Flashback™

While this is a complete recreation of the original game, fully playable in both original pixelated glory mode and also with blurry, fake-CRT, effects mode, if you like that sort of thing. The game itself is exactly the same game so for newcomers to the game it's a perfectly fine way to play it, but for those of us who played the original it's there are some annoying factors: * The game runs in widescreen modes only, with cutscenes filling the entire screen and the gameplay itself having panels either side of it. Having an option to run in 4:3 resolutions for a more nostalgic view would've been nice. * Every cutscene has a huge 'skip' button in the top right corner obscuring part of the image, making it quite intrusive and there is no option to hide it. * While there are many arguments about the CGI cutscenes that were done for the CD versions of the original back in the day, love them or hate it giving people the option of playing the game with either would've made it a more complete edition.

Note: I only played the game with the original graphics & sounds and the "unforgiving" difficulty (so I had no "Rewind") so I can't judge how much that affects the game. I remember that I was quite excited to play Flashback back in the day after finishing Another World. I'm not sure if I finished the game back then but probably not because I think the frustration from the controls and the extremely annoying enemies from the last level would get burned into my mind. While I do appreciate the greater diversity and complexity of the enemies, the arbitrary rules that make enemies immune to being damaged cause nothing but frustration (i.e. enemy is in melee range but can't be melee'd, or enemy is turning around on the same spot which apparently makes them immune to being shot at). Fights where you are forced in a closed room against multiple melee range enemies make the final boss fight look like a cake walk in comparison. Overall, the first level is good, the second level is the best, and then it slowly deteriorates. The only gameplay feature introduced in late game that I appreciate is the teleportation device. Note that you have to be careful with it because sometimes you can hard lock your game if you use it in the wrong place and the wrong time. The graphics are still nice, but Another World was and still is better. The music is decent I suppose. The story? Terrible. Cheesy, simple, implodes if you start asking "why didn't they just X?". Another World said a lot less about its story and the lack of information provided in-game made it far superior. In fact, I would even put 1213 (a freeware game inspired by Flashback, by Ben Croshaw) above Flashback. Better story, simple but effective gameplay, less frustration. Do I recommend the game? Not for the full price. On sale? Might be worth it if you liked Another World and want more. I got it at 90% off and I can say that it was definitely worth at least the dollar.

I remember playing Flashback in the 90s. It had impressive graphics, an intriguing story, and super realistic controls. I also don't remember ever finishing it. Replaying now, almost 30 years later, the game does show its age. Obviously the graphics can't wow the way they once did, though I think the solid graphical design holds up pretty well. The story starts and ends well, but waffles a bit in the middle; plus it's mostly a thing framing device. The biggest problem I had replaying were the controls; there's a certain stiffness and slowness that makes the trickier sections quite frustrating. The last level is pretty brutal, especially the morph enemy type. On the other hand, the challenge did demand I focus, and pay attention to healing and save points. And I definitely remember finishing it now!

I finished this game few times in my Megadrive/Genesis. It was pretty fun in those ages. However, now I feel Conrad is clumsy. I had 3 crashes while I finished the game this time (6 hours play time, normal difficulty). For these never played Flashback: It has a VERY good level design. You may struggle in the first level and the last one. The built-in tutorial is very welcome. However I miss a bit more of text to introduce you in the story. For veterans, it only improves a bit the graphics and the music. While it have more difficulty levels, I don't feel I replay it again.

I remember vividly playing this game when it originally came out. The gameplay is still unique with regards to its controls and movement dynamics but still fun in it's own right. The real gem of Flashback is the music.