Upcoming RPG In Stars and Time has a particularly clever spin on the classic setup of a band of adventurers fighting against a great evil. As the spirited, rag-tag party of misfits journey to face off against the big bad plaguing the land, they each fall in the climactic battle, one by one, in humiliating defeat.
However, the main protagonist, Siffrin, is revived shortly after, brought back to the beginning of the doomed grand adventure as the only one with any memories of what occurred. But now, the hero has a faint idea of how to do things right the next time.
Coming from developer Adrienne Bazir (insertdisc5), In Stars and Time is an interesting take on a time-loop RPG, seemingly influenced by classic RPGs such as Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, and most recently, the subversive and meta RPG Undertale.
Trapped in a time loop and with only the memories of what went wrong in the previous loop, Siffrin, has to bring together the party again. But throughout their journey, the plucky and hopeful attitude they possessed at the beginning slowly slips away, making the character feel like more of a hardened hero.
Battles play out in a traditional turn-based format, with each party member bringing their strengths and weaknesses into the fight. A single defeat - in battle or even when exploring, such as slipping on a banana peel to your death - will reset the whole loop. However, any new core memories and key information gained from bonding with your party and other characters in the world will carry over into the new loop, allowing you to pray to the gods to buff up your party to better prepare them for what's to come.
In many ways, In Stars and Time pokes fun at the playful and cheerful nature of most classic RPGs, giving way to some genuine moments of heartbreak and tragedy while still hanging onto a sense of optimism that makes those classic adventures such endearing tales. It blends a classic SNES-style RPG with social sim elements, which sounds like a good time. In Stars and Time will launch on PC, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch on November 20, and it's got a free Steam demo you can try right now.
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