The Cool and Mysterious Siffrin From 2023’s In Stars and Time

At the beginning of In Stars and Time, Siffrin reminisces about how they came to join the party. In his own words, he joined the party because there was nothing else for him to do. Before joining them, Siffrin was simply a traveler, wandering the fantasy country of Vaugarde. The game’s menu even gives them the title of “The Traveler”. His party members have more personal reasons to be on this quest – Vaugarde is their home, and the game’s final boss (a man known only as the King) is slowly freezing the country and everyone in it in time.

Very little is known about Siffrin’s backstory before the events of the game. Even they don’t seem to remember much of their story before joining the party. What is clear early on, however, is that he isn’t from Vaugarde like the majority of the party members. The country’s beliefs and rituals are foreign and strange to him, though the people of the country are kind and welcoming. This introduces a question, one of many, about their origins – where are they from, if not Vaugarde?

This uncertainty about his own origins wears down on his mental state as the loops continue. The other members of the party have rich and detailed memories of their histories, of where they grew up and who they grew up with. The fact that Siffrin can’t remember those things for himself is a source of insecurity for him, and something that makes him feel distanced from the party members.

Siffrin, the Dagger Wielder

In the magic system of In Stars and Time, Siffrin uses what is known as Scissors Craft. As the name implies, this means they are weaker against Rock Craft attacks and stronger against Paper Craft attacks. He also has a skill that speeds up the party, as well as a skill that lets him give his turn to one of the other party members. These skills are very useful in combat, especially with the enemies (known in the world of the game as Sadnesses) being faster than the party by default.

Their signature weapon is a dagger, something they start the game with and something it’s implied they had well before joining the party on the quest to defeat the King. He’s very proficient with the dagger, capable of dealing significant damage in combat, as well as being said to be good at wood carving.

This proficiency and helpfulness soon turn into something Siffrin feels a growing compulsion to retain. With the ability to rewind time to before something bad happened to him or the party, he’s able to fix any mistakes that he makes and ensure the others get to the end of this journey safely. As much as the loops continue to wear on their mental state, they don’t want to tell the others about it or ask for help. They’re supposed to depend on him, now, not the other way around.

Siffrin, the Funnyjokespun Person

Siffrin has a great love of making silly puns, something they have in common with Isabeau, another of the party members. On multiple occasions, the two joke and laugh together, to the chagrin of the rest of the party. Making these puns is a core piece of Siffrin’s identity, something he does to cheer the others up and to feel close to them. As the loops progress, however, even the puns he used to enjoy begin to feel repetitive. This anhedonia, in turn, feeds into their worsening mental state.

Siffrin, the Theater Lover

Another thing he has a deep love for is theater, particularly the plays from a country neighboring Vaugarde known as Poteria. According to a Reddit AMA from the creator, insertdisc5, his favorite play genre is tragedies. This love of theater also ties into a lot of their personality. They often have a flair for the dramatic, and on a few occasions before the loops even start, they think about events in terms of plays. Sometimes this flair for the dramatic also ties into his penchant for puns.

Much like their love of puns, however, this love for theater also becomes soured by being stuck in a time loop. He begins to see the other party members as actors rather than people, due to how they repeat things they’ve said in previous loops and how their character arcs get reset along with the clock. It’s like being trapped rehearsing the same play over and over, except the other actors aren’t aware of the repetition like he is.

Siffrin, the Partially-Blind

An unspecified amount of time before the start of In Stars and Time, Siffrin lost his left eye while protecting Bonnie, another party member, from a Sadness. Isabeau is said to have created the eyepatch that they wear, using Craft so that it would never be uncomfortable for them. He does his best to act like normal, like he did before losing the eye.

However, the game makes it clear that this is easier said than done. In a room on the first floor of the final dungeon, there is a counter that he repeatedly hits his hip on. In Start Again: A Prologue, the prototype for and prequel to In Stars and Time, another party member remarks about Siffrin struggling to judge distances. In another room on a separate floor, there’s an item that they miss until a subsequent visit to the room. As his mental state worsens, these become things that he berates himself over.

Siffrin, the Time Looper

Early into the first attempt at climbing the final dungeon, Siffrin is killed by a trap in the dungeon. This is what reveals the existence of the time loop, as they’re sent back in time to the day before entering the dungeon. He soon meets a stranger going by the name Loop, who does their best to help him with the journey through the dungeon and the time loop. Loop becomes his sole confidant, the one person he talks to about the time loop and the things that happen within it. Neither they nor Siffrin know what causes time to continue looping, especially after the party defeats the King for the first time.

Siffrin, the Trap-Finder

In addition to helping the party in combat, Siffrin’s role is also to detect traps and protect the others from them. He’s said to be very knowledgeable about traps, with the party relying on his knowledge and expertise to keep them safe. There are several traps in the dungeon, in particular one known as the Death Corridor that is found early on. This trap is the one that is killed by, which begins the time loop.

Failing to detect traps is another thing that they berate themselves over as the loops continue, as an extension of the insecurities around partial blindness and of the belief that they are supposed to be helping the party rather than relying on them.

Siffrin, the Dedicated Friend

Siffrin cares deeply for the other party members, whom he came to see as friends during the journey that took place before the start of the game. These people are important to him, and they’re people he wants to protect and help at any cost. After discovering that defeating the King doesn’t end the time loop, Loop suggests spending time with the other party members, which leads to quests that are known as “friend quests” (alternatively known as “friendquests”). These quests see Siffrin learning about their friends’ struggles and histories, and growing closer to them by helping in whichever small way they’re able to.

His internal thoughts and narration during these events make it clear that, for as much as the time loop is wearing on his mental state, he still genuinely enjoys making his friends happy. While he struggles to see it, those same friends also enjoy spending time with him and trying to make him happy. It’s this mutual care and closeness that forms the core of the emotional storytelling of In Stars and Time.

Final Thoughts

There’s even more to Siffrin’s character beyond what we’ve outlined here, though that delves deeper into the later sections of In Stars and Time‘s story. They’re a very well-written character, and someone the player can easily and quickly come to adore and care about. From his love of puns to his love for his friends, he’s a wonderful and sympathetic character, and someone you can easily find yourself rooting for as he tries to help his friends and escape the time loop. The things that are revealed later in the game make their story so much more compelling and gut-wrenching, and make them an even more intriguing character.