!Warning: Contains themes of war, guilt, and grief!

Game Walkthrough at the bottom of this page

THE BETWEEN

The Between is a 2D emotional, story-driven adventure platformer set inside a dreamlike world that exists between life and death. You play as Mark, an adult who mysteriously awakens in a soft, glowing Meadow that resembles memories from his childhood—except nothing is quite right.

Mark appears in the form of a child, yet he thinks, remembers, and feels as an adult. The children around him recognize him as if no time has passed. They laugh, run, and speak to him like old friends who never grew up. But their voices are strange, their movements slightly off, their memories hazy—because they are not real children. They are echoes.

And Mark is dreaming.

A Journey Through Memory, Guilt, and the Fragile Line Between Life and Death

Before arriving here, Mark was flying to London to visit his parents after the war ended. But something went wrong. The aircraft shuddered. The cabin dimmed. Time fractured.

Now he finds himself wandering through surreal landscapes built from his own mind: childhood rooms preserved too perfectly, villages blanketed by impossible snow, meadows where sunlight hangs frozen in the air, and towering dream-structures representing the life he has tried to ignore.

Guiding him through all this is The Shepherd, a quiet white-cloaked figure who knows far more than he says. He doesn’t give orders. He nudges. He asks questions Mark doesn’t want to answer. He leads Mark toward forgotten places, painful truths, and the one thing Mark has avoided his entire life: himself.

Core Features

A Cinematic Narrative

Explore dreamlike biomes—glowing meadows, the abandoned Forgotten Village, the surreal Cave—each representing pieces of Mark’s past and inner conflict.

Platforming With Purpose

Mark runs, jumps, swings, climbs, solves puzzles, and interacts with objects that symbolically tie back to his memories. Every action reflects something about his identity or trauma.

Echo Characters

The “children” you meet are distorted fragments of the kids Mark once knew. They speak with nostalgia, confusion, and uncanny familiarity—revealing clues only indirectly.

The Shepherd

A calm, poetic guide who speaks in gentle riddles and emotional truths. He never forces Mark—he simply walks the path with him.

The Forgotten Village

A snowy, abandoned settlement tied to Mark’s earliest friendships. Houses appear warm but empty. Light flickers in windows though no one lives there. Footsteps echo when Mark stands still.

This is where he meets the Shepherd again.

Puzzles and Symbolic Interactions

• Unlock chests with forgotten childhood combinations • Use a makeshift Nerf gun to break down emotional “barriers” • Gather fragmented “Rememberings” hidden in the environment • Swing, climb, and activate memory-based mechanics

A Soft, Emotional Atmosphere

The game blends warm childhood colors with quiet, unsettling undertones: layered parallax, drifting dust, soft vignettes, subtle camera drift, and hand-drawn textures.

Game Walkthrough

The Meadow

Mark awakens in the Meadow. Speak with the nearby NPCs to gather cards. One of the NPCs holds a card with the combination 2009. Use this code to unlock the chest, obtain the gun, and shoot through the barrier. This opens the path to The Forgotten Village.

The Forgotten Village

Mark arrives in the Forgotten Village. Explore the houses and speak with the Shepherd to learn more about the area. A hidden card can be found inside one of the houses (optional). When ready, fight the boss. After defeating it, pick up the light it drops and proceed to The Forbidden Hole.

The Forbidden Hole

Speak with the imprisoned NPC, then descend one screen down. You will find 1979 etched into the wall—this is the combination needed to free the NPC. Afterward, fight the boss (the order of these actions does not matter). Once completed, Mark awakens in a carriage. Speak with the NPC, then head left to reunite with his parents.

Game Complete.