A Deeper Look Into Siffrin From 2023’s In Stars and Time

The question of where Siffrin comes from is raised fairly early in the story of In Stars and Time. As early as Act 1, before the time loop even starts, they can interact with an NPC who remarks about a rumor that they aren’t from Vaugarde. The customs of Vaugarde are foreign and strange to him, something that acts as both a way to introduce the player to the country as well as a way to make him stand out from the other party members.

Partway through the game, the party can find a diary in the House of Change – the dungeon that they’re scaling to defeat the King – where someone mentions not being able to say the name of an island north of Vaugarde. This is initially a simple one-off scene, adding further characterization to the party members as well as adding flavor to the game’s world. Their narration merely remarks that the diary entry is “interesting”. However, during a series of events referred to as “Kingquest”, Siffrin learns that he is from that island, as well as the King. Their amnesia around their history and their memory troubles in the present can be traced back to the island being forgotten.

Siffrin’s Memory Troubles

As a person from the forgotten island, Siffrin’s memory of his past is hazy at best. Often, when a memory happens to come to their mind, it’s erased shortly after, much to the confusion of anyone they were talking to. In an event that can only be seen in Act 2, they recall running away from home to avoid eating vegetables. His memory falters as he speaks, but it’s implied that he ran away from home right as the island was wiped from people’s memories. While the island being forgotten isn’t the direct cause of their difficulty with remembering things in the present, it’s implied that this difficulty is an indirect consequence.

A subtle detail is that the same sound effect that plays when re-finding a weapon that is already in your inventory (which Siffrin’s narration refers to as “the world rewriting itself”) also plays whenever their memory falters. It’s heavily implied in the game’s story and narration that whatever happened to remove the island from people’s memories is related to Wish Craft, a Craft type that originates from the forgotten island. The sound effect could be a cue that these memories returning are going against the Wish that caused the island to be forgotten.

The Time Loop

A significant mystery across the plot of In Stars and Time is why Siffrin is trapped in the time loop in the first place. At first, he believes that the loops will break once the King is defeated. When this fails, the next idea is to grow closer to the other party members before defeating the King. The next idea after that is directly asking if the King is the one causing the loops.

The answer isn’t revealed until the end of Act 5, when Siffrin suffers a total mental breakdown at the idea of themselves being trapped in a time loop forever. He lashes out at his friends and attempts to storm the House of Change by himself, believing that if he deals the killing blow to the final boss, then that will break the loops and free him. Their friends give chase and narrowly rescue them from being frozen in time by the King.

When the party reaches a room known internally as the “Last Room”, where the head of the House of Change is waiting, his mental breakdown worsens as the House’s head remarks about everyone going home. Following an emotionally fraught battle against his friends, it’s finally revealed that Siffrin’s own Wish at the beginning of the game is what trapped him – he Wished to spend more time with his friends, which was granted in the form of a time loop. The loops are finally broken when the others reveal they also want to stay in Siffrin’s life after the adventure ends.

Loop

Loop (they/them) is a mysterious star-headed person you meet in Act 2, right after dying to the first trap in the House of Change. It is Loop who informs him that he’s trapped in a time loop, and it is Loop whom he comes to confide in during the loops. When trying to discern how to escape the time loop, it’s Loop that he talks to and theorizes with. However, their identity is left vague.

Early into the game, Loop asks Siffrin to guess their identity. There are several options, though no matter which you choose, Loop never gives any direct confirmation. You’re even able to ask whether Loop’s identity matters in the first place.

It isn’t until Act 6, if you have fulfilled the right conditions, that the truth is revealed. Loop is Siffrin – or, rather, they’re the Siffrin from Start Again: A Prologue, the prototype/prequel of In Stars and Time. What follows is a boss fight against Loop, who can still loop back in time and who is bitterly jealous of Siffrin for finally escaping when they were never able to. Whether you lose the fight or win, however, eventually Loop disappears while promising to see him again.

Final Thoughts

While Siffrin was already a well-written character before all of these reveals, the additional details explain and flesh out some of their strange behaviors and mannerisms while making their story that much more compelling. Why are they so afraid of being alone after the adventure ends, and so desperate to stay with their friends? Because he has lost all memory of his home and anyone he knew, and is terrified of being alone again and being forgotten.

The writing for Siffrin, as well as the other members of the main cast, is a large part of what makes the writing of In Stars and Time so compelling and emotionally moving. With the game being told from a second-person perspective, the relationships and reveals that the main cast make and discover are made that much more personal. It especially makes Siffrin’s emotional arc that much more potent of an experience, especially with regards to Kingquest.