Games like When The Past Was Around
If When The Past Was Around is your kind of game, the closest matches are Kosmonavtes: Escape Reality, The Wizard Party and Connected Hearts: Fortune Play Collector's Edition — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers single out its soundtrack enhances emotional impact, visuals are stunning and writing quality is exceptional. Each pick is ranked by what players of this game also play, shared genres and tags, and review-mined similarity — not a generic popularity list.
Get personalized picks →Developed by Mojiken and published by Toge Productions, When the Past Was Around is a wordless point-and-click adventure exploring themes of grief, memories, and moving forward. Released in 2020 at a price of $7.99, the game blends exploration, interactive storytelling, and puzzle-solving within a surreal setting. Players describe the experience as atmospheric and emotionally resonant, with the soundtrack frequently highlighted as enhancing the narrative impact. Reviewers also note the game's immersive quality despite its minimal interface. The title runs verified on Steam Deck and carries a 96% positive rating from over 1,600 Steam reviews. With a short runtime designed for relaxed, seated sessions, the game appeals to those seeking a contemplative, narrative-driven puzzle experience.
About When The Past Was Around: 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.
Players who liked When The Past Was Around also play
Steam players who put hours into When The Past Was Around also tend to own these titles — a signal called collaborative filtering. imho.run cross-references millions of library ownership patterns to surface games whose real audiences overlap, regardless of whether their genre tags match.
Kosmonavtes: Escape Reality
WHY THIS
Top pick for When The Past Was Around fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
A Room Escape and puzzle / adventure game! Help Vala fulfil her dream and become an astronaut!
The Wizard Party
WHY THIS
Second-strongest match for When The Past Was Around fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Casual with When The Past Was Around.
🔮The Wizard Party🔮 is a short and whimsical puzzle adventure game where all items are physics objects that interact with each other!
Connected Hearts: Fortune Play Collector's Edition
WHY THIS
Third-strongest match for When The Past Was Around fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Adventure and Casual with When The Past Was Around.
Love can wound and heal. It is a feeling inherent in everyone. But can you get love by force or deception? Find out in this new game!
I commissioned some cats 2
WHY THIS
Ranked #4 for When The Past Was Around fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Casual with When The Past Was Around.
I paid artists to hide cats and wool in 15 pieces of artwork. Can you find them all? Warning: Relaxing.
Their Story.
WHY THIS
Ranked #5 for When The Past Was Around fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Casual with When The Past Was Around.
Their Story. is a 2D narrative exploration and puzzle adventure about love and connection between two cyclists in the city of Valparaíso. As you uncover their stories and daily lives, a hidden bond between two strangers begins to emerge. Will they ever meet?.
Cleaning Queens
WHY THIS
Ranked #6 for When The Past Was Around fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
House cleaning has never been more fun - grab your mouse, sit back, relax, and clean up numerous rooms in this satisfying point-and-click game!
Meowing Point
WHY THIS
Ranked #7 for When The Past Was Around fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
Point and meow. 3D hidden cat game. These creatures have been turned into stone. Find and save them all.
Darkarta: A Broken Heart's Quest Collector's Edition
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with When The Past Was Around.
Ranked #8 for When The Past Was Around fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
Haunted by mysterious curses from her orphanage days, Mary is finally forced to confront the truth behind her past. Step into the enchanted Netherworld—a realm where destiny is written in blood and every choice shapes her fate. An award-winning adventure blending mystery, emotion, and dark fantasy.
Reviewers mention these as similar to When The Past Was Around
Surfaced from review text: when other players write 'if you liked X, try Y', we catch the name and resolve it back to a Steam game.
INSIDE
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with When The Past Was Around.
Reviewers of When The Past Was Around cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
Hunted and alone, a boy finds himself drawn into the center of a dark project. INSIDE is a dark, narrative-driven platformer combining intense action with challenging puzzles. It has been critically acclaimed for its moody art style, ambient soundtrack and unsettling atmosphere.
Undertale
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with When The Past Was Around.
Reviewers of When The Past Was Around cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie with When The Past Was Around.
UNDERTALE! The RPG game where you don't have to destroy anyone.
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
WHY THIS
Shares exploration and an atmospheric mood with When The Past Was Around.
Reviewers of When The Past Was Around cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Adventure and Casual with When The Past Was Around.
Even the smallest person can make a big difference. Join Alba, as she sets out to save her beautiful island and its wildlife. And possibly start a revolution.
TOEM 2
WHY THIS
Reviewers of When The Past Was Around cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
Step back into the shoes of a curious photographer and set off on a brand new adventure all about uncovering hidden details, helping friends along the way, and documenting the world’s little wonders in TOEM 2, the sequel to the acclaimed TOEM.
Portal
WHY THIS
Reviewers of When The Past Was Around cross-mention this title as a similar play.
Portal™ is a new single player game from Valve. Set in the mysterious Aperture Science Laboratories, Portal has been called one of the most innovative new games on the horizon and will offer gamers hours of unique gameplay.
Her Story
WHY THIS
Shares an immersive mood with When The Past Was Around.
Reviewers of When The Past Was Around cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
A woman is interviewed seven times by the police. Search the video database and explore hundreds of authentic clips to discover her story in this groundbreaking and award winning narrative game.
Return of the Obra Dinn
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with When The Past Was Around.
Reviewers of When The Past Was Around cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
Lost at sea 1803 ~ The good ship Obra Dinn.
LoveChoice
WHY THIS
Shares an emotional mood with When The Past Was Around.
Reviewers of When The Past Was Around cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
"What is love?" We try to answer that with this game. The game encourages people to have a warm, soft, and understanding heart.
Cheaper alternatives
Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below When The Past Was Around at current Steam store prices.
POSTAL 2
WHY THIS
Priced ~88% under When The Past Was Around on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
Live a week in the life of "The POSTAL Dude"; a hapless everyman just trying to check off some chores. Buying milk, returning an overdue library book, getting Gary Coleman's autograph, what could possibly go wrong?
Buckshot Roulette
WHY THIS
Priced ~63% under When The Past Was Around on Steam right now. Shares Indie with When The Past Was Around.
Play Russian roulette with a 12-gauge shotgun. Four enter. One leaves. Roll the dice with your life. Good luck!
GRIS
WHY THIS
Priced ~53% under When The Past Was Around on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
Gris is a hopeful young girl lost in her own world, dealing with a painful experience in her life. Her journey through sorrow is manifested in her dress, which grants new abilities to better navigate her faded reality.
The Test
WHY THIS
Priced ~75% under When The Past Was Around on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
You will answer a series of questions that will reveal truths from deep within. These questions may make you uncomfortable, but with great knowledge comes great sacrifice. Can you make it all the way through The Test, and if you do, are you sure you want the answers you seek?
Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk
WHY THIS
Priced ~81% under When The Past Was Around on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
A short story about what sort of challenges everyday little things can be. Help the girl buy milk, be the first not to disappoint her.
Blood and Bacon
WHY THIS
Priced ~88% under When The Past Was Around on Steam right now. Shares Adventure and Casual with When The Past Was Around.
This Co-op Shooter , has Day and Night levels, multiple maps, players will take on 25 enemy types and numerous bosses, like Gargantuan Monsters and Minibosses every 10 days as you explore, shoot and run for your life against the onslaught of porcine monstrosities.
Crypt of the NecroDancer
WHY THIS
Priced ~63% under When The Past Was Around on Steam right now. Shares Indie with When The Past Was Around.
Crypt of the NecroDancer is an award winning hardcore roguelike rhythm game. Move to the music and deliver beatdowns to the beat! Groove to the epic Danny Baranowsky soundtrack, or select songs from your own MP3 collection!
A Short Hike
WHY THIS
Priced ~50% under When The Past Was Around on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
Hike, climb, and soar through the peaceful mountainside landscapes of Hawk Peak Provincial Park as you make your way to the summit.
Free alternatives
Free-to-play games that recommended players of this title also tend to enjoy.
Doki Doki Literature Club!
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Casual with When The Past Was Around.
The Literature Club is full of cute girls! Will you write the way into their heart? This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.
Life is Strange - Episode 1
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
Episode 1 now FREE! Life is Strange is an award-winning and critically acclaimed episodic adventure game that allows the player to rewind time and affect the past, present and future.
Ultimate Custom Night
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with When The Past Was Around.
Welcome to the ultimate FNAF mashup, featuring 50 selectable characters and custom difficulties!
Bongo Cat
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with When The Past Was Around.
Bongo cat needs your help. Bongo cat needz more hatz!!! Every time you press a key, Bongo cat will punch your taskbar. Type, click, play, work to collect more points. Which hats will you find?
ENA: Dream BBQ
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
Experience surreal environments and inexplicable characters as ENA in a new wild world.
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Casual with When The Past Was Around.
Sonic the Hedgehog...was murdered!? Get to the bottom of the mystery in this brand-new adventure!
Indigo Park: Chapter 1
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
Explore the abandoned childhood wonder of Indigo Park! Guided by Rambley the Raccoon, help restore power to the destroyed amusement park while you run from the reason it shut down.
Narrow it down
Head-to-head comparisons
More from Mojiken
Other recommendable Steam games by Mojiken, ranked by review count so the studio's hits land first.
A Space for the Unbound
WHY THIS
Shares exploration, puzzle solving and an atmospheric mood with When The Past Was Around.
Another title from Mojiken, the studio behind When The Past Was Around. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
A magical adventure about two high school sweethearts set at the end of their school days - and the end of the world. Explore a crumbling town and help friends face their inner demons, which could be the key to stopping reality itself disintegrating. And don’t forget to pet the cats.
She and the Light Bearer
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with When The Past Was Around.
Another title from Mojiken, the studio behind When The Past Was Around. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
She and the Light Bearer is a point and click adventure game, a poem, a fairy tale. Take a journey inside a vibrantly colored forest, meet silly creatures, listen to serene folk music, and discover somber secrets.
DIVINATION
WHY THIS
Another title from Mojiken, the studio behind When The Past Was Around. Shares Indie and Casual with When The Past Was Around.
"What if you're born into this world without your permission?" DIVINATION is a very short visual novel where you act as a fortune teller in a futuristic world. Talk and listen to people's stories, then foresee their future using the runes they had drawn.
Ultra Space Battle Brawl
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with When The Past Was Around.
Another title from Mojiken, the studio behind When The Past Was Around. Shares Indie with When The Past Was Around.
Easy to learn yet hard to master, Ultra Space Battle Brawl is a fun competitive game fit for settling disputes, be it with your friends and family or rivals and arch nemesis.
Banyu Lintar Angin - Little Storm -
WHY THIS
Another title from Mojiken, the studio behind When The Past Was Around. Shares Indie and Casual with When The Past Was Around.
Banyu Lintar Angin is a series of experimental illustrations about three siblings, living together independently in a rural Indonesian environment.
A Raven Monologue
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with When The Past Was Around.
Another title from Mojiken, the studio behind When The Past Was Around. Shares Indie and Casual with When The Past Was Around.
A Raven Monologue is a short experimental silent story about a raven that does not know how to croak and his relationship with the people in the town.
When The Past Was Around - Prologue
WHY THIS
Another title from Mojiken, the studio behind When The Past Was Around. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
This is the prologue chapter of "When the Past was Around", an upcoming adventure point-and-click puzzle game about love, moving on, letting go, and the joy and pain of everything in between.
A Space For The Unbound - Prologue
WHY THIS
Another title from Mojiken, the studio behind When The Past Was Around. Shares Indie and Adventure with When The Past Was Around.
Prologue chapter of A Space For The Unbound, an upcoming slice-of-life adventure game with beautiful pixelart set in the late 90s rural Indonesia that tells a story about overcoming anxiety, depression, and the relationship between a boy and a girl with supernatural powers
Frequently asked about When The Past Was Around
- Is When The Past Was Around verified for Steam Deck?
- Yes — When The Past Was Around is Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve has confirmed it runs well on the Deck with full controller, text legibility, and default configuration support.
- How much does When The Past Was Around cost?
- When The Past Was Around is listed on Steam at 7.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
- What games are most similar to When The Past Was Around?
- Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside When The Past Was Around are Kosmonavtes: Escape Reality, The Wizard Party, Connected Hearts: Fortune Play Collector's Edition.
- Who developed When The Past Was Around?
- When The Past Was Around was developed by Mojiken and published by Toge Productions.
imho.run ranks Steam game alternatives using a mix of collaborative filtering (ALS / iALS / EASE / LightGCN), content scoring over genres, categories, Steam tags, developers, and publishers, plus AI-extracted vibes mined from review text. The page above is generated in seed mode anchored on When The Past Was Around.
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