The Past Within Review (notdeaf)
I really like the rusty lake series and I played each game multiple times. I had to say that I am a little disappointed with this one.
Pros:
1. Sound design is awesome as always. I preferred music from the white door but this one is still great.
2. The environment is doing its job perfectly. I really got spooked a few times.
3. The 3D part is pretty cool and also new experience for old rusty lake players.
4. I had fun with my partner. I like that we need to communicate to solve puzzles.
5. My partner has never played rusty lake series and he did enjoyed the game and won't complain about it.
Mixed: The multi player part isn't synced or connected which I don't really care. It's not a priority for me at least. It's just a bit confusing when the game tell both of you to do something at exactly the same time.
Cons:
1. The play time is really short even compared with other rusty lake games. I finished the game with my partner for about one hour (butterfly mode). We bought the game for a 40% discount so 3.5$ each so I won't complain too much. However, if I bought this at full price, I'd feel a bit more disappointed.
2. The play time would be fine with me if there are more puzzles and story elements in the game. On the contrary, the puzzles are quite simple. Most of the story we already know from past games. Maybe I missed some lore but I feel like there isn't much to say about the story.
3. Some of the puzzles are simply redundant. There are multiple puzzles that are just letting you repeat the same instruction times and times again, which isn't really fun. It can be a little frustrating.
4. There's not much point in trying both modes to be honest. Both butterfly and bee has same puzzles only, of course, you get a bee or a butterfly model. The answers may change sequence but it's really the same thing. My partner and I finished both mode in 2 hours.
5. The 3D part is cool but I have to be honest, I'm not that impressed. Different games (the room for example) have done similar things before. It's not bad but it's not impressive enough to let me ignore the previous points.
Overall, I don't think I would recommend this game to a new player at this moment. My partner didn't complain about it and think it's okay. But he did say he probably wouldn't buy this if I didn't want to play it (I gifted him one). If you really really do love the rusty lake lore and want to dive deep into the details, sure this game isn't that bad. I just think there are too few features that attract new players or returning players who love puzzles and would like to know how the story develops. I also wouldn't recommend buying this one at full price. Two or three dollars for me is more acceptable than 6 dollars. I have to say I'm a bit disappointed and I did expected more from the rusty lake series.