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FLASHBACK 2 (PS5)
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Publisher: Microids.
Developer: Microids. Released: November 2023. Genre: Action/Adventure. Other versions: PS4; XSX; XONE; SWI; PC. Posted 15th November 2024. By Tom Clare © 2024 |
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Flashback 2 would easily have qualified as one of the most disappointing pieces of media ever released, were it not for the increasingly disheartening run the property has endured since its 1992 release. It’s been a long, bruising road for fans of the world-beating cinematic platformer. The decades long struggle to produce a follow-up began with a prospective Mega-CD release for Morphs: Flashback 2, but this was swiftly shelved. Fade to Black released in 1996 as a spiritual sequel: an ambitious 3D adventure weighed down by fiddly controls and a lack of technical polish, it could at least be viewed as a noble failure.
Developers Delphine Software folded in the early 2000s whilst at work on Flashback Legends, a back-to-roots Game Boy Advance outing dominated by labyrinthine levels and a garish visual style every bit as ugly as the original was refined. Last but not least, in 2013, we got a remake, recontextualising Conrad Hart’s era-defining adventure as a largely insignificant platform shooter that lacked flair and identity. Within seconds of Flashback 2’s reveal trailer, it was clear the developers had once again embarked on the wrong path.
New Washington is, sadly, as forgettable here as it was memorable in the original adventure
Arguably, Flashback’s greatest strengths lay in the precision of its design and the fluidity of its gameplay. Every screen was a work of art, both visually and mechanically, with gameplay that evolved steadily to test Conrad’s physical dexterity and problem-solving skills. Flashback’s tricky platforming carried weight: you’d bumble to your death several times early on, but once the player grasped how to mobilise Conrad Hart, he transformed into a true action hero. Learning to do so was necessary, too, as both the environments and the enemies posed a real threat. Rarely had such advanced visuals been combined with so perfect an execution. Not only does the sequel fail to emulate any of these qualities, it’s often the polar opposite: sloppy, inaccurate and underwhelming.
Here are the positives, such as they are. The action switches between 2D platforming and 3D twin-stick shooting relatively seamlessly, and whilst the blasting is nothing to write home about, there’s a reasonable range of alien and synthetic enemies. There are a few interesting combat elements, notably a deployable shield and armour, though these can rather stack encounters in the player’s favour. The soundtrack is decent, capturing an ominous undertone that fits the cyberpunk veneer pretty well.
Here are the positives, such as they are. The action switches between 2D platforming and 3D twin-stick shooting relatively seamlessly, and whilst the blasting is nothing to write home about, there’s a reasonable range of alien and synthetic enemies. There are a few interesting combat elements, notably a deployable shield and armour, though these can rather stack encounters in the player’s favour. The soundtrack is decent, capturing an ominous undertone that fits the cyberpunk veneer pretty well.
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The story, however, is a catastrophe. It’s genuinely difficult to know where to start. Making no meaningful attempt at character or scenario building, every line of dialogue feels rote and unnatural. Conrad’s inability to experience even a passing ripple of emotion when his companions turn out to be traitors, are killed, or are abruptly discovered alive again, is truly a marvel, and a mirror of the player’s mounting slack-jawed incredulity. If this wasn’t enough, there’s a cringe-inducing flirtathon between Conrad and a student named Helen, as the player is forced to endure their bonding over such weighty matters as coffee preferences and childhood memories that could hardly have seemed triter if they’d been making a parody. Add to all this the slinging around of terms like ‘multiverse’ and ‘clones’, as well as discovering the game is in fact a prequel to (and also somehow of a retelling of) Flashback, and you’re left with a narrative arc that is farcical.
But story isn’t everything, right? After all, the original merely used it as a framework for a host of awesome settings and brilliant gameplay. Unfortunately, the platforming, a cornerstone of the original, feels shoddy. Even after patching, Conrad’s manoeuvring is rickety and unsure. Sometimes, he’ll jump to a ledge at least twice his height, and the animation will look ridiculous. You can ride elevators, activate laser bridges and so on, but they typically feel like single-use button-pressing exercises, something superficial to interact with as you coast through the environments with little cerebral distraction. This passivity is reflected in the platforming too, which requires little thought as Conrad won’t jump unless he’s in the exact position to grab a ledge. On the brief occasions the game ventures new ideas, it falls flat on its face. There’s a mech fight that should, by definition, have been fun, but it’s woeful. Stealth sections also feel like they shouldn’t have been included in the final game: I kept being spotted from behind cover. Whilst some of the errands prove diverting enough, very little feels refined or finished.
But story isn’t everything, right? After all, the original merely used it as a framework for a host of awesome settings and brilliant gameplay. Unfortunately, the platforming, a cornerstone of the original, feels shoddy. Even after patching, Conrad’s manoeuvring is rickety and unsure. Sometimes, he’ll jump to a ledge at least twice his height, and the animation will look ridiculous. You can ride elevators, activate laser bridges and so on, but they typically feel like single-use button-pressing exercises, something superficial to interact with as you coast through the environments with little cerebral distraction. This passivity is reflected in the platforming too, which requires little thought as Conrad won’t jump unless he’s in the exact position to grab a ledge. On the brief occasions the game ventures new ideas, it falls flat on its face. There’s a mech fight that should, by definition, have been fun, but it’s woeful. Stealth sections also feel like they shouldn’t have been included in the final game: I kept being spotted from behind cover. Whilst some of the errands prove diverting enough, very little feels refined or finished.
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It’s all so half-hearted, and half-baked. Fans of the original will get an initial buzz from returning to iconic locations, but without any spark of creativity, they’re entirely forgettable. New Washington, one of the greatest levels ever to feature in a video game, has been reduced to a sequence of rote side quests that, thirty years on, feel incredibly derivative. For the entirety of the Titan Jungle level, you’re subjected to the company of an awful AI companion, the aforementioned Helen. She activates the odd switch and can boost Conrad up to hard-to-reach ledges, but the trade-off is, leaving her side results in her regularly getting snagged on scenery or remaining stationary. It’s another example of a feature the original used sparingly and to good effect, whereas Flashback 2 does so poorly and without apparent thought to the impact it would have.
This is the problem everything leads back to with Flashback 2: initial ideas and locations hold promise, but none of them have been developed to anything like realisation. The highways linking the three districts of the New Washington showcase a Tron-like appearance and can be driven on a bike, which sounds pretty cool. However, the reality is a generic-feeling, linear loop populated by faceless traffic and no sense of anything beneath the surface. The game runs poorly for a PlayStation 5 title, with performance hitches a surprise when you consider its modest visuals, which feature some reasonable concepts but could likely have been handled on a PlayStation 3. There are two endings, but no meaningful closure or quality to be found from either.
This is the problem everything leads back to with Flashback 2: initial ideas and locations hold promise, but none of them have been developed to anything like realisation. The highways linking the three districts of the New Washington showcase a Tron-like appearance and can be driven on a bike, which sounds pretty cool. However, the reality is a generic-feeling, linear loop populated by faceless traffic and no sense of anything beneath the surface. The game runs poorly for a PlayStation 5 title, with performance hitches a surprise when you consider its modest visuals, which feature some reasonable concepts but could likely have been handled on a PlayStation 3. There are two endings, but no meaningful closure or quality to be found from either.
Titan Jungle, revisited, but with none of the gravitas or cutting-edge design
By referencing the original, we’re offered a constant reminder that Flashback 2 is lightyears behind in terms of the creativity, design quality and cutting-edge technology that made its predecessor the giant it was. Simply revisiting sci-fi-inspired locations and dropping in a few familiar names doesn’t cut the mustard, whilst the name alone cannot paper over a game that is beset by programming issues and poor design. At this rate, we’re likely to need to join Conrad in cryosleep before we get the successor Flashback truly deserves.
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VERDICT
"It's the hope that kills you. Flashback 2 revisits many of the themes and locations of its classic predecessor, but with none of the magic or quality. After 30 years and five generations, Conrad Hart should have been left in cryosleep." OVERALL: 3/10 |
MORE FLASHBACK COVERAGE ON THE PIXEL EMPIRE
Landmark Levels: New Washington | Flashback (1993, Mega Drive)
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Flashback Legends (Unreleased, Game Boy Advance)
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