Pieces of the Past Review (PC)

Pieces of the Past illuminates the present and actively obscures history in its world of broken trinkets and familiar family heirlooms of old. A compass; a clock; a toddler’s teething ring; and a whole bunch of objects that, to an outsider, would bear no significant weight or emotional value whatsoever. But, to someone—a protagonist with a knack for fixing things, for example—these devices have more to offer, whether it’s a glint of hope or a cherished memory that tucks itself into the shattered glass of an old telescope. For one, the world isn’t just a room of leftover trash; it’s a time capsule that yearns to be cracked open and fixed.

There is, of course, a straightforward setup to look at here: a character, presumably one who cherishes old keepsakes and other invaluable devices, is given the opportunity to unearth small but significant objects and restore them to their original state. That is, in all honesty, the brunt of what Pieces of the Past is: a sweet and personal homage to timekeeping—a love letter to restoration and preservation with various fragments of touch-and-go storytelling to grease its hinges and make its world, well, tick.

A first-person puzzler at heart, Pieces of the Past tasks you with venturing into your workshop and inspecting a wide array of objects around the room. The idea, then, is that you interact with said objects, and then complete a series of short mini-games in order to restore them to their former glory. As you complete each repair, you unlock a small note—a passage that sheds just the faintest of lights on your past and how the item in question played a part in it. A simple setup — but an irresistible one, all the same.

Preservation Is Paramount

There isn’t really a storyline to jump into here, only a collection of short puzzles that mostly consist of analyzing objects on a workbench, removing their pieces, and then replacing them with new parts in a specific order. For example, in one case, you have to fix a compass, which essentially involves taking apart the glass, protection ring, and dials, and then adding new parts in the reverse order. And that same process applies to most, if not all of the puzzles in Pieces of the Past. 

There are, of course, several other jobs that you bump into during your restoration journey. For example, several objects require you to clean grit and other stains from their surfaces, and some objects require you to manually remove every component in order to analyze their contents. For the most part, however, it really is as simple as removing pieces from an item, and then carefully retracing your steps to effectively “restore” it. It isn’t really restoring it, mind you, as you spend more time simply replacing everything than recycling the original components to maintain its sentimental value. Still, if the glove fits, yada yada yada.

The good news is that there are plenty of gadgets and gizmos for you to comb over in Pieces of the Past. Aside from the compass and spyglass, you also have an entire workshop of different heirlooms, each of which possess a small snippet of a story to help flesh out your past experiences. As you beat each heirloom, you earn another snippet, until, surprise surprise, all of the items in your repository have been successfully restored to their respective state and your mind map has been altered to reflect a complete picture. Again, a simple setup, but one that is generously designed to keep you wanting to carve out another piece of the puzzle, so to speak.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Although the post-puzzle messages don’t always have the tear-jerking effects of an emotional sob story, they do provide a solid foundation for the protagonist’s school of thought. More to the point, the puzzles make it so that, despite their misalignment and irrelevance to their counterparts, the player thinks that they’re gradually working towards the big picture. And it does this surprisingly well, too.

To add to the above, Pieces of the Past captures a good and oh-so wholesome aesthetic. Sure enough, it is as vibrant as a floral bouquet, and it does make a good effort to establish an original design for each of its set pieces and puzzles. It’s a little basic in some respects, true, but for an indie with a whole lot of color, it sure makes for a compelling homage to the rainbow belt.

Verdict

Pieces of the Past keeps it pure and simple with a relaxing restoration-centric puzzler that feels inviting and oddly therapeutic to, well, piece together for a little while. I’ll admit, it doesn’t offer a great plot, and it doesn’t really go into too much detail with its arcs or lore. That said, it doesn’t really matter, as it’s a simple game that rejects unnecessary padding and filler in an attempt to focus on swift progression and enjoyable hand-crafted puzzles. Is that enough to persuade you to shovel through its trove of trinkets? Eh, I’d like to think so.

Of course, if you were hoping to jump into a story-driven challenge with handfuls of thought-provoking puzzles, then it’s likely that you’ll be disappointed with just how easily Pieces of the Past paints its mantra. Alas, this isn’t a strenuous exercise; it’s a simple affair that doesn’t require you to input a great deal of energy, but rather to sit back and mull over its contents with a fine-tooth comb and enjoy the small passages of text that it briefly provides you as a form of post-puzzle celebration. It doesn’t always strike the right tone, and it doesn’t always knuckle in on that all-important emotional gut punch of a farewell message. And yet, for what it does bring to the workbench, it does a pretty fantastic job, all things considered.

With all of the above said, if it’s gadgets and gizmos, trinkets and keepsakes that wax your curiosity, then there’s a good chance that you’ll enjoy rifling through the shoddy components and love letters of Pieces of the Past’s casket of antiquities. For everything else, seek comfort in Trash Goblin.