The Past Within is played from two perspectives: Rose, the daughter of the bloke who’s responsible for the mystery in the first place, and another mystery character. There’s the past to explore with Rose, natch, but then there’s also the future. One player gets to inhabit each time period and help the other solve puzzles. Both players will need their own copy of the game, but PC players can team up with pals who have the game on their mobile or tablet, too. You’ll need to have some way to talk or type to your friend though. Rusty Lake have been releasing unsettling mystery games since 2015. The Past Within, announced in 2021, is their 16th. Developers Maarten Looise and Robin Ras credit their inspiration for the series to director David Lynch’s surreal Kyle MacLachlan vehicle, Twin Peaks. It shouldn’t take long to complete The Past Within if you’re an experienced puzzle maestro, as Rusty Lake estimate it’s around a two-hour-long experience, although they recommend trying the other perspective. Sounds like just enough time to put up with your temporally misadjusted co-op partner. The Past Within is on Steam and itch.io from today for £6/$6/€6, but there’s a 40% discount during launch week. It’s also out on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.
