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A Taste of the Past

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2022

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Quick resume

What do you do when you lose someone you love? A Taste of the Past is an emotional sidescroller about reconnecting with your Chinese culture while navigating a train to the afterlife. Featuring a wholesome story, cooking minigames, and hope.

Global score

98/100

Genres

Adventure, Casual, Free To Play, Indie, Visual Novel, Puzzle

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    Pros

    • Beautiful art and music
    • Emotional and touching story
    • Short and accessible
    • Relatable themes of grief and family
    • Free to play

    Cons

    • Very short gameplay
    • Simple and minimal minigames
    • Limited voice acting
    • Linear narrative with minimal player impact
    • Some minor bugs reported

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

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      "Players have some choice in dialogue and minor story decisions, but overall the story is linear with limited player control."

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    • Competence

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      "Gameplay is simple with minimal challenge, easy puzzles, and forgiving mechanics, focusing more on story and message than skill."

      Capsule for Aurora: A Child's Journey Aurora: A Child's Journey

      "Gameplay consists of simple, easy minigames with minimal challenge, focusing more on narrative than skill."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

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      "No competitive elements; the game is a solitary, narrative-driven experience without comparison to others."

      Capsule for Dordogne Dordogne

      "No competitive elements; the game is a personal, emotional narrative experience."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      1

      "Short game (~30 min) with some players replaying for emotional impact but limited habitual play."

      Capsule for memories memories

      "Short playtime (~30 minutes) but players express desire to replay for emotional impact."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

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      "Single-player experience focused on personal story; no multiplayer or cooperative play."

      Capsule for Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star

      "Single-player experience focused on personal story without multiplayer or cooperative play."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      1

      "Some player choice in dialogue and exploration, but limited creation or modification of game elements."

      Capsule for OXENFREE II: Lost Signals OXENFREE II: Lost Signals

      "Players customize dialogue responses and engage in simple cooking minigames, but within predefined structures."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -5

      "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; the game promotes empathy and shared emotional experience."

      Capsule for My Little Puppy My Little Puppy

      "No elements of dominance or control over others; the game emphasizes empathy and personal reflection."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Players use the game to process grief and emotions, providing emotional escape and catharsis."

      Capsule for Draw Draw

      "Players use the game as emotional catharsis and distraction from real-life grief and stress."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of personal interest and emotional connection, not obligation."

      Capsule for ATRI -My Dear Moments- ATRI -My Dear Moments-

      "Players engage voluntarily out of personal interest and emotional connection, not obligation."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      1

      "Some exploration of different dialogue choices and puzzle approaches, but mostly follows a guided narrative."

      Capsule for Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins

      "Some exploration of dialogue options and minigames, but mostly a guided narrative experience."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      2

      "Players explore different train cars and interact with various characters, discovering story elements and clues."

      Capsule for The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

      "Players explore different train cars and interact with ancestors, discovering story elements."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      1

      "Dialogue choices allow some expression, but no character customization or environment modification."

      Capsule for Message Quest Message Quest

      "Dialogue choices allow some self-expression; no character customization beyond that."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      3

      "Story involves psychological horror and mystery with some surreal and dark narrative elements."

      Capsule for Serena Serena

      "The story involves a dreamlike afterlife train and ancestral interactions, blending fiction with emotional themes."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      3

      "Strong community connection through shared cultural experiences and emotional resonance."

      Capsule for Gaokao.Love.100Days Gaokao.Love.100Days

      "Strong sense of family and cultural community through ancestral dialogue and shared heritage."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      4

      "Players experience personal emotional growth and reflection through story and themes of loss and acceptance."

      Capsule for Just a To the Moon Series Beach Episode Just a To the Moon Series Beach Episode

      "Players experience emotional growth and learning about grief, heritage, and self-acceptance."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related features."

      Capsule for Moral Dilemma: The Interview Moral Dilemma: The Interview

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related features."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -3

      "Requires focused attention during the short play session; not designed for background play."

      Capsule for The Good Time Garden The Good Time Garden

      "Requires focused attention during the short play session; not designed for background play."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      4

      "Deep emotional connections and family relationships are central to the experience."

      Capsule for Venba Venba

      "Emotional connections with family members and ancestors create a sense of close relationships."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      -5

      "No leadership or group management elements; purely personal narrative experience."

      Capsule for GOODBYE WORLD GOODBYE WORLD

      "No leadership or group management elements; purely a personal narrative."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      2

      "Progression through story and unlocking achievements, but no item collection or upgrades beyond narrative."

      Capsule for The Red Strings Club The Red Strings Club

      "Progression through story and unlocking recipe steps, but no item collection or upgrades."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      4

      "Calm, soothing atmosphere with gentle music and art, promoting relaxation and comfort."

      Capsule for Kitten Adventures in City Park Kitten Adventures in City Park

      "Calm, soothing atmosphere with gentle music and art, promoting emotional relaxation."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      3

      "Music and art provide sensory enjoyment and emotional stimulation."

      Capsule for Harmonia Harmonia

      "Beautiful art and music provide sensory enjoyment and emotional stimulation."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -5

      "No social status or recognition mechanics; experience is private and personal."

      Capsule for Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.4 Himatsubushi Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.4 Himatsubushi

      "No social status or recognition mechanics; experience is private and personal."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      5

      "Narrative-driven game with strong psychological horror story and emotional themes."

      Capsule for Infliction Infliction

      "Narrative-driven game with strong emotional story about grief, family, and cultural heritage."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      -4

      "Minimal strategic or problem-solving elements; gameplay is straightforward."

      Capsule for Bite Night Bite Night

      "Minimal strategic or problem-solving elements; gameplay is straightforward and simple."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      -4

      "No suspense or risk; experience is calm and contemplative."

      Capsule for Insomnia: Theater in the Head Insomnia: Theater in the Head

      "No suspense or risk; the experience is calm and emotionally contemplative."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      5

      "Highly praised for emotional impact and meaningful content despite being free and short, offering strong value."

      Capsule for missed messages. missed messages.

      "Highly praised for emotional impact and quality despite being free and short."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      -5

      "No violence; focus on constructive and peaceful themes."

      Capsule for The Search The Search

      "No violence; focus on constructive, emotional, and cultural themes."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      -5

      "No survival or threat elements; stable, safe narrative environment."

      Capsule for Pesterquest Pesterquest

      "No survival or threat elements; stable, safe narrative environment."

    Analysis

    Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Intimacy, Survival, Violence, Competition. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Strategy, Thrill, Competence.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Last update: 30/04/2026