The Past Within

The game was spectacular in its atmosphere, originality and intrigue. My co-player and I felt that it resembled Over The Garden Wall in its aesthetics and I feel that it's an excellent starter into the Rusty Lake franchise, which I will be playing all the way through at some point.

finally got a friend to play the game with 10/10 damn that was a fun puzzle

The Past Within is such a fun co-op puzzle game! It's the perfect difficulty level to play over a call and is short enough to finish in a single sitting. Its brilliant design revolves around a unique concept: one player experiences the past while the other explores the future. Every puzzle depends on sharing information, making communication the heart of the experience. Although the game mentions that you can use chat, I would strongly recommend using voice communication instead. The puzzles often require quick back-and-forth discussions, describing symbols, objects, and perspectives in real time. I honestly can't imagine completing the game efficiently through text chat alone. Solving the puzzles together feels genuinely satisfying because success comes from teamwork rather than individual skill. The eerie atmosphere, excellent soundtrack, and intriguing story tie everything together perfectly, creating a memorable experience from start to finish. Seeing the other side of the story and tackling the puzzles from the opposite perspective gives you a fresh appreciation for the game's design and makes a second playthrough feel worthwhile rather than repetitive. If you enjoy cooperative puzzle games that truly require communication, teamwork, and clever puzzle design, The Past Within is an easy recommendation.