When The Past Was Around similar games & best alternatives

When The Past Was Around

Mac, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Android, iOS • 2020

Should you play it?

When the Past was Around is an adventure point-and-click puzzle game about love, moving on, letting go, and the joy and pain of everything in between.

What works
  • Beautiful hand-drawn art
  • Emotional and poignant story
  • Soothing and memorable soundtrack
  • Accessible yet thoughtful puzzles
  • Meaningful exploration of grief and healing
Things to keep in mind
  • Short gameplay length
  • Some puzzles can be too easy or slightly unclear
  • Repetitive soundtrack for some players
  • Limited replay value beyond achievements
  • Lack of explicit narrative clarity for some

What to play next

Similar games, hidden gems, and fresh directions from this game.

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Monument Valley 2

  • Refind Self: The Personality Test Game

  • The Last Dream: Developer's Edition

  • Crowns and Pawns: Kingdom of Deceit

  • The Dark Eye: Memoria

  • Röki

  • Pentiment

  • When The Past Was Around - Prologue

  • Carto
Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • The Last Dream: Developer's Edition

  • Crowns and Pawns: Kingdom of Deceit

  • One Dreamer
If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Story

    Fruitbus
  • Escapism

    Last Day of June
  • Intimacy

    The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories

Similarity map

Explore nearby similar games and see why they’re close.

How to use the graph
Similarity map

Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Why this game works” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

  • Purple star: this page’s game — everything on the map is relative to it.
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot for a screenshot preview, score, and top score gaps; click to compare in the panel on the right.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers (hidden on purpose).

When The Past Was Around: A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Survival, Violence, Competition, Thrill. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Intimacy. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Thrill, Fantasy.

Why this game works

A motivational profile of the game, with the closest similar game for each player motivation.

  • Autonomy

    Game with the same Autonomy vibe

    3

    "Players direct their own actions in a point-and-click adventure with some freedom to explore and solve puzzles at their own pace."

    Capsule for Papetura Papetura

    "Players direct their own actions through point-and-click puzzles and exploration, with freedom to interact with many objects and revisit chapters."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    2

    "Puzzles provide moderate challenge requiring thinking and observation, but are generally accessible and not overly difficult."

    Capsule for Dead Take Dead Take

    "Puzzles provide moderate challenge and require some problem solving, but are generally accessible and not overly difficult."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -5

    "No competitive elements; focus is on personal emotional experience and story."

    Capsule for Last Day of June Last Day of June

    "No competitive elements; focus is on personal emotional experience and story."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    1

    "Short game with emotional impact encourages players to complete it in one or few sessions; some replay for achievements."

    Capsule for Meg's Monster Meg's Monster

    "Short game with some replay value for achievements and emotional revisiting, but overall brief play sessions."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    -5

    "Single-player narrative experience focused on individual reflection and choices without multiplayer or teamwork."

    Capsule for missed messages. missed messages.

    "Single-player experience focused on individual reflection and story engagement."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    1

    "Players explore and solve puzzles but within a fixed narrative and environment; limited creative modification."

    Capsule for Mad Father Mad Father

    "Players solve puzzles creatively and explore symbolic elements, though within a structured narrative."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -5

    "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; experience is personal and empathetic."

    Capsule for A Bird Story A Bird Story

    "No elements of control or superiority over others; experience is personal and empathetic."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    4

    "Strong emotional immersion and escape into a poignant fictional story about love and loss."

    Capsule for Last Day of June Last Day of June

    "Strong emotional immersion offering escape into a poignant narrative about grief and healing."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily driven by intrinsic interest in story, art, and emotional themes."

    Capsule for Sumire Sumire

    "Players engage voluntarily driven by personal interest in emotional storytelling and art."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    2

    "Players try to solve puzzles and explore new areas, encouraging some experimentation."

    Capsule for Left Alone Left Alone

    "Players explore puzzles and symbolic interactions, encouraging experimentation within the game world."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    2

    "Players discover new clues and areas within scenes, encouraging curiosity and investigation."

    Capsule for Confidential Killings - A Detective Game Confidential Killings - A Detective Game

    "Players discover new scenes, objects, and memories, encouraging curiosity and discovery."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    2

    "Artistic visual style and character portrayal allow for expressive storytelling."

    Capsule for Downfall Downfall

    "Artistic style and symbolic storytelling allow personal interpretation and emotional expression."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    1

    "Anthropomorphic characters and surreal elements provide some imaginative fiction, though grounded in real emotions."

    Capsule for Just, Bearly Just, Bearly

    "Contains some surreal and symbolic elements (e.g., Owl character), blending realistic emotional themes with imaginative presentation."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    -5

    "Primarily a solitary experience focused on individual narrative."

    Capsule for Papo & Yo Papo & Yo

    "Primarily a solitary experience focused on personal emotional journey."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    3

    "Players experience emotional growth and reflection through the narrative and character development."

    Capsule for eden* eden*

    "Players experience emotional growth and reflection on grief and healing through narrative progression."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -5

    "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity involved."

    Capsule for World of Tanks Blitz World of Tanks Blitz

    "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity involved."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -3

    "Requires focused attention to solve puzzles and follow story; not a background or idle game."

    Capsule for The Journey Down: Chapter Three The Journey Down: Chapter Three

    "Requires focused attention to solve puzzles and engage with story; not a background or idle game."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    4

    "Strong emotional connection to characters and story, fostering empathy and personal reflection."

    Capsule for The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories

    "Strong emotional connection to characters and story, evoking empathy and personal reflection."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    -5

    "No leadership or group management elements; purely individual experience."

    Capsule for Without a Dawn Without a Dawn

    "No leadership or group management elements; purely individual experience."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    3

    "Narrative progression and character development through choices and story advancement."

    Capsule for Fallen Hero: Rebirth Fallen Hero: Rebirth

    "Narrative and puzzle progression advance the story and emotional development."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    3

    "Calm pacing and emotional music provide a relaxing and immersive atmosphere."

    Capsule for Allumette Allumette

    "Calm, soothing music and gentle pacing create a relaxing atmosphere despite emotional themes."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    3

    "Enjoyable sensory experience with beautiful art and music that evoke emotional and aesthetic pleasure."

    Capsule for I and Me I and Me

    "Enjoyable sensory experience through beautiful art and evocative music."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -5

    "No social recognition or status elements present."

    Capsule for Obduction Obduction

    "No social recognition or status elements present."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    5

    "Strong narrative immersion with emotional story about family, loss, and healing."

    Capsule for Fruitbus Fruitbus

    "Core focus on narrative immersion telling a poignant story of love, loss, and healing without words."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    1

    "Puzzles require logical thinking and problem solving but are generally straightforward."

    Capsule for Boxes: Lost Fragments Boxes: Lost Fragments

    "Puzzles require some problem solving and logical thinking but are generally straightforward."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    -3

    "Emotional tension present but no suspense or risk-based thrills."

    Capsule for Season of 12 Colors Season of 12 Colors

    "Emotional tension present but no suspense or risk-based thrills."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    2

    "Generally considered good value for emotional and artistic experience despite short length."

    Capsule for Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake

    "Good perceived value for emotional impact and artistic quality, though some note short length."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    -5

    "No violence; focus on constructive emotional and relational interactions."

    Capsule for LoveChoice LoveChoice

    "No violence; focus on constructive emotional experience."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    -5

    "No survival or threat avoidance mechanics."

    Capsule for NEKOPARA Vol. 1 NEKOPARA Vol. 1

    "No survival or threat avoidance mechanics."

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Last update: 01/06/2026