Waking up with each day feeling the same may have been a standard part of Pandemic living, but it is the driving force behind In Stars and Time, a new timeloop RPG coming to Switch in 2023.
You will play as Siffrin, a hero who is attempting to stop a tyrannical ruler with their group of friends, but the pesky clock keeps resetting at the end of each day (isn't it annoying when that happens?) In Stars and Time will see you learning from your mistakes as you attempt to make it all the way through the day without dying before you're right back where you started.
The trailer (above) shows some of these deaths in action. We have getting crushed, being killed by the king, slipping on a banana skin — you know, the standard affair — but there are also tougher ways to go like choking on a pineapple slice (note to self: buy pineapple rings from now on).
The timeloop is a device to which developers have frequently turned, though there are certain aspects of indie studio insertdisc5's take which look to set it apart from what has come before. Take the 'Rock, Paper, Scissors combat' for example. Having completed Splatoon 3's first Splatfest, we thought we were over such hand-waving decisions, but In Stars and Time will have you choosing whether cut, stone, or, erm, paper cut your enemies in its turn-based combat.
The game appears fully nostalgic in its aesthetic, fitting for a game which is all about going back to the past). With a monochrome colour pallet and top-down perspective, it looks like Siffrin won't be the only one re-living times gone by.
For a taste of some of In Starts and Time's features, check out the following list from their PR:
- 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.
- Find your allies’ memories from past loops and equip them 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 samosas 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.
The game will be released on Switch and Steam at some point next year, with a Steam demo going live from today.
What do you think of In Stars and Time? Give us your best timeloop recommendations in the comments below.
Comments 8
Everything's either "Undertale inspired" or "EarthBound inspired" it seems.
I wish we had a better genre label for these kinds of things, such as "Subversive RPG" or something.
That art style is amazing, I've gotta buy this so I can embarrass myself with my lack of skill playing Undertale-like (sorry @EarthboundBenjy) RPGs.
@EarthboundBenjy I feel ya. Just call it an RPG. Everything under the sun is inspired by something, yet we don't look at games like Zelda, and say "Medieval fantasy inspired adventure."
@EarthboundBenjy While I do agree it would be nice if we could collective agree on a different label, I think those games are just so unique but still fall into this strange category with their similarities.
This game looks super lovely though and I'm glad @jimnorman put this on my radar )
But undertale was inspired by earthbound.
Wow it's like undertale if toby knew how to draw haha.
Seriously though undertales charm comes from it's style but it is NOT for me, THIS game however looks like it has amazing art
If at first you don't succeed... Die. Die again.
Julianna's On The Hunt!
I guess this is also like that other Indie game, Earthbound. Heard that game was okay.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...