When I first found out that Back to the Future was being made and developed by Telltale games, I found myself getting quite giddy and excited. I had just completed the other Game of the Year by Telltale, the Walking Dead, and enjoyed that so much that I`m really surprised for a game that has been out for 3 years, I`ve only just heard about it and played it. It was so good, and gripped me into it for hours completing the story following Clem and Lee, and being one of the only games that I`ve managed to complete fully. Not many games really grip me now to fully complete and 100% the game achievement wise, but telltale`s Walking Dead did, and I was very excited to give Back to the Future a shot.
Let me start on one thing. I love their approach in the game of having it in an episodic linear, rather than a bog standard campaign that you just played through. You have the option of selecting what episodes you want, focusing on a certain part of the story, that no doubt you`ll recognize from the films if you`ve seen them. Of course, with any game, the best way to play it is by playing it in order, so you get an idea of the story, and that’s how I indulged myself into the game. Each episode focuses on a different sub story of the main story, and focuses on going back to different time zones to stop certain scenarios that occur that end up changing the time sequences and causing problems for the future. You take on the role of Marty McFly, the young teenager who alongside the eccentric Emmet Brown, or “Doc” so you`ll recognize famously, along with his pet dog Einstein, go back to 1931 to meet and stop the Tannen Family, to meet Marty`s Grandfather Artie, and over the episodes you will come across these characters and be asked to help them. In one episode, I had to stop the tannen family from getting away with their criminal life of gangster and killings, otherwise I didn’t, it would have an impact on a later year when you travel back to 1986. You are in control of making sure that time is confused and that it doesn’t mess up with an alternative universe, by avoiding certain scenarios.
Now, for those who have played the Walking Dead, will remember that probably 85% of the game was engaging in conversations with characters, selecting which one was the best answer to give, and the remaining 15% was searching around for clues, or things to help the character move onto the next stage or help them in some way. Well, carrying on the tradition across all the telltale games I`ve played, it does the exact same with Back to the Future. You`ll engage in interesting to say the least conversations with Doc, George and Lorraine (Marty`s Parents), Kid Tannen (The Gangster Mob king) and Edna (The lunatic woman who is a journalist in one episode and is a pyschopathed mayor`s wife in another) and each answer you give will give a different response back. I did find that certain responses do lead to different achievements so if you are aiming to 100% complete the game with a 1000g Gamerscore, then you will find yourself going back through episodes and approaching people with different answers to get them.
Now, I found myself taking a little while to get to the controls. When you first start playing the game, the controls can become quite frustrating, as it is not like your main bog standard controls to what you may be use to in other games. But after a while and exploring a few areas and looking for a few clues, you`ll start to get the hang of it.
One thing that really did strike me in the game, is the use of puzzling challenges in order to progress to another area. I remember playing in Episode 2 where we have gone back to 1931, terrorized by the Tannen Family, and having to go undercover as a gangster in order to get into El Kid, which was the club owned by the Tannen Family Mob leader, Kid Tannen (You could guess where the name of the club came from). In order to get in, I had to work out the answers to questions that were being fired to me from one of Kid`s henchmen, Stitches. Think of it as being questioned by a bouncer on a club in the modern day to allow entry into the club. However, these were not your standard questions and answers. I found myself really taking a strategic approach, and remembering what combinations I had tried before. If you answer a question incorrectly, Stitches will shut the door, and you will have to re-begin the whole process again of trying to get in.
Now, for those who have played the other games in theTelltale series, will know how graphically it stands out in its own way. No, it`s not a game that looks super realistic, it`s a game that makes it stand out and look different to other Xbox One games which are so reliant and are known for their high graphic capabilities.
Each episode I found was gripping and for those who have seen the films, will most likely recognise every single minute of it. Each episode I found myself running at around 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete, so with only 5 episodes in the game, it is a game that you could complete within a day. But none the less, the episodes were fantastic, gripping storyline wise, and as I`ve mentioned earlier in the review, I love this approach. If anything, I wish other games would look at this approach, but that`s what I think makes telltale stand out. The episodic linear approach. I love with this, and it was in the Walking Dead too, is how at the end of each episode it will give you a little snippet and preview of the next episode. Just as if you were watching a real life episode of a series on TV.
For me, I`m a huge fan of Telltale games, I absolutely loved this. If you have played the Walking Dead (Which until the end of October is free with Games with Gold), then I suggest you have a go at this. This follows very much a similar sort of approach to TWD, and it has a storyline that will grip you into it, and those fans of the series will recognise straight away. For me, this game has been one of my favourite games to play so far this year, and for me, earns a glowing review.
A huge thank you to XCN for supplying us with a copy of Back to the Future.
Game : Back to the Future
Developer : Telltale Games
Publisher : Telltale Games
Genre: Action & Adventure
Platforms : Microsoft Windows, OS X, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox One, iOS