In Stars and Time DEMO
The In Stars and Time DEMO is a demo version of the game In Stars and Time. It was released on September 15th, 2022, and was available to download until October 31st[1] of the same year, from both Itch.io and Steam. It was re-released on June 19th, 2023 for Steam Next Fest[2], and remains available.
The demo's gameplay mostly consists of the first floor of the House, with some differences compared to the final release. It concludes with the meeting with Loop after looping back for the first time. The first death also occurs much further into the house, making this first loop much longer.
Story
The demo starts with a short cutscene of a crying Siffrin standing in a black void. They notice a star, which falls into their hands. Suddenly they bite into the star and the screen goes black.
Mirabelle shouts Siffrin's name, waking them up from what seemed like a nap. He is surrounded by his friends, Mirabelle, Isabeau, Odile and Bonnie. Siffrin denies falling asleep, which nobody except Isabeau believes. Odile admonishes him, asking him to take a nap after they defeat the King who has frozen the entire country in time. Mirabelle apologizes, assuming Siffrin's sudden nap was due to her waking them up the day before. Siffrin berates himself for making Mirabelle sad two days in a row, and quickly comes up with a pun, which makes Mirabelle and Isabeau laugh. Success.
Odile urges the group to head inside the House of Change, and remarks that it feels strange. Mirabelle points out that Houses of Change usually look different, full of light and people. This one is empty except for the Sadnesses, who will try to defeat them no matter the cost.
The group is determined to proceed despite this, using their five Orbs to open the door. They head inside, talking a bit before exploring the House of Change further.
They arrive at a closed door, which requires a key to enter. The key is in one of the nearby rooms. The design is particular, features multiple circles in other circles. Mirabelle remarks that it's one of the symbols of House of Change belief, with each circle representing a part of life and that everyone is a part of something bigger.
The group encounters the first Sadnesses in the House of Change and arrive at locked door that leads to the second floor. While looking for a key that could open the door, they find a wall of water blocking a hallway. Bonnie explains that they're called Tears, and touching them freezes you in time. They also say you're supposed to have a really nice dream. When questioned, Bonnie explains an old lady told them when their sister got frozen in time. Bonnie exclaims that they know it's not true, but that it would be nice if it was. Mirabelle then says that they should look for a way to make the Tears disappear, since they might need to go through this hallway.
After exploring the other available rooms, they find a Mélancholie. Bonnie remarks that it feels weird. After defeating it, it leaves behind a Star Crest. The group uses it to remove the Tears in the other hallway, which leads them into a kitchen. They find the Egg Key in a cupboard, the key features a keychain with an egg at the end of it.
Mirabelle tried to explain that an intact and broken egg are a part of the House of Change belief, when Isabeau interrupts her, summarizing her speech. Bonnie mentions that you can't make a pancake without breaking a few eggs, and Isabeau corrects that the correct food is an omelette. Mirabelle adds that for every change, something has to break, and that changing yourself might hurt somebody else. The symbols of the intact and broken egg are there to remind them that before changing they have to stop and think about what will be destroyed, but that destruction is a part of change and they must accept it.
Odile remarks that such a belief if harsher than she thought. After a second of silence, Bonnnie tries to take a bite out of the Egg Key, without success and hand it back to Siffrin.
They use the key to open up a different door, eventually leading them to room full of rolled up papers. Inside the drawer of a dresser, the group finds the Broken Egg Key. Odile says that it's a weird place for a King to put a key, which in turn makes Bonnie make fun of him. Isabeau retorts that it might not be very King-like, but it makes it harder to find since it's not in a spot you expect. Everyone congratulates Siffrin for finding the key, clapping for them.
Using the Broken Egg Key, they open the door leading to the second floor. Walking into the hallway that follows, they encounter Calamité, guarding the way forward. After defeating it, they continue through a couple of hallways until they arrive into a room. Isabeau remarks that this room is missing the threatening aura of the others, and the group decides to take a little break, eating some snacks to regain some energy.
They advance to the second floor, when suddenly Mirabelle stops the group, sharing that The Head Housemaiden of the House called this room the "Death Corridor". Odile mentions that while the house is supposed to be safe, with the King present some traps might have reactivated. Siffrin then goes around the room to deactivate any possible traps. After checking all six pillars, they come back to the group to share the results. Mirabelle is still nervous, claiming the traps might be weight or time sensitive. The group reassures her that Siffrin would have activated them by now if that was the case.
Siffrin then stands in the middle of the room to showcase everything is fine, and get crushed by a giant rock. Feeling a tug on their stomach, they die, and get looped back to a grassy field surrounded by trees.
Mirabelle comes in, asking if Siffrin was taking a nap. She mentions that tomorrow they will finally face the King. This leaves Siffrin confused. Mirabelle interprets this as Siffrin still being sleepy and leaves them to nap for a bit longer. Siffrin then proceeds to panic, recalling their death, berating themselves for doing a bad job and not even making it to the King. When they calm down, they reassure themselves that traveling back in time is totally normal. Siffrin feels glad that they were the only one that got hurt.
They head back into Dormont, where they bump into Mirabelle again. She asks him if the group could have a sleepover before they face the King tomorrow. Siffrin, knowing they upset her before by not being enthusiastic enough, eagerly answers that it would be an amazing idea. Mirabelle is happy, and Siffrin notes that they can change their fate, even if in just small ways.
Siffrin wonders if they're the only one who knows that they're going back in time, and ponders what they should be doing, when a voice suddenly appears in their mind, asking them to come to the Favor Tree at the West of the village. When Siffrin arrives to the Favor Tree, a figure is sitting at its base, saying they have a lot to talk about.
Characters
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Siffrin is the main protagonist of the demo, a traveler who loves puns. Their primary craft type is  Scissors. Their craft spells focus on speed and Scissor attacks. They have a craft spell that lets them pass their turn to another ally. They are the fastest of the group.
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Mirabelle is a nervous and caring Housemaiden. She is a dual Scissors/ Paper craft type. Her craft spells focus on healing and buffing her allies' attack, as well as Paper and Scissor attacks.
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Isabeau is a defender with a heart of gold, who cares deeply for his people and friends. His primary craft type is  Rock type. His craft spells focus on buffing his allies' defense and Rock attacks. He has a craft spell that lets him pass their turn to another ally.
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Odile is a mature but nonsensical researcher studying... something. Her primary craft type is Paper. Odile has a special craft spell that lets her analyze an enemy without using a turn. She also has craft spells of every craft type, and a spell to slow down enemies. She is the slowest of the group.
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Bonnie is a kid, who really shouldn't be fighting. They have no known craft type, and while not fighting directly, they help the group by distributing items and doing a varied list of thing in battle like buffing, healing, or surprise attacks. |
Combat
Trivia
References
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