Info about In Stars And Time:

Official game description:
**What would you do if you were forced to relive your failures over and over again?**  
**In Stars and Time** tells the story of Siffrin and their adventurer friends—a found family bound together by fate in order to end the tyrannical reign of an evil king. But as victory is just within the party’s grasp, a tragedy occurs, the clock resets, and **they have to do it all again**.  
As Siffrin’s the only one who notices this loop, each new start wears away at his cheerful veneer, yet he keeps going in hopes he can end this temporal tragedy once and for all.  
**In Stars and Time** is a **time-looping RPG adventure**. With each loop, Siffrin gains a new perspective on the world around them, opening up new solutions to puzzles and allowing them to make better choices in conversation. Equip memories as armor, pray to the Change God to improve your team’s capabilities each loop, and challenge deadly foes to Rock, Paper, Scissors as Siffrin seeks the truth.  
✦ Our Adventurers
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*   **Siffrin (he/they):** Stressed, depressed, and under duress. (Don’t worry about it. They’re doing fine.) The punmaster protagonist of our neverending tale.  
*   **Mirabelle (she/her):** A caring and nervous housemaiden mysteriously blessed by the god she so ardently follows.  
*   **Isabeau (he/him):** Defender with a heart of gold. Cares dearly for his people and his friends.  
*   **Odile (she/her):** The mature and nonsensical researcher studying…something. (No, she will not tell you what it is.)  
*   **Bonnie (they/them):** Wait a minute, who brought this kid along???
✦ Features
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*   Save the world through the power of Rock, Paper, Scissors in **strategic turn-based RPG** combat encounters.  
*   Ignore the limits of time and space to **fix your past mistakes** by repeating the same two days over and over again.  
*   Equip the **memories you have of your friends** to make your party stronger in combat.  
*   **Watch the fate of this world unfold** as you escape the twists and turns of this endless(???) loop.  
*   Eat **samossas** with your friends!  
*   Get heckled by a **cheeky ethereal being of infinite starlight**.  
*   Pray to a god for good luck in your travels. **You’re gonna need it.**
If any of this interests you, you might also want to play the game’s initial prototype, **START AGAIN START AGAIN START AGAIN: A Prologue**. While you don’t need to play it to understand In Stars and Time, it’s fun to see the game’s roots!

Release date: Nov 20, 2023

Categories: Turn-based Combat, Time-based Mechanics, Choice-based Narrative, Character Progression, Character Customization, RPG, Non-linear Storytelling, Puzzle Solving


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Exceptional storytelling and worldbuilding (weight 0.99): The game is praised for its rich lore, memorable characters, and emotionally engaging narrative. Players highlight the depth of the story, its integration with gameplay, and the high quality of writing and worldbuilding.
- Deep emotional connection to characters (weight 0.83): Players consistently express strong emotional attachments to the characters, describing them as relatable, well-written, and deeply human. The characters' struggles and personalities resonate personally with many players.
- Engaging and accessible gameplay (weight 0.58): The gameplay is described as simple yet engaging, with mechanics that enhance the story rather than detract from it. The turn-based combat, particularly the rock-paper-scissors system, is highlighted as fun and easy to understand.
- Striking and memorable art style (weight 0.29): The game's visual design, particularly its monochrome and pixel art styles, is praised for its beauty, charm, and ability to enhance the narrative and emotional impact.
- Relatable and witty protagonist (weight 0.26): The protagonist, Siffrin, is praised for being relatable, witty, and deeply developed. Players appreciate the protagonist's emotional journey, particularly for those who identify with anxiety or people-pleasing tendencies.
- Outstanding soundtrack and music (weight 0.22): The game's music is frequently highlighted as excellent, memorable, and emotionally resonant. It enhances the mood and is enjoyable even outside the context of the game.
- Subtle and effective dialogue (weight 0.15): The game's dialogue is described as well-written, chaotic, and enjoyable. It effectively builds character dynamics, themes, and even horror, while making players feel smart through subtle hints.
- Strong LGBTQ+ representation (weight 0.11): The game is commended for its subtle, sweet, and well-integrated LGBTQ+ themes and characters. The representation is described as natural and adds depth to the story and characters.

Common complaints:
- Poor player guidance and progression (weight 0.75): Players frequently struggle with unclear objectives, unintuitive progression systems, and dead ends due to unnoticed mistakes. This creates confusion and frustration, particularly in story-driven segments.
- Repetitive and tedious gameplay (weight 0.75): The game suffers from repetitive mechanics, shallow combat, and excessive backtracking, leading to player boredom and frustration. This is especially pronounced in later acts and during 100% completion.
- Unsatisfying combat and puzzles (weight 0.18): Combat feels generic, trivial, or mandatory rather than engaging, while puzzles are either too easy or poorly designed with unclear solutions. This diminishes gameplay variety and challenge.
- Pacing and length issues (weight 0.12): The game overstays its welcome, with slow narrative pacing in early stages and repetitive loops (e.g., 21 loops required) causing fatigue. Act 5 is particularly criticized.
- Frustrating dungeon and corridor design (weight 0.11): Dungeon navigation is intentionally annoying, with chaotic enemy encounters in narrow corridors and excessive backtracking, leading to player rage and fatigue.
- Protagonist decisions frustrate players (weight 0.08): The protagonist’s illogical or unhealthy actions (e.g., Siffrin’s decisions in Act 5) create frustration, as players are forced to watch or endure consequences without agency.
- Niche thematic elements (weight 0.06): LGBT elements and the timeloop mechanic’s emotional toll may polarize players, with some finding them irritating or overly frustrating rather than meaningful.
- Hidden or esoteric content (weight 0.06): Key mechanics (e.g., the 'two hats' ending) are difficult to discover without guides or exhaustive interaction, limiting accessibility and replay value.
- Weak audio design (weight 0.05): Music is described as dull or weaker compared to other aspects of the game, failing to enhance the atmosphere or emotional impact.

Gameplay feedback:
- Time loop core mechanic (weight 0.49): The game heavily features a time-loop mechanic as its central gameplay and narrative device, with repetitive actions designed to immerse players in the protagonist's experience. This mechanic is praised for its simplicity and integration with storytelling but noted as potentially repetitive.
- Turn-based combat with RPS elements (weight 0.29): The combat system is turn-based and incorporates rock-paper-scissors mechanics for decision-making, adding a strategic layer. While simple, it is described as engaging and easy to overcome.
- Narrative-driven gameplay focus (weight 0.23): The game emphasizes story and emotional progression, blending RPG elements with puzzle-solving and exploration. Players highlight its balanced approach to storytelling without sacrificing gameplay depth.
- Simple but clever mechanics (weight 0.19): Gameplay mechanics are straightforward but effective, often mirroring the protagonist's emotions or serving narrative themes. Puzzle and trap mechanics are tied to progression and storytelling.
- Character development and interactions (weight 0.15): Character growth is tied to narrative progression, with unique interactions and relationships driving emotional depth. Players praise the focus on character-driven storytelling.
- Exploration and puzzle-solving (weight 0.12): The game encourages exploration with branching paths, side quests, and puzzle-solving elements. These mechanics complement the narrative and add replayability.
- Backtracking as core mechanic (weight 0.07): Backtracking is intentionally used to reinforce the time-loop theme and progression. While some players find it engaging, others view it as repetitive or obligatory.
- Loop checkpoints and flexibility (weight 0.06): Players can restart loops from specific checkpoints or move forwards/backwards, enabling experimentation and discovery. This flexibility mitigates some frustration with repetition.
- Repetitive enemy encounters (weight 0.06): Fighting the same enemies repeatedly is a deliberate design choice to evoke themes of futility or boredom. Some players appreciate the thematic consistency, while others find it monotonous.
- Optional content and decisions (weight 0.06): Optional events, side quests, and character interactions allow for player agency and story advancement. These elements add depth but may not be immediately obvious.

Performance notes:
- Minimal gameplay bugs (weight 0.03): Players frequently report encountering very few bugs during gameplay, indicating a stable and polished experience. This suggests strong quality assurance and testing efforts.
- Strong dialogue edge-case handling (weight 0.03): The game excels in detecting and managing edge cases in dialogue, ensuring smooth and immersive interactions. This reflects well on the game's narrative design and technical robustness.

Recommendations:
- Story-driven RPG masterpiece (weight 0.6): The game is overwhelmingly recommended for its deep storytelling, emotional impact, and character depth. Players highlight it as a must-play for fans of narrative-heavy RPGs, visual novels, and time-loop narratives.
- Not for pure gameplay fans (weight 0.42): The game is explicitly not recommended for players seeking deep or engaging gameplay mechanics. Its strengths lie in storytelling, not traditional RPG systems.
- Play blind for full experience (weight 0.2): Many reviewers emphasize the importance of experiencing the game without guides or spoilers to fully appreciate its emotional and narrative depth. Backtracking and exploration are noted as key to immersion.
- Gameplay flaws acknowledged (weight 0.14): While the story is the main draw, some players note repetitive mechanics, backtracking, or outdated gameplay elements. Guides or playthroughs are suggested to mitigate tedium.
- Worth full price and replay (weight 0.11): Despite minor flaws, the game is considered worth its price for its length, emotional depth, and replayability. Many recommend buying it even at a higher cost.
- Demo and trailers recommended (weight 0.11): Reviewers suggest trying the demo or watching trailers to gauge interest, especially for those unsure about the game’s tone or themes. The first two hours are often cited as a good indicator.
- Comparable to indie classics (weight 0.1): Frequently compared to games like *Undertale*, *Omori*, and *Deltarune* for its narrative style, emotional weight, and indie charm. Fans of these games are highly encouraged to try it.
- Underrated gem with hidden depth (weight 0.09): Players describe the game as criminally underrated, rewarding patience, curiosity, and attention to detail. Achievements and multiple playthroughs are encouraged for full appreciation.
- Support developer and community (weight 0.04): Players express strong support for the developer, encouraging others to buy the game, additional content (e.g., artbooks, plushies), and engage with the community for a richer experience.
- Queer themes and mental health focus (weight 0.04): The game explores queer identities and mental health struggles, which resonates with some players but may not appeal to everyone. Pronouns and angst are recurring themes.
- Sequel potential and unresolved mysteries (weight 0.04): Many players hope for a sequel due to unresolved plot threads and the game’s strong narrative foundation. The ending leaves room for further exploration of its world and characters.

Other player notes:
- Varied playthrough lengths (weight 0.06): Players report significantly different completion times, ranging from 24 to 100 hours for a first playthrough. This suggests variability in pacing or player engagement.
- Cultural and media influences (weight 0.04): The game references other media like *Undertale* and *Steven Universe*, suggesting a design inspired by or catering to fans of these works.
- Missable narrative content (weight 0.03): Some players noted that certain content can be missed due to narrative choices or lack of clear indicators, which may impact replayability or completeness.
- Missing French localization (weight 0.03): Despite references to French culture or language, the game lacks a full French localization, which may alienate or frustrate French-speaking players.
- Text-heavy gameplay (weight 0.03): Players noted the game relies heavily on text, which may impact accessibility or engagement for those preferring minimal reading.
- Monochrome art with accents (weight 0.02): The game features a predominantly black-and-white art style with occasional splashes of color, creating a distinct visual identity.
- Low engagement reported (weight 0.02): Some players found the game boring enough to fall asleep during play, indicating potential issues with pacing or interest retention.
- Japanese translation quality (weight 0.02): The quality of the Japanese translation was noted, though specifics about its accuracy or polish were not provided.
- Merchandise demand noted (weight 0.02): Some reviewers expressed strong interest in game-related merchandise, indicating a potential market for official products.
- Personal memory issues (weight 0.02): One reviewer mentioned personal memory problems affecting their gameplay experience, though this is not a widespread or game-related issue.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.13): Players frequently cite repetitive gameplay loops, including forced battles, backtracking, and monotonous dungeon design, as major sources of frustration. Unintuitive progression mechanics, such as vague endgame tasks, unclear instructions, and esoteric puzzles, further exacerbate the issue by creating unnecessary barriers to advancement.
- Joy (weight 0.07): The emotional depth of the story, well-written characters, and charming art style create a deeply rewarding experience for players. Moments of perseverance, such as overcoming challenges or reaching the game's conclusion, also contribute to feelings of joy and satisfaction.
- Love (weight 0.06): Players express strong affection for the game's storytelling, character development, and overall emotional impact. The attachment to party members and the immersive world fosters a deep sense of connection and appreciation for the game's unique experience.
- Admiration (weight 0.05): The game's clever use of time-loop mechanics, attention to detail, and innovative storytelling earn high praise from players. The depth of character development, world-building, and representation, particularly queer narratives, further amplify admiration for the game's craftsmanship.
- Sadness (weight 0.04): The game's emotionally charged narrative, particularly its exploration of hopelessness, mental deterioration, and unresolved character arcs, evokes deep sadness in players. Key moments, such as the ending or specific character quests, leave a lasting emotional impact that resonates long after gameplay.
- Excitement (weight 0.04): Players feel excitement from the game's engaging combat system, time-loop mechanics, and the thrill of uncovering lore or alternate endings. The emotional and narrative depth, combined with unique gameplay elements, creates an intensely immersive and enjoyable experience.
- Appreciation (weight 0.04): The game's earnest design, thoughtful storytelling, and emotional depth are widely appreciated by players. Its unique approach to themes like mental health, inclusivity, and player kindness, along with high-quality writing, fosters a strong sense of gratitude for its impact.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.03): Players derive satisfaction from the game's narrative payoff, emotional resolution, and the sense of completion after overcoming its challenges. The quality of the endings and the lasting impression left by the story contribute significantly to this feeling.
- Affection (weight 0.02): The lovable characters, their dynamics, and the game's psychological focus create a strong sense of affection among players. Many express a deep attachment to specific characters or the overall experience, which resonates with them long after playing.
- Empathy (weight 0.02): The game's mechanics and narrative, particularly the protagonist's time-loop struggles and emotional journey, evoke strong empathy from players. The relatability of the characters' experiences fosters a deep emotional connection and understanding.
- Attachment (weight 0.02): Players develop a strong emotional investment in the game's characters and their stories, often expressing love for the party members and the world. The relationships and endings further deepen this attachment, making the experience memorable.
- Disappointment (weight 0.02): Players feel let down by monotonous combat mechanics, lack of gameplay variance, and unsatisfying resolutions to key plotlines. Some also express disappointment in the ending's failure to meet the emotional buildup or their personal expectations.
- Gratitude (weight 0.02): The game's emotional impact, representation, and life-changing themes inspire gratitude among players. Many appreciate the developers for creating an experience that resonates deeply with their personal values or helps them reflect on their own lives.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.02): Players enjoy the game's loop mechanics, humorous dialogue, and engaging combat system despite its repetitive elements. The combination of fun gameplay and well-crafted writing creates an overall positive and entertaining experience.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.02): The game's retro-inspired art style, classic RPG mechanics, and emotional storytelling evoke nostalgia for players, drawing comparisons to beloved titles like *Majora's Mask* or *Undertale*. The experience often reminds players of past gaming memories.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): Humorous elements, such as cheesy puns, character interactions, and playful references to the time-loop mechanic, provide moments of amusement for players. These lighthearted touches add levity to the game's darker themes.
- Despair (weight 0.02): The game's intentional use of repetition, hopelessness, and the protagonist's deteriorating mental state create a sense of despair in players. The timeloop mechanic, in particular, amplifies feelings of isolation and frustration.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are surprised by the game's accurate depiction of mental illness, its unexpected narrative twists, and its ability to exceed high expectations. The last chapters, in particular, deliver impactful moments that catch players off guard.
- Happiness (weight 0.01): The game's emotional storytelling, satisfying resolution, and positive representation (e.g., aroace characters) evoke feelings of happiness in players. The overall journey and its impact contribute to a deeply fulfilling experience.
- Anticipation (weight 0.01): Players express eagerness to replay the game, reach the story's conclusion, or explore its narrative further despite the challenges of the time-loop mechanic. The game's depth and emotional payoff fuel this sense of anticipation.}