25 years...
Has it really been 25 years since this game graced our screens and blew us all away?
Rather than counting backwards and giving ourselves a shocking FLASHBACK, we'll just
presume it's accurate.
For me, Flashback will always be an Amiga game.
A game which built on Delphine Software's Another World (or Out of This World if you're
American) and created something even more dazzling than what came before.
It's not a sequel to Another World, but it was developed by the same company, and it
uses the same Rotoscoping technology to create a fluid movement unheard of before.
Well, unless you count Prince of Persia, which you probably should.
Oh and Karate-ka...
Kara-teka...
Whatever... from 1984.
So after Flashback, or Flashback: The Quest for Identity as it was known in the States...
we had Fade to Black.
The 1995 sequel which transported Flashback from it's secure platforming roots, into the
world of third person 3D... it was ok, but was no where near as compelling as the original...
and since then, well, all has been quiet really.
I mean, there was this thing by Ubisoft, but let's just forget about that.
So now, just like Another World, it's time for the 25th anniversary celebration... and
how do we celebrate these things?
Yes, that's right, a release on contemporary platforms, with new dazzling effects, and
a selection of physical tat to go with it.
And so it is, that I have the FLASHBACK 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition on Nintendo
Switch, brought to us by Microids - who you may know for developing the Syberia series
of games...
"The Action-Adventure Classic is Back, To Celebrate its 25th Anniversary".
It's what I've spent the last 25 years waiting for.
Truly.
Inside are 3 main items, first we'll look at the collectors manual.
I do miss a good manual, and this one serves up all it's supposed to...
I mean, it's not up to the standard of this Mega Drive one... but it has a contents table,
introduction, controls - with example illustrations...
wait a second...
those are just scanned from the original SNES manual... and scanned badly as well.
This doesn't bode well.
I mean there's a nice section showing each level design, which reminds me of gaming magazines
and game guides from back in the day, and some sprites slung in the back.
But it all feels rushed, and really, not worthy of a "collector's edition".
Next up is a tin game box, styled like a North American SNES cartidge post compacting machine
accident.
It's not a system I really associate with Flashback, but worldwide it's definitely more
recognised than the Amiga version.
Still, I would have preferred a floppy disk tin version.
On the back it says "2142 AD.
You're Conrad B. Hart, Galaxis Bureau of Investigation Agent.
Right now, you're stranded on a far-away planet...
yes, yes, we've had 25 years to get acquainted with the story.
If you're not already, then you're probably not buying this game anyway.
Inside, is one of those metal collectors cards, which serve very little purpose.
I swear if these things were about during the metal shortage of World War 2, they'd
be the first to go.
If I hard card number 1 of 40,0000, I might be a little more cheery, but as it stands,
8,071 just doesn't do it for me.
Plus I bent it trying to wedge it back in the case.
Which brings us onto another box.
The standard box, wrapped in cellophane when there's really no need, and containing both
the game card and a code for the remastered soundtrack, which you're listening to right
now.
So we can put the game card in the tin box, and really this one serves absolutely no function
anymore.
Then we can slip the manual in here too.
Oh, no, we can't.
The manual is too big.
It's too big to fit in either box as it happens.
Actually on that note, the game card itself doesn't even fit properly in this tin, it
just rolls straight back again.
Whoever was in charge of dimensions on this thing was either thicker than a blomonge,
or has never seen a ruler in his or her life.
This is really sub-par.
So I guess we'll have to just stuff this all back in the outer sleeve, then possibly chuck
it on a bonfire.
Good work lads.
I swear attention to detail has just fallen off a cliff since the 90s.
Still, at least we can play to the strengths of modern times... it's a glorious day, so
I can take the Switch outside and play in the garden, that's if I can see ANYTHING on
this screen.
Because, there's another thing, apparently lost to the 90s.
Anti glare screens.
Apparently, we all love ridiculously reflective screens these days, which really as mirrors
in the sunlight.
So whilst I'm waiting for a anti-glare screen protector to arrive, we'll have to game in
the dingy bedroom.
I suppose, that, in any case, is a fitting tribute to 90s gaming.
SO.
TIME FOR A FLASHBACK.....Even though it looks like we're about to enter the Matrix.
Ahhhh, here we are, that familiar dazzling intro.
From there we get a title screen offering access to the game and various Options, which
we'll get to in a second.
Now upon starting the game, we're offered a choice of 3 save slots and whether we want
to play the game in classic mode or modern, with all the bells and whistles.
It doesn't really matter which you choose here as you can turn on and off the various
options in game.
And here we are, in that beautiful jungle landscape.
These are the default visuals we're provided with in Modern Mode, and really, it's just
a couple of filters, which I guess serve their purpose.
But it's a far cry from even the filters offered in Sega's Mega Drive collection I recently
reviewed.
But anyway, we can turn off various options by pressing the minus button and navigating
through the menu.
You can see, with everything turned off, it looks pretty identical to the original.
Whether we're talking Amiga, Super Nintendo, Mega Drive or PC.
It's all much of a muchness.
We can also chose between 8 bit sound effects or modern interpretations...
switching between the new and old soundtrack at the same time.
It's personal preference really, but I do quite like the new sounds and music.
Anyway let's crack on.
Now the modern game mode offers us a number of changes over the original.
The first you'll encounter are these tutorial boxes, which you'll probably end up turning
off, but they're certainly useful for new players of the game, especially interpreting
the somewhat condensed controls of the 90s.
But we also get an incredibly handy rewind function, and if a game ever needed a rewind
function, it's Flashback.
The number of times I run into electrical surges, or fall of ledges is excessive.
Having a rewind may reduce the longevity of the game, but for me, it's essential to maintain
my interest.
I remember playing Flashback in the 90s and just getting so frustrated, I'd abandon it.
Then I might return in a few weeks, get a bit further and abandon it again.
That annoyed the crap out of me, so I welcome rewind greatly.
I also welcome the varying difficulties.
Whereas Easy mode allows you to rewind as much as you'd like, Normal only allows you
roll back time to a maximum of 2 minutes for the entire level.
So you might rewind 10 seconds on one death, 20 on another, 30 elsewhere.
But that total can't equal more than 2.
It's a nice compromise and really helps ease frustration.
Given modern consoles provide a compendium of buttons and sticks, we've also got a choice
of control options, which is both somewhat refreshing and incredibly infuriating.
It's nice to have additional ways to un-holster your gun for instance, so whereas the original
you need to press a button to holster or unholster it, here you can just hold down the left trigger
to get it out, with the right trigger to fire, and when you release the left trigger it's
holstered.
Now this would be fantastic, but it's all to easy to press one of the buttons that unsheeves
your weapon, this then reverses the action of the left trigger, meaning that you're trying
to fire without a gun in hand, and it's incredibly infatuating!
But it's not just this layout which annoys me.
Responsiveness isn't up to the original game standards.
I mean, Flashback was never a itchy trigger finger kind of game, but it offered enough
reaction time to get you through.
Here it feels like you're working through a thin layer of porridge, and it's just enough
to push my irritation over the edge.
Thank f**k for that rewind feature.
Pfffftttttt.
I mean, what's left.
Oh yes, there's a bug which means when you start a new save file, say using the classic
mode, rather than modern.
If you then go back to a previous save file which you were playing in modern mode, it
will just retain the classic options.
Meaning you either have to change all these options back manually, or start another new
save file, switch it to modern mode and then go back to your previous save game.
But despite all this you know.
I enjoyed playing Flashback, which is really a testament to the quality of the game more
than anything else.
It's essentially a cyber punk take on Another World, which fuses Total Recall, Blade Runner
and The Running Man into one glorious two dimensional landscape, and even though after
the jungle the game seemingly takes on the form of a work simulator for a bit, it's still
incredibly playable, and a true classic.
But for me, what made this game such a classic at the time, was how it felt like it was really
pushing the limits of technology.
Watching this run on an Amiga or even Mega Drive was mind blowing, compared to everything
I'd seen before, and that was a huge part of the hype and the experience.
In modern times, this really isn't a game which pushes the limits of a console such
as the Switch, and for that reason, it loses that magic.
That dazzling incredulity that formed the essence of Flashback in 1992.
Wait a minute, 1992?
That was 26 years ago.
Not 25!
Oh I see, that's why this is in a fake SNES cartidge.
Because it's based on the SNES version from 1993.
Kinda makes sense given this release is only available on Nintendo Switch.
Although from the colour and intro sequence, it does appear to be based on the PC version
rather than the original SNES incarnation.
It's just a shame that this particular incarnation doesn't retain some of the quality standards
which have made Nintendo releases so sought after over the years.
If you're a fan of the original, it's worth grabbing the standard version for some handheld
Flashback gaming, as it works well on the small format.
However I am a little upset that CRT mode is displayed in a 16:9 picture format....
BUT anyway, if I were you, I'd steer well clear of the collector's edition.
Thanks for watching this review of The Flashback Collector's Edition.
If you fancy joining me for some Twitch gaming, please click on the button here, and join
me over there for a new schedule I'm rolling out this week.
In any case, have a great evening.