Game Thoughts - A Taste of the Past by Sondering Studio
Note: This is a repost from our WordPress, which we don't update anymore.
I saw this game randomly on Steam and I told the others, why don't we get this for me? At the time, I didn't wanna stream Azure Dreams anymore, and wanted something else to play on stream instead.
It's pretty good! I like it! - Akkun
What's It All About?
You play as an Asian-American girl whose mom died recently. The game is basically her journey in the spirit train, where the spirits of her dead relatives help her learn how to make the noodles her mom made and, at the same time, help her express her grief properly.
It’s a short game, so I guess I might as well spoil it.
Writing
The world is pretty much like the real world, but with paranormal/supernatural things like the train thingy happening sometimes. And it looks like for the main character’s family, all the dead people linger in another dimension or something where they can watch over the next generations.
And since the world is pretty much like ours, the people are also kind of like the people here. They’re really comfy, like having a good family with you.
I think that this might be based on the dev’s experience… I don’t really know, since they didn't really say anything about it in the description. I think it could be.
Either way, it feels real. It feels really real, even though it's kind of a fantasy/supernatural setting too.
I know you don't really get to solve problems or get over personal issues that quickly, but I guess that's the good thing about games?
Art
The art is really cute! Pastel colors, clean lines… I like the art style for it! The proportions kind of remind us of CLAMP, but that’s okay. :3
It’s calming, and I guess the lightness really gives that spirit-y vibe.
Audio
I didn’t really remember it as much, since I was into the story. But I think it was nice too.
I didn’t expect voice acting for this game at the end, though, considering that most of it was unvoiced. It came a bit suddenly, but it was really heartfelt. I would say that the mom kind of sounds a bit too young? I don’t really know.
Gameplay
The gameplay is simple and nice. So, mostly, you would have to walk and then interact with the other characters in the train. Then you would have to do some kind of minigame before you move on to the next car.
The minigames are simple, and are all related to what you’re supposed to learn while you’re there. It kind of seems to me that the main character is confused about everything, but yeah, slowly but surely, they were all teaching her what she wanted and needed to know.
Overall
It’s a comfy and also a touching game for anyone who is suffering from a loss of a close family member. You might not believe it yourselves, but I’m sure that there’s someone who loves you. And even if they didn’t show it in the way that you want them to, it still doesn’t change the fact that they do love you.
I had a nice time going through it, and it reminded me of our experience with our own mom. We miss her sometimes.