scenes. Big moments like a string being broken or a coughing spell, countered by the mundane adding trinkets to a bottle or trying to make morning tea, the sound design is simultaneously functional and engaging when it needs to be.
The soundtrack, composed by Masdito Bachtiar, is truly one of the standout elements of When the Past Was Around. Almost every track is composed around a main theme, but each with their own standout features to emphasize a scene, a setting, or a mood: different percussive elements, accompanying instruments, varying tempos, or other elements are all on full display. The range and variety of the main theme make it easy to lose track of it in the middle of the story. It’s easy to forget, even for just a moment, that the soundtrack revolves around the same set of notes from start to finish, but it never loses its impact or beauty.
On the other end is the visual element, the art by Brigitta Rena. Almost the entire game is framed by a white, shifting border, making each scene feel alive, even if no one’s moving. The solid colors used make everything pop, from the characters to the scene to the little details sprinkled throughout each area, lending that much more life to the story. Characters, both human and non, are wonderfully expressive and convey all of the tone and emotion they would need to in the absence of words. Every brush stroke and color choice is intentional, and it all comes together for a beautiful, storybook-esque aesthetic that can appeal to players of all ages.
While there isn’t a traditional tutorial, the entire game is playable with a mouse alone and the two main mechanics (interacting with the world and dragging inventory items into the world) are intuitive for even non-traditional or new gamers. There’s even a helpful little lightbulb to put players on the right path (again, without words), highlighting important items in the area for them to consider without outright saying “go here, do this.” It helps to retain a greater sense of accomplishment in the long-term.
Even with its shorter length and limited areas-per-scene, When the Past Was Around does not demand that players juggle a inventory of eclectic items throughout its entire run; players need only worry about what they pick up during specific scenes, leaving more mental real estate for figuring out some of the brain-tickling puzzles. Myst this isn’t, so by clicking around as When the Past Was Around encourages players to, they are liable to stumble on the solution, or otherwise have it helpfully gleaned to them by the lightbulb feature.
One of my genuinely favorite moments was acting like a mischievous cat in the first few rooms, knocking over potted plants all over the place. I was getting comfortable with the clicking mechanic, and the entire room felt like an invitation to go crazy! Now, partly, I was looking for a key to progress. Mostly, though, I just enjoyed interacting with everything and seeing what would happen! Adding to why it’s my favorite moments was having that feeling evolve and change throughout the game. At a different point, yes, I was still throwing everything to the floor, but I no longer felt like a cat. The story had changed, but the mechanic remained, if not emotionally different, and that moment was more moving, more poignant, and more beautiful for it.
When the Past Was Around is a story about Eda and Mr. Owl and their time together, yes, but it’s more than that. As I felt myself welling up near the end of the story, it felt like a story of loss, yes, but more than a simple tragedy. A story of remembering, of hope, of love that needs no words to thrive. When the Past Was Around tells us that it’s okay to feel hurt and confused in the face of loss, but also shows us how to celebrate life and memories in equal part. It tells us to take comfort in the unknown. That those we’ve lost will always live on in us. It tells us to acknowledge our sadness, and in the same breath, reminds us of the joy that is wrapped up in that same sadness. When the Past Was Around is a thing of beauty, plain and simple. Anyone looking for a lovely story they can enjoy in an evening, maybe even with a friend or a partner, would be hard-pressed to do better than this.
