- April 23, 2019
- Studio Oleomingus
In the Pause Between the Ringing
Platforms
About
"In the Pause Between the Ringing" is a game that explores the history of telephone mining in British India, based on an unpublished story from 1958. The game features the telephone as a noticeable fixture in the Indian landscape, heralding significant changes in people's lives. Players will experience the telephone's sonorous ringing across different time periods, from Babur's army to Ashoka's inscriptions, in a country stitched with telephone wires. The game is a rumination on completion, territorial margins, and haunting bodies and memories translated across borders.








- The game features beautiful visuals and a haunting narrative that captures the essence of its themes, leaving a lasting emotional impact.
- It offers a unique storytelling experience that blends interactive elements with rich, poetic writing, making it feel like an art piece.
- Players appreciate the intriguing exploration of colonial themes and the immersive atmosphere created by the graphics and sound design.
- The gameplay is minimal, often reduced to reading long texts or listening to narration, which may not appeal to those seeking more interactive experiences.
- Many players found the story difficult to follow or overly complex, leading to confusion and a lack of engagement.
- The game lacks a clear ending or meaningful choices, resulting in a repetitive experience that some players found frustrating.
story
126 mentions Positive Neutral NegativeThe game's story is a beautifully crafted, interactive narrative that explores themes of colonialism and personal reflection, often delivered through text and narration rather than traditional gameplay. While some players found the storytelling engaging and emotionally impactful, others felt the lack of interactivity and depth in gameplay detracted from the experience. Overall, it is described as a visually stunning art piece that prioritizes narrative over gameplay, appealing to those who appreciate short, thought-provoking stories.
“Beautiful areas designed by the duo and the story presented is amazing; I cried close to the end and felt a deep burden once I realized the ending.”
“It's a really fascinating ghost story with a nice plot twist.”
“If you are looking for a beautiful story that happens to be told in a semi-interactive format, this is a great game.”
“I'm fine with story/narrative walking simulator-type games and the trailer made me think it would be one of those games, but in reality, while the environments shown in the trailer do appear in the game, they barely mattered and the majority of the time will be reading text or hearing a text-to-speech voice, which isn't what I expected since the trailer never showed those parts.”
“The story itself isn't that interesting, especially if you live in a country that hasn't gained independence before World War II.”
“I'm not recommending it because it's bad, but because it's got a very hard story to follow.”