I don’t know if there’s something in the water causing developers to dust off franchises that were around when I was still in diapers and start developing sequels, but if last year’s Return to Monkey Island is anything to go by, I’m thankful for whatever mysterious powers are at work. And just like Ron Gilbert’s return to the helm of his old brainchild, Paul Cuisset, creator of the original Flashback, has also come back to head up the upcoming sequel to a retro classic. From the hour-long section I was able to play, it’s shocking just how much Flashback 2 seems like it will stick to its roots. That comes with all the potential pros and cons you might imagine.
If you never played 1992’s Flashback, or any of the re-releases or remasters since, it’s a retro platformer and adventure game where you jump and roll around, solve puzzles, and shoot mutants in a dystopian cyberpunk future. Despite a pretty enormous 30-year gap, this sequel very much follows in the footsteps of its predecessor and put me back into the righteous boots of Conrad for an all-new science fiction adventure that has me blasting underworld thugs, running away from creepy tentacled aliens, and exploring the neon-soaked streets of New Washington. There was even a part where I got into a giant robot mech to partake in an illegal cage match against some villainous ne’er-do-well – they’re definitely going all-out with the usual adventure game shenanigans and minigames.
It definitely struck me just how much developer Microids is sticking to the original’s roots after three decades, but as you’d expect some pretty significant improvements have been made in some obvious areas like graphics, which still pay homage to the original while seriously upping their game. Maybe the biggest change though, is that Flashback 2 makes use of 2.5-dimensional areas that allow for limited movement along the z-axis to give you more options in combat and more ways to explore and interact with your environment. I got some serious Shadow Complex vibes as I crept through a claustrophobic series of boxes, took out the enemy, and looked for ways to solve puzzles.
The question, of course, is whether or not a sequel this incredibly faithful to the original will work after more than thirty years of rapid growth and innovation, even with the very noticeable improvements. For example, during one section I spent a huge chunk of time working for a temp agency to complete a series of humdrum tasks just so I could earn enough credits to advance the main plot. While that definitely reminded me of the sometimes-amusing tedium of old school adventure games, I didn’t find it particularly endearing so much as exhausting, as I tried my best to plow ahead to get to the next meaningful chunk of the story.
“Despite a pretty enormous 30-year gap, this sequel very much follows in the footsteps of its predecessor.”
And, at least in the early version I played, there’s also some pretty eye-raising jankiness that reminded me of retro games of yesteryear in a not-so-appealing way, namely: voice acting. Maybe the performances I got a sneak peek at were placeholders, but they were fairly cringe-inducing to say the least. Maybe that isn’t the biggest deal in the world – if anything it could be good for a laugh or two, and if the sequel delivers in the other areas it needs to, it isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker. But it’s definitely worth noting that after just over an hour I was already becoming irritated by my character’s silly dialogue.
As a fan of old school adventure games, I’m happy to see Flashback 2 aiming for such a faithful sequel. This one’s definitely worth keeping an eye on as it prepares to launch this November.
