The Past Within

About The Past Within

The Past Within is a puzzle adventure by the studio Rusty Lake, who also published it. It came out on PC, Mac, iOS and Android on 2 November 2022, and on Nintendo Switch on 6 July 2023. It is the first co-op-only game set in the studio's surreal Rusty Lake world, home of Rusty Lake: Roots and the Cube Escape series.

Both players need their own copy and a way to talk, and they can be on different systems: PC, Mac, iOS, Android and Switch all play together. The game itself needs no internet connection. You talk in the same room, over the phone or in voice chat, and the game keeps you in step: each of you picks one of two insects at the start so that both sides get the same set of puzzles.

One of you plays in the past and the other in the future, and you see the world in different ways. The past is a flat, hand-drawn room with flowered wallpaper, a stove and framed pictures; the future is a set of 3D puzzle boxes you turn in your hands, covered in grilles, dials, screens and switches. A picture on one side is the code for a lock on the other, so the game is mostly talking: describing what is in front of you and listening closely to what your partner says. One reviewer likened it to an escape room with no time limit.

It is not a game of chases or jump scares. Its unease comes from the series' world: a father who has died, a coffin laid out under his portrait, stern faces in gold frames and a family whose plans go into dark places. The ESRB lists blood and violence, and PEGI rates it 12.

The game has two chapters and, its makers say, an average play time of about two hours; some players finish sooner. They recommend playing again from the other side, and a replay option deals new solutions to the puzzles. On Steam it has a demo, and free Lite versions are on the App Store and Google Play. Critics were more mixed than players: its Metascore is 68 from seven reviews, while players on Steam and the phone stores rate it very highly. It suits two friends who like Rusty Lake's puzzles and want something to solve together in one evening.

How to play The Past Within

1. Find a partner; each of you needs your own copy and a way to talk, such as sitting together, a phone call or voice chat.
2. Agree who plays The Past and who plays The Future, then both pick the same insect when the game asks, so your puzzles match.
3. Explore your room or box and describe everything you see, including symbols, numbers, shapes and colours.
4. Combine what both of you see to solve each puzzle; solving one on your side often hands your partner what they need next.
5. After finishing, play again from the other side, or use the replay option for new puzzle solutions.

Tips

• Describe things plainly and completely; a small detail on your side is often the code on your partner's.
• Keep pen and paper close for symbols and sequences.
• If a picture is too hard to describe, a photo sent from your phone can help, but try talking it through first.
• Stuck or without a partner? Rusty Lake points players to its official Discord to find one.

Questions