What if you could go back in time - to that crossroad where the possibilities seemed endless, and the choice was all yours? Back to 21 is a narrative-driven RPG life sim about following your passion, confronting limiting beliefs, and rewriting the story we tell ourselves.
Release Date:
To be announced
Developer:
Publisher:
Teaser | Back to 21 Teaser Trailer
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Coming Soon To Early Access

The developers of this game intend to release as a work in progress, developing with the feedback of players.

Note: Games in Early Access are not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“While the core gameplay loop of discovering your passion -> act on it -> overcoming limiting beliefs -> thrive has been designed, the specifics of each character interaction and quests associated with each passion path has yet to be finalized. I'd love to have some community engagement during this development process, so we can get some real feedback on what players prefer and inspiration on what's truly touching.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We estimate roughly 6 months to 1 year time, depending on the types of feedback we get.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“The main difference is going to be in the fullness of content for each passion path. Each path unlocks side quests, creative projects, and personal milestones. If we use the game loop of buying seeds from various vendors -> growing plants -> selling those grown plants for profit as one unit of content size, the goal is to design each passion path so that they all contain at least 3 units of content. However, for the Early Access version, we intend to have ~ 1 unit of content, so players can get a taste and enjoy the game, while still being able to make suggestions for what they want to see in this path.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“At the launch of Early Access, the game will offer:
- Full experience with the core game loop of discovering your passion, overcoming limiting beliefs, and learning to thrive off of your passion.
- Full dialogue and interaction suite with the main characters (although this will be open to change depending on the feedbackswe get).
- At least one unit of content for each of the five different passion paths.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“We do not plan to change the prices during or after Early Access.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We would love to receive feedback from Steam Community discussions, as well as input via other social media. We will be incorporating the feedback into more diverse character perspectives and passion path play mechanics.”
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This game is not yet available on Steam

Planned Release Date: To be announced

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About This Game

You play as Momo, a spirit who has passed away from physicality with regrets for the dreams she sacrificed. On the brink of her crossover, she's been given a second chance, to go back to age 21, when she was a young woman working at one of the world’s top tech companies, AlphaCorp. From the outside, she had everything she was told to want - success, stability, prestige. But this time, she'd like to choose differently.

As Momo, you'll navigate a year of choices that shape her career, relationships, and ultimately, herself. Through dynamic dialogues, shifting affinities, and quiet moments with characters who reflect different worldviews, you’ll uncover the beliefs - internal and external - that shape Momo’s life path.

Key Features

  • Explore Life Themes with Different Characters: Dialogues in the game bring opportunities to reflect, connect, or question. Each character explores a challenging theme you might encounter on the path of your passion. Befriending a character always come with a tradeoff, so you can choose the option you truly resonate with without analyzing which one would be a better gameplay strategy. You can get a feel of the theme offered by each character through the trailer or the screenshots.

  • A Passion Worth Following: Beyond Momo's day job at AlphaCorp, the game introduces five alternative passion paths, each offering a unique gameplay experience. Choose one or more passion paths to explore across the year. Build skills, find mentors, and decode hints of passion hidden in your physical state (happiness/energy) and inner dialogues (diary). Finding your passion can be a challenging game, since your passion might be obscured by limiting beliefs such as "only corporate life pays" or "I'm not good enough", making it appear to be unattractive. However, you will still get hints through action taken in any passion paths, and/or dialogues with like-minded characters.

  • Strategic Time & Resource Management: You’ll need to strategically balance time, money, and energy. Pursuing your passion doesn’t start off profitable. It’s risky, and it takes commitment. Can you stay afloat while nurturing a dream?

  • A Unique Design of Limiting Beliefs: Momo will start off having several limiting beliefs with various strengths. Some beliefs will affect her happiness while pursuing passion-related paths (and hence her energy drop rate), and other beliefs will affect how much money she can make while pursuing the passion paths. It will be very hard to make a living off of the passion paths while carrying high degrees of limiting beliefs.

  • Choose only as it Resonates: The game is designed to avoid giving incentives for players to maximize gameplay rewards. You'll find that the choices you make will always have tradeoffs, so you are free to choose (if you wish) the option that resonates with you without considering what that might do for your gameplay achievements.

  • A Scent of Esotericism: the game includes a subtle scent of esotericism by including weekly tarot readings and a portal to a timeless dimension. This timeless dimension is where you started and where you will end, and throughout the game you can access it (if you've decoded how) for higher wisdom.

Core Gameplay:

  • For a "regular game", your goal is to find Momo's passion, build skills upon it, and make a living off of her passion. You will have one year in the game with the 21-year-old Momo. Momo's passion can be any one of the 5 possible passion paths.

  • If you start a new game, Momo's passion might be different, allowing replayability if you'd like to experience the game through different choices.

  • A "regular game" is when you decide to follow the passion path. You certainly can choose not to do this and still enjoy the game. You might earn tons of money in AlphaCorp; you might make a living off of doing side tasks - such as working at the coffee shop; or staying a confused young adult by trying all different kinds of paths that might not be your passion. Either way, there's plenty of space for trials and experiences, and no real goal to reach.

AI Generated Content Disclosure

The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this:

1. The game as currently presented in the trailer uses some AI-assisted artwork. Some of the main building exterior, furnitures and character portraits are generated by AI and used with some post-editing. These are subject to change depending on access to better art resources (funding, my art skill, etc.).

2. The character tones in the dialogues are polished with the help of AI.

3. AI voiceover in Teaser Trailer.

System Requirements

Windows
macOS
    Minimum:
    • OS *: Windows Vista or greater
    • Processor: 2 Ghz
    • Memory: 2 GB RAM
    • Graphics: 256 mb video memory, shader model 3.0+
    • DirectX: Version 10
    • Storage: 5 GB available space
* Starting January 1st, 2024, the Steam Client will only support Windows 10 and later versions.
    Minimum:
    • OS: Mac OSX 10.10+
    • Processor: 2 GHz
    • Memory: 2 GB RAM
    • Graphics: 256 mb video memory, OpenGL 2
    • Storage: 5 GB available space
* Starting February 15, 2024, the Steam Client will no longer support 32-bit games or macOS 10.14 or lower.
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