Reviews

When The Past Was Around review for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One

Platform: Switch
Also on: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Publisher: Chorus Worldwide Games
Developer: Toge Productions
Medium: Digital
Players: 1
Online: No
ESRB: E

I?ll make this clear right off the bat, before I write anything else: When The Past Was Around is a lovely adventure game about relationships and loss. It?s got very nice-looking visuals, a pleasant-sounding score, and an engaging story. If it existed in a vacuum, I?d be raving about it.

But? (You knew there was a ?but? coming, right?)

It doesn?t exist in a vacuum. It exists in a world where we already have Florence — and Florence came out a few years earlier than When The Past Was Around, making the latter seem like a pale imitation.

Obviously, there?s room in the world for both games. I mean, you could very easily finish both of them in well under two hours, so it?s not as if they?re both putting insane demands on your time. And, what?s more, it?s not like I want to see less heartfelt indie games put out into the world.

It?s just that, again, the games are so identical, it?s impossible not to compare them — and on every front, When The Past Was Around doesn?t quite measure up. When The Past Was Around looks nice and dreamy — but not as gorgeous as Florence does. When The Past Was Around does a nice job of telling a story without using any words — but it?s in no way as affecting as Florence?s story. The music in When The Past Was Around is very nice — but in Florence, it?s transcendent. When The Past Was Around finds a way to include some interesting puzzles in the mix — but Florence found a way to be interactive without letting its little challenges get in the way of its story. It?s like that at every turn, in every respect. When The Past Was Around is good — but it?s no Florence.

Though, again, it?s not like we?re talking about some crazily oversaturated genre. By my count, When The Past Was Around brings the total of ?wordless games about young women growing up and making their way through love and less, set to lovely music? to approximately two. Obviously, you should play that other one first. But once you?re finished that, then you should still find the time to investigate When The Past Was Around, too.

Chorus Worldwide Games provided us with When The Past Was Around Switch code for review purposes.

Grade: B+

Tagline:

Matthew Pollesel

Recent Posts

Mafia: The Old Country gets an August 8th, 2025 release, official gameplay trailer and more

With Grand Theft Auto VI officially bumped into next year, now's the time for 2K…

21 hours ago

Celebrate the upcoming launch of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 with THPS Fest tonight in L.A. and Twitch

Activision has put together a tribute to the those who helped make Tony Hawk’s Pro…

23 hours ago

Sega reveals the English Voice Cast for Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut

Real Yakuza play with subs, but if you need a dub, SEGA’s got your back.

1 day ago

Captain Blood review for PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation

It took more than twenty years, but Captain Blood has finally seen the light of…

1 day ago

Nintendo eShop Update: Ship Graveyard Simulator 2, Linea: An Innerlight Game

Check out the new games arriving on the Switch this week, and keep reminding yourself…

1 day ago

This Elden Ring Nightreign overview trailer gives us a better glimpse of the game’s systems

The release of Bandai Namco and FromSoftware's multiplayer Elden Ring co-op action survival spinoff is…

2 days ago