

The overall playtime for The Past Within is just about two hours, split between the game’s two chapters, however, the game may be replayed in different ways depending on whether you play in “Butterfly” or “Bee” mode, which alters the solutions to the game’s puzzles. The game’s music does a wonderful job of generating a generally scary tone throughout, but the cartoony visuals make most of the moments that are intended to be frightening appear pretty funny. So, you don’t have to tell the other player everything you’re doing, but you should still let them know when you have something they may want or need because the game’s advancement is reliant on that.ĭespite sharing many themes with horror games, The Past Within is not a really terrifying experience. You’ll still have to complete certain things on your own, though, just as in a standard room escape game. Much of the pleasure in this game’s mechanic depends on the players’ ability to work together and communicate well, since they both need to describe a wide variety of symbols and strange-looking images. The player in the past plays in a room that he has to investigate, while the player in the future has a mystery cube to fix. The puzzles in The Past Within are focused on revealing different events and collecting Albert’s blood, flesh, and bones, so that he can be revived via the cube. The first one is more about helping you get used to the idea of cooperating with a buddy, while the second one is packed with surprises and lets you really get into the meat of the experience.

Those who are already acquainted with the Rusty Lake world will get the most out of this game, but newcomers may struggle to relate to the characters and the references to the Vanderboom family, who forms the central plotline of Rusty Lake: Roots and owns a large house near the shore of Rusty Lake. The player who plays in the past is placed in the year 1926 and takes on the role of Rose, the daughter of Albert, who learns from a letter that a friend from the future will help her revive her father. The story revolves around the mysterious death of Albert Vanderboom, who was murdered by his brother Frank.


The game is the latest installment in the Rusty Lake series (also known as the Cube Escape series) and features interactive point-and-click mechanics. The Past Within is a puzzle-solving co-op game with one player playing in the past and the other in the future.
