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The Past Within: a white metal puzzle box with grilles, dials and switches on a wooden floor, a sheet with an insect print beside it

Horror puzzleCo-op and multiplayer horrorShort horrorPsychological horror

The Past Within

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Two players, two times, one dead father's plan from Rusty Lake.

Platforms
PC, Mac, Switch, iPhone, Android
Stores
Steam, GOG
Price
Paid
Rated
Very Positive on Steam (95% of 16,939 reviews); 4.9 on the App Store (7.4K ratings); 4.8 on Google Play (49.4K reviews); Metascore 68 from 7 critics
Length
about 2 hours, per its makers
Players
2 (co-op only, each with their own copy)
Made by
Rusty Lake
Released
2022

No. 11 of the horror games about family · No. 3 of the painting horror games · No. 1 of the time travel horror games

Get it on Steam GOGNintendo eShopApp StoreGoogle Play

What frightens A quiet, macabre dread rather than jump scares: two players in different times carry out the strange plan of the dead Albert Vanderboom, among sombre portraits, a coffin laid out in a parlour and cold machines in a tiled room.

Content: blood and violence (esrb descriptors; pegi 12), macabre imagery: a coffin, portraits and death in the family, needs a second player with their own copy and a way to talk.

The Past Within is a co-op-only point-and-click puzzle game from Rusty Lake. One player is in the past and the other in the future, and you solve each puzzle by describing to each other what you see, to help Rose carry out the plan of her dead father, Albert Vanderboom.

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.

Screenshots

The Past Within: a white metal puzzle box with grilles, dials and switches on a wooden floor, a sheet with an insect print beside it
The Past Within: a hand-drawn room with flowered wallpaper, an old stove, a table and chair and framed pictures on the wall
The Past Within: a grey tiled room with metal lockers, a radio, a blank board and a desk with a chair
The Past Within: a smoking white puzzle box with speakers and a red warning button, a white rat beside it
The Past Within: an ornate wooden puzzle box with brass dials in a dim room with a candelabra
The Past Within: a gold-framed portrait of a stern woman with red hair on flowered wallpaper
The Past Within: a coffin on a table draped in white between a flower urn and a candelabra, under a portrait of a man

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

Can you play The Past Within alone?

No. It is co-op only; both players need their own copy of the game and a way to communicate.

Can players on different platforms play together?

Yes. Its makers say it is cross-platform between PC, Mac, iOS, Android and Nintendo Switch, as long as you can talk to each other. The game does not need an internet connection.

How long is The Past Within?

Two chapters, with an average play time of about two hours according to Rusty Lake. Playing again from the other side roughly doubles it.

Is The Past Within scary?

It is unsettling rather than frightening: macabre imagery, a coffin and a dark family plan, without monsters, chases or jump scares. The ESRB lists blood and violence, and PEGI rates it 12.

Is there a demo?

Yes. Steam lists a demo, and free Lite versions are on the App Store and Google Play.

  • point and click
  • co-op only
  • asymmetric
  • 2d and 3d
  • surreal
  • rusty lake
  • cross-platform
  • hand drawn
  • escape room
  • offline

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Guides with The Past Within

The Past Within is played on store.steampowered.com and its makers' stores; this page links to them and is not part of it. Pictures are from the game's own pages and remain its owner's. Terms and pictures.

Sources: store.steampowered.com, store.steampowered.com, store.steampowered.com, gog.com, nintendo.com, apps.apple.com, play.google.com, rustylake.com, metacritic.com, ladiesgamers.com