In Stars And Time

[h1]Sights & Sounds[/h1] [h3]Monochromatism[/h3] [*] There's only a few games that I can recall making the bold choice to go full grayscale. In an industry where new generations of graphics cards keep getting rolled out and advances in display technology seem to happen every other year, it's actually sort of refreshing to see [*] The palette, paired with the large-eyed, noseless, and expressive character portraits, leans heavily into a comparison to manga. I really appreciated just how animated those portraits were; it's easy to read, for example, Siffrin's apathy, Mirabelle's excitability, or Bonnie's fiery temper [*] The character designs deserve some credit. Although your main cast of protagonists leans into traditional RPG classes (rogue, fighter, healer, mage), I like that it's not immediately visually discernable what class they are. Except maybe Isabeau, whose stature and general beefiness scream "warrior" [*] As for the audio design, be prepared for a lot of SNES era throwbacks. Sound effects definitely sound like they were produced by a cartridge, and the soundtrack is about 80% chiptunes. I don't necessarily view this as a drawback, but I wasn't able to ascertain why some tracks used more traditional instrumentation. It makes sense that the tune that plays during the game's emotional crescendo wouldn't be chiptuned, for example, but why does the battle tutorial get the same treatment? [*] Regardless of the OST's auditory inconsistency, the quality is still high. The battle theme and the afore mentioned plot wrap-up track were especially good [h1]Story & Vibes[/h1] [h3]Over and over[/h3] [*] Even though you don't have to look much further than the marketing material to get a hint at the game's big story twist, I'll do my best to avoid spoilers. It's going to be difficult given that the plot tips its hand fairly early, but we'll make due [*] You assume the role of Siffrin, a member of a travelling party of adventurers that has recently arrived in Dormont, a city in the land of Vangard. Sif, along with his companions Mirabelle, Isabeau, Odile, and Bonnie, have been investigating a creeping evil that has been freezing people in time and place. They've determined that the king of a distant land across the sea (simply referred to as "The King") is the source of this evil after taking over Dormont's House of Change [*] It isn't long after entering the House of Change that the game's central gimmick begins to rear its head. Without going into too much detail, you'll learn that you need to explore the House over and over again in order to move the plot forward and learn all of your mysterious environment's secrets [*] If reexperiencing the same story points repeatedly sounds a bit frustrating, it sort of is. At least you're not alone, as Siffrin begins to recognize the repetition after some time. The shared frustration between the player and protagonist helps to build a strange sort of understanding and empathy with him [*] Overall, the story shakes out to be quite touching. [i]In Stars and Time[/i]'s depiction of Siffrin's depression feels almost clinically interesting, and the reason that the game's central mechanic exists is actually a little heartbreaking once that plot point is fleshed out [*] A key contributing factor to the high quality of the narrative is just how strongly written the characters are. They've got great emotional range and entertaining group dynamics. It's particularly interesting to see how each of them reacts to Sif's emotional ups and downs as his character is developed throughout the narrative [*] By the way, if representation of different ethnicities and gender identities is important to you, this is definitely a title to add to your wishlist [*] As is often the case in games, [i]In Stars and Time[/i] has a special secret ending. While not totally necessary to understand the story, it does help explain who Loop is and what their motivations are. I didn't figure out what the triggering condition was until after beating the game, so I had to watch it on YouTube. It's pretty disappointing, and if you get past Act 3 without meeting the first condition, you're unfortunately out of luck [h1]Playability & Replayability[/h1] [h3]Surprisingly generic[/h3] [*] In terms of turn-based RPG mechanics, [i]In Stars and Time[/i] is bog standard. You walk around, inspect your stuff in your environment and inventory, solve a few puzzles here and there, and level up through battles. Enemies appear on the map a bit like [i]Chrono Trigger[/i], and fights feature you facing your foes head-on like in [i]Mother/Earthbound[/i] [*] Battles feel like a bit of a blend between [i]Pokemon[/i] and more traditional RPGs in that characters, enemies, and attacks have typing. These types follow a literal rock/paper/scissors dynamic that works exactly like it sounds it does [*] Beyond that, though? For a game that takes some chances with its narrative gimmick, [i]In Stars and Time[/i]'s gameplay feels surprisingly and perhaps disappointingly safe. There's not really much else to report. If you've played an RPG at any point in your life, you'll immediately understand every gameplay mechanic it throws your way [*] Because of that demerit, I don't really think I'll be revisiting this title anytime soon. Sure, I missed out on the secret ending, but replaying a 20-25 hour game to earn it myself isn't an endeavor I think I'll undertake [h1]Overall Impressions & Performance[/h1] [h3]Good despite some friction[/h3] [*] Even though I ragged on the gameplay a bit, I still think this is one of the better RPG plots I've played through lately. Some might look at the narrative like it's a trite story about the power of friendship. Maybe that's true, but the fantasy trappings and well-conceived characters go a long way in punching it up a few notches [*] I can see this game's gimmick being extremely annoying to some players. If you're averse to backtracking, everything between the prologue and epilogue might feel like torture. I think the little details and changes, along with Sif's reaction to them, help to mitigate it somewhat, but I could certainly understand that being a valid criticism. It is, at the very least, a little annoying. You've been warned [*] As with most turn-based RPGs, this was a great Steam Deck title [h1]Final Verdict[/h1] [b]8.0[/b]/10. If you can get past some of the frustration arising from retracing your steps repeatedly, I'd highly recommend [i]In Stars and Time[/i] for its unique visuals, great soundtrack, and excellent characters. Sure, the gameplay mechanics don't have a lot going for them, but they're at least familiar and simple to understand. Highly recommend if you're looking for a touching, emotionally well-developed story to tug on your heartstrings a bit