In the Pause Between the Ringing

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the Pause Between the Ringing" is a game that explores the history of telephone mining in British India, based on an unpublished story from 1958.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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

In the Pause Between the Ringing screenshot

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 95 reviews

story24 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

The game features beautiful visuals and a haunting narrative that captures the essence of its themes.
It offers a unique storytelling experience that blends interactive elements with rich, thought-provoking writing.
Players appreciate the emotional depth of the story, with many finding it moving and impactful.

The gameplay is minimal, often reduced to reading long texts or listening to narration, which may not appeal to all players.
Many found the game confusing and lacking in clear direction, leading to frustration with its structure.
The experience is very short, and some players felt that the choices made during the game had little to no impact on the outcome.

story
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
57%
5%
The game's story is a beautifully crafted, albeit brief, narrative experience that blends elements of magic realism and surrealism, often delivered through text and voice narration. While some players appreciate the emotional depth and artistic presentation, others find the gameplay minimal and the story's complexity challenging to engage with. Overall, it is described as more of an interactive short story than a traditional game, appealing primarily to those who value narrative over gameplay mechanics.
- “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.”
- “The story is intriguing and interesting, and the art is stunning.”
- “It's a unique hybrid of a walking sim and visual novel that uses surreal exploration to recount a 1958 unpublished story written by Mir Umar Hussan.”
- “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.”
- “The story itself is articulated in detail which can be heavy to absorb due to its vocabulary and, at times, it feels like you've been thrown midway into a technical plot with hardly any warning of its depth.”
graphics
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
22%
14%
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their beauty and vibrant colors, often described as stunning and artful, with some users noting an Escher-esque quality. While the visuals are generally well-received, a few glitches and a simplistic gameplay experience detract from the overall impression. Despite its short length and minimal gameplay, the game's graphics contribute significantly to its narrative and artistic appeal.
- “It's a nice short story with an interesting framing device and Escher-esque visuals, essentially an interactive CYOA book punctuated at points by surreal landscapes.”
- “The graphics are amazing and in my opinion, the game is an art piece.”
- “The 3D graphics are not great, but they're pretty nonetheless, and do their job just fine; the soundtrack is appropriate; the gameplay is basically just a walking simulator and all you do is pick up a phone whenever you feel ready to progress with the story.”
- “The graphics have an unusual block-like appearance yet they're alive with beautiful, vivid colors complemented by intricate detail to the surroundings.”
- “Love the visuals, I managed to get caught in a weird loop though and after a while kind of just gave up on it.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The gameplay is characterized by simple mechanics and minimal interaction, primarily functioning as a walking simulator with a focus on story and dialogue rather than traditional gameplay elements. While the visuals and sound design are praised, many players find the gameplay lacking and somewhat boring, leading to a mixed overall experience.
- “Lovely clean and bright graphics, simple game mechanics.”
- “Not much in terms of gameplay, but an interesting experience with nice sound and visuals to match the text.”
- “This game has more dialogues than gameplay, but it makes this game feel special; it's almost like reading a book in which the story is kind of obscure but very interesting.”
- “Spoiler alert: the final text screen ends with an unanswered question. This may cause you to try to scroll down, but you can't. Also, I had to use Task Manager to close the program. Not recommended based upon poor game mechanics.”
- “I enjoyed this game for the story, but the gameplay is pretty boring.”
- “The gameplay aspect is also a bit lacking.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The music in the game is noted for its atmospheric quality, enhancing the interactive short story experience. A standout track features ringing phones, which adds a unique touch to the overall soundscape. While the graphics may not be top-tier, the soundtrack is deemed fitting and complements the gameplay effectively.
- “Not a puzzle game and not really a walking sim either; it's more like an interactive short story with atmospheric scenery and music.”
- “I liked the music track made of ringing phones; that was neat.”
- “The soundtrack is appropriate; the gameplay is basically just a walking simulator and all you do is pick up a phone whenever you feel ready to progress with the story.”
- “The soundtrack is appropriate, but it doesn't elevate the experience beyond a basic walking simulator.”
- “The music is atmospheric, but it feels more like background noise than an integral part of the game.”
- “While the visuals are decent, the music fails to leave a lasting impression and feels repetitive.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by a narrated fantastical story that contributes to its oriental feel, complemented by atmospheric scenery and music. While it is not a traditional puzzle or walking simulator, it offers an immersive experience akin to an interactive short story. Overall, players find it deeply atmospheric and engaging.
- “Not a puzzle game and not really a walking sim either; it's more like an interactive short story with atmospheric scenery and music.”
- “It is deeply atmospheric and a little bit of a walking simulator.”
- “Unlike the other games from these developers, the fantastical fable/story in this game is voiced by a narrator which, on balance, I felt added to the oriental atmosphere.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features appealing graphics but is marred by occasional glitches, impacting overall stability. While it remains enjoyable, the presence of these bugs suggests room for improvement in performance.
- “The game offers some nice graphics, although there are some ugly glitches here and there.”
- “You don't need to make a full level on Unity for this, let alone a buggy Unity level.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its beautiful yet heartbreaking conclusion, leaving a lasting impact on players.
- “Beautiful and heartbreaking to see the way it ends.”
- “The story left me in tears; it was so moving and relatable.”
- “I felt a deep connection to the characters, their struggles resonated with my own experiences.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized as a self-aware parody of indie art games, featuring absurd and whimsical scenes like a picturesque town overrun by giant phones and clothes pins, which some players find amusingly over-the-top.
- “The scenes are hilariously artsy, to the point of feeling like a parody of what indie art games strive to do: a pretty town besieged by giant phones and clothes pins, with paper planes flying everywhere.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
200%
300%
Players indicate that grinding in the game can be quite demanding, often requiring significant time investment or additional lives to progress effectively.
- “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
- “The grind is satisfying and offers a real sense of progression.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
- “I spent hours grinding, and it felt like I made no progress.”