Rank 01Why this
Shares puzzle solving with When The Past Was Around.
- $6.49 (Price checked Oct 20)
- Deck Verified
- 2021
The closest matches to When The Past Was Around: Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery, There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension, Birth, Florence, and Rusty Lake: Roots. Ranked by imho.run from Steam co-play data, shared tags and reviews.
Rank 01Why this
Shares puzzle solving with When The Past Was Around.
Rank 02Why this
Also Interactive Fiction and Romance, like When The Past Was Around.
Rank 03


Why this: Shares interactive storytelling and puzzle solving with When The Past Was Around.

Why this: Shares interactive storytelling with When The Past Was Around.

Why this: Also Abstract and Surreal, like When The Past Was Around.
Shares puzzle solving with When The Past Was Around.
Also Interactive Fiction and Romance, like When The Past Was Around.
Shares interactive storytelling and puzzle solving with When The Past Was Around.
Also Hidden Object and Interactive Fiction, like When The Past Was Around.

Players highlight
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.

Why this: Same atmospheric mood as When The Past Was Around.


Why this: Shares exploration with When The Past Was Around.


Why this: Same immersive mood as When The Past Was Around.


Why this: Also Interactive Fiction and Romance, like When The Past Was Around.

Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below When The Past Was Around at current Steam store prices.

Why this: Also Interactive Fiction and Romance, like When The Past Was Around.

Why this: Shares puzzle solving with When The Past Was Around.





Why this: Shares exploration with When The Past Was Around.

Why this: Same atmospheric mood as When The Past Was Around.
Free games the recommender matches to When The Past Was Around, limited to titles with at least 500 Steam reviews and 80% positive.

Why this: Also Hidden Object and Romance, like When The Past Was Around.

Why this: Also Abstract and Surreal, like When The Past Was Around.

Why this: Shares exploration and puzzle solving with When The Past Was Around.


Why this: Also Interactive Fiction and Romance, like When The Past Was Around.

Why this: Also Abstract and Romance, like When The Past Was Around.
Valve-Verified or Playable picks from the similar pool — ready to go on Deck out of the box.

Why this: Shares puzzle solving with When The Past Was Around.

Why this: Also Interactive Fiction and Romance, like When The Past Was Around.

Why this: Also Surreal and Hidden Object, like When The Past Was Around.



Why this: Also Abstract and Surreal, like When The Past Was Around.
Other recommendable Steam games by Mojiken, ranked by review count so the studio's hits land first.

Why this: Shares exploration and puzzle solving with When The Past Was Around.

Why this: Same atmospheric mood as When The Past Was Around.






The closest matches to When The Past Was Around: Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery, There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension, Birth, Florence, and Rusty Lake: Roots. Ranked by imho.run from Steam co-play data, shared tags and reviews.
If When The Past Was Around is your kind of game, the closest matches are Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery, There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension and Birth — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers describe it as atmospheric, emotional and immersive, and single out its exploration and interactive storytelling. 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.
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 recommend it
A summary of what players say, not a promise you'll like it. Every signal is listed below.
The most up-voted negative English reviews in our sample, quoted as written.
“At first, it feels charming and introspective, but the spell ends up soon being broken. The game is repetitive and it presents a plot that is tragic but is presented in a somewhat superficial way. It fails to bring depth to the characters…”
People who play it also play: Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery, There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension, Birth
When The Past Was Around is also on App Store. What the store pages declare:
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.
When The Past Was Around is listed on Steam at 7.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside When The Past Was Around are Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery, There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension, Birth.
When The Past Was Around was developed by Mojiken and published by Toge Productions.