How finding family enables us to begin anew: the tale of In Stars and Time
These days, it might be difficult for an independent game to make an impression, particularly in a post-Undertale era when a tonne of 2D RPGs are trying to emulate the Earthbound visuals and low-fidelity feel. Fortunately, In Stars and Time has a lot going for it, including a novel time loop element, character portraits full of personality, and a beautiful monochromatic look.
Early in 2023, Adrienne Bazir, better known by her online handle insertdisc5, will release her game In Stars and Time for the Nintendo Switch. She is the only developer working on the game and its prequel (or maybe prototype?). Restart from scratch. In Stars and Time is a poignant tale that delves into the emotional experience of being caught in a time loop and the thought of losing friends and ties over and over again. It emphasises the significance of family that you find and the relationships you choose to form.
For those who don't know, In Stars and Stime is a time loop role-playing game about a character named Siffrin (he/they), who perishes before they even get to the last dungeon while trying to defeat an evil king. Before they even realise what is happening, they wake up the next day alive and healthy but trapped in an unending time loop that makes them keep experiencing the same day over and over again.
Adrienne clarifies that while this seems to be a miracle, the idea behind it is more sinister than what gamers may think. She says, "It would start off as a blessing since you couldn't die and you can simply loop back anytime you want to rectify your errors, but it would evolve into a curse, wouldn't it? I really wanted to explore those feelings in great detail.
It's no coincidence that the pixelated monochrome aesthetic makes us think of so many vintage video games, as Adrienne explains. "The old-school role-playing games I grew up playing, like Tales of Symphonia, had a big effect on me. It's an endearing role-playing game where the protagonists are deconstructed as a fantasy where "the chosen one will save us all."
The idea of the time loop itself raises a number of intriguing questions and provides a chance for some rather meta responses. "The Stanley Parable is another one, with its kinda-sorta time loop, and it is fascinating in how it sometimes says a one-off line that makes you question the whole premise of the game," Adrienne adds when discussing inspirations.
Inspiration is just one thing, of course, and In Stars and Time seems to be a beast unto itself. It's difficult to take such concepts and turn them into something new, so we asked Adrienne what inspired her to develop the game, specifically mentioning time loops. Her response was straightforward: "fanfiction!" I like reading fanfictions in which the protagonist of a video game does a New Game Plus, going back in time to when they first started, knowing exactly what's going to happen. I decided to develop a whole game out of the idea after creating a few original comics about it since I was so in love with it!
The vivacity and charming essence of this source of inspiration are evident and also permeate Adrienne's unexpectedly poignant illustrations. This thread also connects directly to the first proof of concept for In Stars and Time, or Start Again, which grew from a little effort into a finished two- to three-hour game. Adrienne states, "I quickly realised I couldn't make In Stars and Time as I was – I didn't even know how to use RPGMaker, the software used to make the game." She goes on to note that the purpose of Start Again was to test their abilities and help them develop.
One of the most obvious inspirations from Adrienne's comics, in addition to its emotional resonance, is its stark black and white aesthetic, which they justify as being "partly because it saves time, and partly because I really like the way it looks." But on the other hand, Adrienne asks, "How [do you] make visuals and UI stand out if you only have black and white and grey at your disposal?" highlighting the difficulty of making anything stand out with a restricted palette.
However, this dedication to the monochromatic look pays off handsomely, as the characters' strong facial expressions and striking designs let the environment and characters stand out. They liked and relied on Adrienne's work as a cartoonist to bring these characters to life, adding, "I have to show off the characters' emotions as best I can! I can't just give them each ten portraits! I have to depict the whole gamut of emotions that each character has!” It works because every character is lovingly and thoughtfully crafted, allowing gamers to fall in love with them on a daily basis, as gameplay video makes evident.
Naturally, games with time loops are not new, and trying to create one these days is difficult in and of itself. In what way do you distinguish yourself, and what kind of time-travel narrative are you attempting to convey? "I find that games about time loops often use the time loops as a gameplay mechanic or a goal to figure out ("You're in a time loop, that's why you have endless retries!" or "You're stuck in a time loop, but why?"), and don't often go deep into what being stuck in one would mean, emotionally," Bazir says, explaining why they wanted to examine the time loop in games in a different way.
Rather, the focus of In Stars and Time is on investigating the effects of a time loop on characters and how those effects can affect their future behaviour. Adrienne notes that although certain games, such Higurashi, I Was a Teenage Exocolonist, and Zero Escape, offer their own variations of similar themes, not many games address the anguish of witnessing things again.
However, Adrienne notes of this game, "I wanted to make sure that every event would noticeably affect Siffrin, and affect the story; for example, Siffrin will react differently to some things if he dies too often, in the same way." Furthermore, almost every event you may view will change a little bit according on whether you're seeing it for the first, second, or tenth time.
Saffrin can transfer experience and levels from one time loop to the next, so you won't lose everything, but they are the only ones who have memory of the loops. Every day that passes, other party members will lose experience and have no clue what's going on, but you may offset this by utilising save points to save their levels and their talents. According to Adrienne, players have the ability to "also equip memories of them, which can give them back certain skills, or learn others!" which means that there is much more to your team members.
Beyond time loops, the central topic of In Stars and Time is discovered family, a notion that is inextricably linked to the LGBTQ characters and themes in the work. Many individuals who have experienced stigma because of who they are will be acquainted with the concept of losing people—and their memories—and having to start again. Rather, Bazir envisions a society in which individuals are free to be themselves and there is less shame. Furthermore, being gay is merely a natural aspect of being a larger whole; it is not a distinguishing feature.
"The main characters are all some flavour of queer, yes, but for most of them, that's not a key part of how they'd define themselves, or how they relate to one another," says Adrienne in explaining their methodology. I was quite interested in learning what it would mean to be gay in this very different environment from our own.
In a similar vein, the idea of a finding family meshes well with gay themes and role-playing games. Quests and role-playing games are all about a group of people journeying together and becoming "family," as Bazir puts it. Together, they journey, discovering aspects of themselves and one another along the way, and coming to a conclusion that alters them forever.
At its foundation, In Stars and Time is an RPG with a fighting system reminiscent of the rock, paper, scissors format that has been borrowed and modified in games such as Pokémon. The fact that "one of the puzzles asks you to find a torch, to burn something that's blocking everyone's way" was a result of difficulties Bazir had while designing Start Again. When I first started thinking about giving everyone Fire Water Earth capabilities, I didn't know why I shouldn't have simply burned everything in their path since they already had fire powers!
Rather, this game adopts a new system that makes use of a kind of magic known as craft, which is centred on making things and modifying the world as you see fit. This is a welcome addition in a setting where players are free to express themselves as they like. Adrienne says that "the main challenge it created was that I had to find a way to make it make sense in this world, narratively speaking." So everything fits into the setting. Rock Paper Scissors is simply strange, but Fire Water Earth makes sense!
According to Adrienne, "I came out as nonbinary when the prologue came out, and I have added some of my musings on gender on this game," In Stars and Time has also given them a platform to discuss some of their own ideas about queerness and gender. Being gay is less significant in the universe of In Stars and Time than it is in ours, and both Siffrin and Bonnie use the pronouns they/them.
Though each person has a unique narrative to share, In Stars and Time will provide a tale that will enable each reader to interpret the story in a unique way based on their own circumstances. In Bazir's words, "I think it's more interesting to let people interpret my story in their own way." The great thing about art is that it could influence someone in unexpected ways.
It's satisfying to see so much personality in a game and someone being able to be creative in various ways, especially with a narrative and a style that are so inextricably linked to a single individual. Adrienne is excited to release the book since it serves as a vehicle for sharing LGBTQ experiences. As they clarify, "I hope it will help some people feel seen, and help those who don't feel seen to think of other options." Not to mention: two asexual lead characters! Let's play like aces!
It's encouraging to witness such an expression of identity in a video game and to see these themes and tales being so masterfully presented in a world where queerness is being assaulted on a daily basis. From the looks of things, In Stars and Time is a terrific role-playing game that may be a refuge for LGBT gamers seeking to experience a universe that recognises and understands them. Adrienne attests to the fact that it seems to be a lot of fun to play, saying, "I actually really love playing this game, which is not something I normally feel towards my own work." Usually, I simply get something done and forget I did it. However, really enjoying anything I created is a novel sensation.
In Stars and Time is infused with Adrienne Bazir's DNA in every pixel, yet the narrative appears to be one that anybody can relate to and personalise. Many individuals who are locked inside may be able to connect to the emotional burden of a time loop in any case, but other gamers who have had to struggle for their own new family may find solace in the game's honest and loving portrayal of queerness. For now, all we can hope for is that tomorrow will be a bit more like In Stars and Time. Hopefully, the world will become a little more like that.