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The Kids We Were

The Kids We Were Game Cover
63%Game Brain Score
story, music
gameplay, graphics
100% User Score Based on 14 reviews

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Nintendo SwitchPCTabletAndroidPhoneiPadSteam DeckMobile PlatformiPhoneWindows
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The Kids We Were Game Cover

About

The Kids We Were is a single player role playing game with drama, mystery and kids themes. It was developed by GAGEX Co., Ltd. and was released on January 12, 2022. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

The Kids We Were is an award-winning adventure game originally released worldwide for smartphones in February, 2020. Selected as one of the top 3 titles at the Google Play Indie Games Festival 2020, it has also won the avex Award, and been chosen for the Best Indies category of Google Play's Best Games of 2020. To celebrate the release of The Kids We Were on Nintendo Switch, we've added a bunch o…

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The Kids We Were screenshot
The Kids We Were screenshot
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100%
Audience ScoreBased on 14 reviews
story10 positive mentions
gameplay3 negative mentions
  • The game features a rich and emotional story that immerses players and evokes nostalgia, even for those unfamiliar with the 1980s setting.
  • The voxel graphics and soundtrack create a charming atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
  • It's a simple yet engaging adventure that allows players to explore a small town, collect items, and enjoy a narrative-driven gameplay.
  • The gameplay is extremely linear, with limited exploration and backtracking that can feel repetitive.
  • Some players may find the pacing slow, and the game lacks significant replay value once completed.
  • The pricing may be considered high for the amount of content, especially since it was originally a free mobile title.
  • story
    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is a rich, nostalgic experience that immerses players in a well-told narrative filled with emotional moments and themes of childhood shaping adulthood. While the gameplay is simple and linear, the engaging plot, complete with twists and a unique time travel element, keeps players invested, despite limited replay value. Overall, it is highly recommended for those who appreciate story-driven titles, offering a blend of sweetness and darker undertones.

    • “A game with a sense of nostalgia even if never encountered it before, the rich story makes you immersed almost immediately. I recommend it if you want to set and relax while enjoying the soundtracks.”
    • “Overall, I think anyone who likes a good story should be able to enjoy this little gem.”
    • “The story was really easy to follow with lots of plot twists, and I would say if you're ready to feel lots of feelings over about 6 hours, then this is the game for you.”
    • “The story, despite having children as the primary characters, is surprisingly dark at points.”
    • “Because any NPC unimportant to the plot will never say anything of value.”
    • “Without the story, there would be no reason to ever play this game.”
  • music
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is described as nostalgic and immersive, enhancing the emotional journey with a pleasant and fitting soundtrack. While the score features a variety of slow and simple songs with minimal instrumentation, it maintains a perfect length that complements the game's rich story without feeling repetitive. Overall, the soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's atmosphere, making it a relaxing experience for players.

    • “A game with a sense of nostalgia even if never encountered it before, the rich story makes you immersed almost immediately. I recommend it if you want to set and relax playing slowly while enjoying the soundtracks.”
    • “This game was an emotional journey with such cute graphics and a lovely soundtrack.”
    • “The score features quite a bit of music, definitely more than I expected. I thought the story would be shorter than it was, so the soundtrack wound up being the perfect length and never felt stale.”
    • “There’s no voice acting, so the only audio comes from the soundtrack and occasional sound effects.”
    • “The songs are typically slow and simple, often featuring minimal instrumentation.”
    • “The score features quite a bit of music, definitely more than I expected; I thought the story would be shorter than it was, so the soundtrack wound up being the perfect length and never felt stale.”
  • gameplay
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized as simple and linear, primarily involving running, collecting items, and interacting with characters, which some players found to be padded by backtracking. While the mechanics are minimal and resemble a visual novel with exploration elements, the story is well-crafted and emotionally engaging, making the experience worthwhile despite the lack of depth in gameplay.

    • “Gameplay is very simple (running around, collecting things, talking to people) and linear, but the story was really good and well told, with some quite emotional moments.”
    • “There's also a mechanic to allow you to fill up your collection without having to hunt for those last few elusive items.”
    • “It's also exceedingly linear, and pads its length via backtracking and collection mechanics.”
    • “There’s little to no gameplay; instead, it’s like a visual novel with exploration mechanics.”
    • “As I mentioned in the intro, the gameplay doesn’t play a major role.”
  • graphics
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are characterized by sharp voxel-based visuals that enhance immersion, complemented by a colorful art style and beautifully designed collectibles. While some players may not prefer voxel graphics, many appreciate the cute aesthetic and emotional depth it brings to the adventure. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's charming atmosphere and storytelling.

    • “Now for the good: the voxel-based graphics are sharp, and lack the sometimes-blurry resolution of pixel graphics.”
    • “Through colorful graphics and characters, you find yourself immersed in the story and wanting nothing more than for it to keep going.”
    • “The collectibles have especially beautiful models that show off the game’s cute aesthetic.”
    • “I'm not really a fan of voxel graphics; the visuals feel outdated and lack detail.”
    • “The graphics are underwhelming and do not match the expectations set by modern games.”
    • “The character designs are simplistic and lack the depth needed to engage players visually.”
  • emotional
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game evokes a range of emotions, blending humor, nostalgia, and poignant storytelling, even for those unfamiliar with its 1980s Japanese setting. While the gameplay is simple and linear, the narrative features impactful emotional moments, enhanced by charming graphics and a lovely soundtrack. However, some players noted that certain story elements fell short of their emotional potential.

    • “At times the game is funny, sometimes emotional, often nostalgic - even if you happen to not have grown up in 1980s Japan.”
    • “Gameplay is very simple (running around, collecting things, talking to people) and linear, but the story was really good and well told, with some quite emotional moments.”
    • “This game was an emotional journey with such cute graphics and a lovely soundtrack.”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor is described as a blend of funny, emotional, and nostalgic elements, resonating even with those unfamiliar with 1980s Japan. It effectively combines humor with a meaningful narrative, creating a rich experience that evokes a sense of nostalgia and sadness.

    • “At times the game is funny, sometimes emotional, often nostalgic - even if you didn't grow up in 1980s Japan.”
    • “Thankfully, the kids we were delivers a meaningful tale with a solid blend of humor, nostalgia, and sadness.”
  • atmosphere
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere is characterized by visually appealing voxel graphics and a fitting, sparse musical score that enhances the overall experience, despite some reservations about the graphic style.

    • “I'm not really a fan of voxel graphics, but the world we explore is quite pretty, and the music is sparse yet fitting for the atmosphere.”
    • “I'm not really a fan of voxel graphics, but the kids' world is quite pretty; the music is sparse but fits the atmosphere.”
  • optimization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game runs smoothly without any performance issues on high-end hardware, specifically on an AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, 16 GB RAM, and NVIDIA GeForce 3070.

    • “No performance issues running on: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, 16 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 3070.”
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Kids We Were is a role playing game with drama, mystery and kids themes.

The Kids We Were is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Phone, iPad and others.

The Kids We Were was released on January 12, 2022.

The Kids We Were was developed by GAGEX Co., Ltd..

The Kids We Were has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

The Kids We Were is a single player game.

Similar games include Rosewater, Zniw Adventure, Beyond The Edge Of Owlsgard, Rainswept, Hypnagogia: Boundless Dreams and others.