Really enjoyed it, it was fun to play! I think the fact that we know so little about the characters and the surface level gameplay with solving things for the timeloops holds this game back a lot. Some frustrating things with progression regarding how the protagonist is characterized
I don't really mind if something is super predictable, I think I'm just well acquainted to time travel stories, but just keep in mind that if you also are, it's really easy to predict.
Ending is heartwarming, but I think lacked the punch it really called for. To the point where it feels kind of uncalled for
I don't really mind if something is super predictable, I think I'm just well acquainted to time travel stories, but just keep in mind that if you also are, it's really easy to predict.
Ending is heartwarming, but I think lacked the punch it really called for. To the point where it feels kind of uncalled for
YOU LIKE WORDS?! YOU LIKE WHEN CHARACTERS TALK ABOUT THINGS AND STUFF AND YOU CLICK ON THINGS AND THEY SAY SOMETHING DIFFERENT BECAUSE YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT BAPHMODAD OR THINGAMOWHOZIT OR DID THE ZIPPY FLIPPY EARLIER? THIS GAME IS FOR YOU!
In Stars and Time has a nearly obscene amount of dialogue. Every single interactable in the game has a full-blown conversation tied to it. Dialogue remains quippy, familiar, and very of-the-time, whilst still having a contemporary wit that keeps you wanting to see more. And then you throw in the ways you can change every single dialogue encounter, and you get an absolutely dizzying amount of exposition and conversations about essentially nothing, but one of those conversations will be useful eventually.
This is what Stars and Time is banking on; you enjoying its main conceit - that of a single RPG dungeon that you traverse multiple times with new information each time to contextualize all of its puzzles - and how your characters reveal more about themselves, attempt to, and fail to change with every pass through. It's a massive puzzle box of dialogue where the reward is that you get to spend more time with your friends and care about your friends. And if you like that? The game will just continue giving and giving.
And I don't like that. I LOVE that.
In Stars and Time is glad to twist and pull its characters to the point of breaking, boiling them down to their merest existences as archetypes, ideas, character arcs and gameplay functions, twisting and turning them... but never once forgetting that these are characters. They feel, they believe, and they mean something, and because of that, In Stars and time has a beautiful lot to say about the simple condition of storytelling. The way that Mirabelle, Odile, Isabeau, and Bonnie's stories develop, progress, and regress through the game's runtime is as heartbreaking as it is well-considered and lovely. This is to say nothing of the player character, Siffrin, who just might be my favorite expression of a main character in a very long time; at the very least, I think he plays with the idea of BEING the lead in an incredible way! Watching these journeys slowly come to inevitable conclusions of both dread and catharsis has been one of the most gratifying experiences I've seen.
I realize, at this point in the review, I have done a very bad job explaining what In Stars and Time IS other than "they talk a lot and you navigate a dungeon and you think it's really good when they talk". There is turn-based combat based on a rock-paper-scissors effectiveness system, which is very nicely done and has a great flow to it until it stops mattering entirely halfway through the game and becomes an annoyance most times it shows up. There's some trial and error dungeon navigation that's a bit dull. Sometimes the game's RPG Maker roots show up and you can feel the game rubbing up against the limitations of the system. Sometimes yeah, it can feel like dialogue scenes might be going on a BIT long to emphasize a point. Really, perhaps the biggest issue with In Stars and Time is how every last bit of the game is so dedicated to its core narrative conceit - if you are not in love with what ISaT is selling, it will likely not get any better for you as it over-indulges in its own devices. Everything in this game is tied in to this form of character development and progression... and if you do love that, if this game speaks to you, then it's an unparalleled experience. I was slowed down a bit at times, but this game stunned me in the best of ways, in ways that I would want to write as a writer and love reading and imagining through. It is not a game I can recommend to everyone, but it is a game that I love, think celebrates BEING a game wonderfully, and think if you have even passing interest in, you owe yourself to at least give it the Steam Refund test; it could be something (and I think it IS something) truly special for ya.
In Stars and Time has a nearly obscene amount of dialogue. Every single interactable in the game has a full-blown conversation tied to it. Dialogue remains quippy, familiar, and very of-the-time, whilst still having a contemporary wit that keeps you wanting to see more. And then you throw in the ways you can change every single dialogue encounter, and you get an absolutely dizzying amount of exposition and conversations about essentially nothing, but one of those conversations will be useful eventually.
This is what Stars and Time is banking on; you enjoying its main conceit - that of a single RPG dungeon that you traverse multiple times with new information each time to contextualize all of its puzzles - and how your characters reveal more about themselves, attempt to, and fail to change with every pass through. It's a massive puzzle box of dialogue where the reward is that you get to spend more time with your friends and care about your friends. And if you like that? The game will just continue giving and giving.
And I don't like that. I LOVE that.
In Stars and Time is glad to twist and pull its characters to the point of breaking, boiling them down to their merest existences as archetypes, ideas, character arcs and gameplay functions, twisting and turning them... but never once forgetting that these are characters. They feel, they believe, and they mean something, and because of that, In Stars and time has a beautiful lot to say about the simple condition of storytelling. The way that Mirabelle, Odile, Isabeau, and Bonnie's stories develop, progress, and regress through the game's runtime is as heartbreaking as it is well-considered and lovely. This is to say nothing of the player character, Siffrin, who just might be my favorite expression of a main character in a very long time; at the very least, I think he plays with the idea of BEING the lead in an incredible way! Watching these journeys slowly come to inevitable conclusions of both dread and catharsis has been one of the most gratifying experiences I've seen.
I realize, at this point in the review, I have done a very bad job explaining what In Stars and Time IS other than "they talk a lot and you navigate a dungeon and you think it's really good when they talk". There is turn-based combat based on a rock-paper-scissors effectiveness system, which is very nicely done and has a great flow to it until it stops mattering entirely halfway through the game and becomes an annoyance most times it shows up. There's some trial and error dungeon navigation that's a bit dull. Sometimes the game's RPG Maker roots show up and you can feel the game rubbing up against the limitations of the system. Sometimes yeah, it can feel like dialogue scenes might be going on a BIT long to emphasize a point. Really, perhaps the biggest issue with In Stars and Time is how every last bit of the game is so dedicated to its core narrative conceit - if you are not in love with what ISaT is selling, it will likely not get any better for you as it over-indulges in its own devices. Everything in this game is tied in to this form of character development and progression... and if you do love that, if this game speaks to you, then it's an unparalleled experience. I was slowed down a bit at times, but this game stunned me in the best of ways, in ways that I would want to write as a writer and love reading and imagining through. It is not a game I can recommend to everyone, but it is a game that I love, think celebrates BEING a game wonderfully, and think if you have even passing interest in, you owe yourself to at least give it the Steam Refund test; it could be something (and I think it IS something) truly special for ya.
rough around the edges but i haven't been able to stop thinking about it for days. i love rpgmaker games shoutout to my queers