A Taste of the Past

About

"A Taste of the Past" is a narrative-driven game following Mei, a Chinese-American high school student grieving the loss of her mother. After discovering her mother's recipes are missing, Mei embarks on a train journey with her ancestors, learning about self-love, healing, and her cultural heritage through cooking and reliving precious moments. The game features hand-drawn art, original voice acting, and cozy cooking minigames.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

98%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,224 reviews

story239 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

Beautiful art style and music that enhance the emotional experience.
Touching story about grief, loss, and the importance of family and cultural heritage.
Short gameplay (around 30 minutes) that effectively conveys deep emotions and encourages players to cherish their loved ones.

Some players found the voice acting to be lacking and detracting from the overall experience.
The gameplay is mostly linear with limited interactivity, which may not appeal to those looking for more complex mechanics.
A few players felt the story was too short and wished for a more in-depth exploration of the themes presented.

story
454 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
46%
1%
The game's story is widely praised for its emotional depth, focusing on themes of grief, family relationships, and cultural heritage, particularly within an Asian context. Many players found it to be a touching and relatable narrative that evokes strong feelings, often leading to tears, despite its short length of around 30 minutes. While some critiques mention issues with dialogue and pacing, the overall consensus highlights the beautiful art and music that enhance the storytelling experience.
- “Beautiful storytelling and visuals, this game made me bawl my eyes out while playing it.”
- “This is such an artfully done, sweet story touching on themes of loss, cultural identity, family relationships, and love.”
- “A beautiful story about grief, family, and honoring the memory of those we love through meaningful activities and staying true to yourself.”
- “The story isn't really moving/emotional.”
- “It's such a sweet story of a daughter grieving her mother's death and learning more about her Chinese heritage.”
- “However, throughout the story, the young girl interacts with deceased relatives who teach her how to cope, reassure her that grieving in her own way is okay, and gradually the girl realizes that her mother loved her very much.”
emotional
372 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game "A Taste of the Past" is overwhelmingly positive, with many players reporting that it evokes strong feelings of grief, nostalgia, and appreciation for family connections. The heartfelt narrative, combined with beautiful art and music, leads to a deeply moving experience that resonates particularly with those who have experienced loss, often resulting in tears and a sense of healing. Despite its short playtime, the game effectively delivers a poignant story about cultural heritage and the impact of losing a loved one, making it a highly recommended experience for those seeking an emotional journey.
- “I cried through almost every minute, beautiful message about struggling with grief and cherishing those precious moments.”
- “This game is an emotional trip that everyone should try at least once.”
- “A taste of the past is a heartfelt and lovely game, and I would recommend you to check it out if you like story-driven games -- it's free and only 30 minutes after all!”
graphics
202 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
36%
1%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful and captivating art style, which enhances the emotional storytelling experience. Players appreciate the hand-drawn visuals, soothing color palettes, and how the graphics complement the game's themes of grief and family. Overall, the aesthetic quality contributes significantly to the game's peaceful atmosphere and emotional impact, making it a standout feature for many reviewers.
- “Beautiful storytelling and visuals, this game made me bawl my eyes out while playing it.”
- “The art style is stunning, along with the soft colors that really add to the emotional plot.”
- “The artwork is executed flawlessly, complementing the game beautifully.”
- “The artstyle is fine, but the game suffers from some issues.”
- “Not much gameplay as it consists of mostly walking, talking to characters and making noodles; however, the story and visuals are what carry this game.”
- “I really liked the art style and the idea behind this game, but it wasn't able to move me emotionally.”
music
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
36%
3%
The music in the game is consistently praised for its beauty and soothing qualities, enhancing the emotional depth of the storytelling. Reviewers highlight how the soundtrack complements the captivating art style, creating a peaceful and immersive atmosphere that resonates with themes of grief and healing. Overall, the combination of beautiful music and visuals is seen as a key element that elevates the gaming experience, making it both heartwarming and memorable.
- “The art and music were so nice and complemented the story perfectly, and the story and themes themselves resonated with me a lot.”
- “The music is beautiful to listen to as you go up generation by generation.”
- “The art, music, and storytelling are amazing and really made me wish I had played this with my mom.”
- “Its just walls of text and fake emotional music blaring over it.”
- “A short interactive visual novel with a decent story, unique art style and relaxing music.”
- “The color palette and music were soothing, and I appreciated the sound effects choices like having Mei's dialogue sound like phone keyboard press sounds and the ancestors' sounding like pencil scribbling.”
gameplay
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
77%
6%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and minimalism, focusing more on storytelling and emotional engagement than complex mechanics. Players can expect around 30 minutes of easy, relaxing gameplay primarily involving dialogue and simple cooking minigames, which, while not deep, effectively complement the game's beautiful art and music. Overall, it offers a short yet impactful experience, making it a recommended choice for those seeking a quick, narrative-driven game.
- “The colors, art, and music are well done, and all combined create an emotional and healing gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is minimal but aids the calm, reflective quality of the story, and the art is gorgeous.”
- “While the gameplay itself isn't very deep, the story it decides to tell is a beautiful one.”
- “The game doesn't focus on complex gameplay but rather on the story and emotions.”
- “This game is mostly dialogue-based, with very short and simple 'puzzle' mechanics for progression.”
- “There wasn't much actual gameplay, and what there was is very easy, but if you're alright with that it does have a really nice, if short, story.”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautiful art style, soothing music, and immersive sound design, creating a cozy and peaceful environment that enhances the storytelling. Reviewers highlight how these elements work together to evoke strong emotions and provide a comforting experience, making the game visually and emotionally engaging. Overall, the combination of graphics, sound, and narrative effectively transports players into a heartfelt and aesthetically pleasing world.
- “The design and atmosphere were also great; the backgrounds and sprites were beautiful, and even the less obvious things like the background noise and sounds of paper rustling added so much to it.”
- “Beautiful art style that sets the atmosphere perfectly, with simplistic and easy-to-follow instructions that allow you to focus on the dialogue and emotions of the story.”
- “This game's beautiful art style helps to give a bright atmosphere to a story of someone going through a difficult loss and figuring out how to deal with the grief.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as heartwarming and charming, with players enjoying funny interactions, particularly with characters like the great uncle who humorously acknowledges his fame in a video game. The blend of lighthearted moments amidst a touching narrative adds to the overall experience, leaving players feeling uplifted despite the game's sad themes.
- “It was funny that I saw in a reel the original game master and I tried the game; that's why it stole my heart, this little piece of art.”
- “I especially loved the great uncle in the game when he proclaims no one thought he would be famous and says, 'Look, I'm in a video game!'... lol, that made me giggle and was a very cute and funny touch to a game so sad, but one that still left you feeling happier at the end because you feel you helped Mei with her loss.”
- “I really like how one of the characters breaks the fourth wall; I found that hilarious.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Users express that grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, likening it to needing a "second life" to manage the required tasks. The mention of farming and foraging suggests that the grinding aspect may feel tedious and overwhelming, drawing parallels to historical challenges in Chinese food production.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game's replayability is moderate, primarily driven by its multiple dialogue options that encourage players to explore different paths. While it can be completed in about 30 minutes, those who appreciate varied interactions may find value in replaying it to experience alternative narratives.
- “The replay value varies; if you enjoy numerous dialogue options, you'll likely want to replay the game several times.”
- “It is a short game that takes around 30 minutes to complete. While it is best enjoyed in a single sitting, it offers some replayability through extra dialogue options.”
- “Mei's trauma was relatable to all, and I appreciate the different paths that the dialogue offers, especially for the sake of replay value!”
- “The replay value varies; though if you like numerous dialogue options, you'll probably want to replay the game a few times.”
- “It is a short game that will take around 30 minutes to complete. It is best enjoyed in a single sitting but offers some replayability in the form of extra dialogue options.”
- “Mei's trauma was relatable to all, and I like the different paths that the dialogue had, especially for replay value's sake!”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game effectively explores themes of grief and acceptance through its engaging character development, complemented by charming designs and a soothing soundtrack. However, some players found the dialogue presentation distracting and noted inconsistencies in character proportions, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the character designs received praise for their aesthetic appeal.
- “This game has a beautiful message about grief and acceptance, accompanied by cute character designs and calming music.”
- “Everything about it was perfect from the soundtrack to character designs.”
- “The dialogue/text pops up, but as you're reading, the text is pushed up instead of remaining stationary, which is very jarring. If your character is a high school student, why are they the same height as their adult ancestors? That's just bad art and character design.”
- “The mini-games are just click-and-drag tasks that you cannot fail. This game is marketed for adults and teens, but it feels overly simplistic.”
- “Character development feels shallow and unengaging, making it hard to connect with the characters on a deeper level.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The game's optimization is highly praised, with users noting that even very old PCs can run it smoothly, indicating efficient resource management and low system requirements.
- “Performance: even a PC from prehistory can handle it! 🙏🎉”
- “The game runs smoothly on a variety of hardware, making it accessible to everyone.”
- “Optimization is top-notch; I experienced no lag or stuttering during gameplay.”
- “Performance: A PC from prehistory can handle it.”
- “The game runs poorly even on high-end systems.”
- “Optimization is lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering.”

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