BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE GAME (PS3)
The power of love is a curious thing, and love for a movie can transcend all. One of the most cherished films is Back to the Future, keeping DeLoreans, skateboarding and time paradoxes etched into the memories of 80s kids forever. So it couldn’t have been easy for Telltale to adapt this cherished legacy into a five-part adventure series, but with some great elements backing the game such as returning actors and ideas from older scripts, Back to the Future: The Game seems set to be a hit. However, some issues – both minor and major – keep it from achieving greatness, meaning it falls somewhere between the second and third film in terms of quality.
Back to the Future: The Game is certainly a faithful adaptation of its source material. Fully re-created, albeit cartooned, versions of Marty and Doc serve as the centrepiece, and their voicework is impeccable. The former is voiced by a nearly-identical sounding Michael J. Fox, while Christopher Lloyd fully reprises his role as the mad scientist. It manages to re-capture the chemistry between Doc and Marty, and their interaction during the series is always a treat to witness. The sound is incredibly strong too, from the little jingle which signifies changes in timelines to the sound of the DeLorean hitting 88mph and jumping through time. There are also lots of little gags, hidden interactions and references to the film, such as a Law Office sign which references several creators to the movie. If you love Back to the Future, it’s definitely worth a recommendation. It’s just the other components which don’t hold the game up.
The plot is a particular sore spot. Taking place a few months after the film trilogy, BttF once again follows the misadventures of Marty McFly and Doc Brown. As Doc mysteriously vanishes due to a change in the timeline, Marty must figure out what hot mess Doc has exactly gotten himself into. The first episode mostly focuses on this, while the remaining four chapters focus on fixing mistakes which alter the timeline in weird directions. The story starts off strong, with the angle involving Doc’s disappearance proving interesting. Episode 2 keeps this momentum, but latter episodes begin to lose steam as they wander into stranger territory. The timeline changes are funny to see, but it also leaves the game feeling somewhat stretched. By Episode 4, the plot begins to feel long-winded, and the series doesn’t really conclude in a satisfying manner, throwing a weird cliff hanger into the mix rather than having a final resolution.
Playing BttF is pretty standard adventure-game fare. Inbetween chatting to a mix of resident characters and brand-new ones created by Telltale, Marty will have to solve a variety of puzzles utilising items, the environment around him and what he says to characters. There’s no denying that some of these are pretty clever, but more often than not many of the solutions are incredibly simplistic. There are only a handful of remotely difficult brainteasers, and any challenge in these can be negated by the incredibly forgiving hint system which, after three button presses, tells you the whole solution. Obviously you can avoid using these hints, but more often than not, the puzzles are so straightforward you won’t even need these hints to progress. That being said, none of the puzzles particularly came off as irritating, just really simplistic.
And that’s the problem really as once the episodes begin to lose their initial lustre, the gameplay isn’t quite strong enough to keep you going. The first two episodes are strongest, with a distinct prohibition-era feel, excellent interactions between both a 1980s Doc and a 1930s counterpart, and some fun sequences such as one where you must listen to hidden dialogue cues and perform an action in response. However, while Episode 3 starts with an interesting alternate timeline and features some okay puzzling, Episode 4 turns into a complete chore, with dull fetch quests and a stalled plot. Episode 5 suffers from a stretched sequence of its own, which involves tedious, repetitive icon clicking and dull dialogue. And let’s face it; no Back to the Future game should be a chore to play.
Playing BttF is pretty standard adventure-game fare. Inbetween chatting to a mix of resident characters and brand-new ones created by Telltale, Marty will have to solve a variety of puzzles utilising items, the environment around him and what he says to characters. There’s no denying that some of these are pretty clever, but more often than not many of the solutions are incredibly simplistic. There are only a handful of remotely difficult brainteasers, and any challenge in these can be negated by the incredibly forgiving hint system which, after three button presses, tells you the whole solution. Obviously you can avoid using these hints, but more often than not, the puzzles are so straightforward you won’t even need these hints to progress. That being said, none of the puzzles particularly came off as irritating, just really simplistic.
And that’s the problem really as once the episodes begin to lose their initial lustre, the gameplay isn’t quite strong enough to keep you going. The first two episodes are strongest, with a distinct prohibition-era feel, excellent interactions between both a 1980s Doc and a 1930s counterpart, and some fun sequences such as one where you must listen to hidden dialogue cues and perform an action in response. However, while Episode 3 starts with an interesting alternate timeline and features some okay puzzling, Episode 4 turns into a complete chore, with dull fetch quests and a stalled plot. Episode 5 suffers from a stretched sequence of its own, which involves tedious, repetitive icon clicking and dull dialogue. And let’s face it; no Back to the Future game should be a chore to play.
And Marty’s adventure also brings its fair share of technical woes. While the game scores points for several lovely re-creations of Hill Valley and solid character models, frequent issues often drag the game down, whether it’s poorly synced lips, frame rate stutters and other odd glitches. It’s a shame too, because there are plenty of moments when the visuals do a great job of bringing this new chapter in the BttF saga to life. Unfortunately, those are too often bogged down by technical issues.
Telltale’s attempt at making a Back to the Future game is commendable, but it is sadly not nearly as awesome as the movies it is based on. It certainly feels like a game rooted in this time-travelling series, with excellent representations of Doc and Marty backed up by an often solid visual representation of the world they live in. But with a story that begins to sag towards the end, generally simplistic puzzles and technical issues, the good begins to become outweighed by the bad. In the end, fans of the films will get a lot of enjoyment out of this one, but anyone brought up on older adventure games will find it to be dull.
Telltale’s attempt at making a Back to the Future game is commendable, but it is sadly not nearly as awesome as the movies it is based on. It certainly feels like a game rooted in this time-travelling series, with excellent representations of Doc and Marty backed up by an often solid visual representation of the world they live in. But with a story that begins to sag towards the end, generally simplistic puzzles and technical issues, the good begins to become outweighed by the bad. In the end, fans of the films will get a lot of enjoyment out of this one, but anyone brought up on older adventure games will find it to be dull.
VERDICT
Visual: 6/10
Audio: 9/10 Gameplay: 5/10 Longevity: 7/10 OVERALL: 6/10 |