Review – Back To The Future: The Game (PC)
If you loved the Back to the Future series, but felt that you wanted to know more, you will be extremely pleased to find out that there is a game that continues the series. The game was broken up into five different episodes, which were released at separate times. TellTale games headed up this game, and they most certainly hit the nail on the head with the story. We had a chance to play through this game, and wanted to let you know it’s ups and downs. As it is an episodic game, it felt best to break down this review by chapter, as each episode had its own particular quirks.
Chapter 1:
This is obviously where most of the excitement is, as you are getting to continue a storyline that you can’t find anywhere else. Although, some of that adrenaline starts to dwindle as the beginning kind of leaves you feeling lost. The instructions aren’t really that helpful, but once you figure out what you can click and what is off bounds, it’s easier to come up to speed. This is a puzzle game, but there is a lot of maneuvering around, hoping you have clicked the right things in the right order. There are hints to help you out, but the game play is not what I was hoping for. You get to see a lot of area which is accurate from what you see in the movies, but can’t access half of it. This game was mainly made for the story though, so I can see why it was structured that way. There is a very specific quest line with not a whole lot to do on the side. It felt a little it too controlled, but the storyline made it worthwhile enough for me to want to keep going. The puzzles got quite confusing though. You would almost need to have just watched the movies again to remember what is what. It’s definitely not a standalone game. But! If you are a BTTF fan, then this is a wonderful addition to this saga. The first chapter is very nostalgic and fun, it just should have had a little bit more guidance. It’s a little bit too confusing as to how you get around and solve things.
Chapter 2:
Chapter 1 leaves you thinking everything is all hunky dory, but you end up having to return because of a few loose ends. (Go figure) This chapter is very limited in what you can explore. You are only in the town square of Hill Valley, and most of it is blocked from you entirely. There were several times where you have to run back and forth because it’s hard to figure out what you’re was supposed to be doing. I seemed to have a very hard time running in some areas, even though it was no problem elsewhere. Sometimes your main option is to walk quickly, and that is pretty annoying when you want to book it somewhere full speed. This felt a lot shorter than the first chapter, but maybe that’s just because you weren’t interacting with many new characters or areas.
Chapter 3:
This chapter is basically walking you through the new Hill Valley that you created because of your actions in Chapter 2. It all happens in two different areas. Things were definitely much more interesting as they had been aged by about 50 years. The complete change in scenery for a time you thought you knew was definitely interesting to see as you can compare and contrast between the 1931 town square, and both versions of the 1985 town square. This is the first time we get to see Marty’s girlfriend in the game, as well as the nerdier versions of Marty’s parents and it is definitely a sight to see. Jennifer has gone punk rock and is a bit of a floozie. This chapter is a lot of little missions all for the main theme. Again, still good storyline, but some of the glitches and immobility will start to get at you if they haven’t already. As far as the music goes, there are little bouts of the classic Back to the Future music thrown in, but other than that the background noise is nowhere near epic.
Chapter 4:
This is really a great twist for anyone who has been following the series over the years. It’s somewhat expected that a twist like this would present itself, but it was definitely surprising when going through the game. At this point you will experience several glitches: sound cutting out completely during a cut scene, characters that spaz out randomly, slow transitions between areas, and the screen switching back and forth so quickly that trying to pull yourself out of a corner takes a few minutes. It’s only bothering me more as the game goes on. Mainly because I want to soak in every aspect of this and can’t because it keeps going out here and there.
Chapter 5:
Wow. What an ending chapter! This was definitely the best way they could have ended things for this. It didn’t actually end the series, and gives the possibility for another game. Less glitches than the first four chapters, but there was a sound cut-out at the very very end which was really disheartening. Out of a ten, I would literally have to give this game a 3.5 or 4 out of ten. Simply because it was really complicated, has terrible camera movement, and glitches galore. Although, if you’re going to rate it only the storyline, it would most certainly be a 10. It’s a great game for those who follow the series, but if you’re looking for a game to play in general, I might recommend something else.
