Retro Profile: Flashback (SNES)
Sunday, October 21st, 2007 at 6:00am by Jamie
Upon seeing Flashback for the first time, I remember being shocked that the Super NES, or any 16-bit system was capable of producing a game of this caliber. Being a game that originated on PC and later ported to a good number of home consoles, all of the fluid gameplay still stayed intact. For me, I think the most impressive thing about this game was the inclusion of CG cut-scenes to help move the story along. Flashback was actually one of those games that I initially didn’t expect much from, but it ended up delivering the goods well before I got halfway through the game.
You start off in the jungle with only the bare essentials and go from there. As mentioned before, your primary weapon is your gun and thankfully, you have an infinite supply of bullets. However, strategy plays a pretty significant roll into how well you fair again the mutants and rival humans that you will face in your adventure across the galaxy. There will be many times when you will have to make use of certain items in addition to your gun to get rid of the enemies. For instance, there’s one (of many) parts in the game where you’ll have 2 armed mutants waiting for you on the platform below, so you’ll have to look for something like a rock to distract them with, or somehow trick them into killing themselves with their own weapons. Other times, you will have to contend with fast-moving drones that can get the upper hand on you if you’re not fast enough with that gun, and your moves.
The buttons on your controller serve as 3 main functions. You have your “Item” button, “Draw Gun” button, and the “Action/Shoot” button. Using those simple controls, you’ll be able to walk, run, roll, jump, hang, and even pistol-whip your foes, if you’re close enough to do it. Overall, the controls are very smooth and responsive, but you still need to be very careful when attempting to jump across gaps and over electrical walls. Sometimes it’s easy to misjudge when you need to jump or roll across certain obstacles. The last thing you want to do is land on an electrical field because you will soon be treated to a scene of Conrad’s bones being lit up like…well…someone being eletrocuted. Also, you can’t fall from too great of a height, or Conrad won’t be getting up after he lands on his shoulder. You actually have to think about what you are going to and how you’re going to do it, before trying it.
The in-game graphics are a pure joy to take in. Each section or planet that you will explore is well detailed with simple things that help to further immerse the player. The jungle level features many vines and moss growing on trees in fore and background. The city environments look alive with buildings, people to talk to, and a subway station to quickly get you to other locations around town. There is no part in the game where anything was left incomplete in the graphics department and that only helps Flashback to stand out in the crowd of adventure/platformer titles.
Play or Stay? If, you’re looking for a well balanced adventure game, Flashback has what you need. The game’s design makes it easy to get into the character, which is a must for all adventure games. The controls are well laid out and somewhat customizable too. Just be sure to configure it they way you want it in the options menu before starting the game. The sounds and graphics are a rarity to see in such detail on the 16-bit systems, and most importantly…you’ll have fun helping Conrad to accomplish his mission.
October 21st, 2007 at 6:54 am
This is one of my fawourite games! I finished it ’bout 50 times!!
Well, I didn’t played it on SNES, but on my PC… You forgot to mention there was also a CD version of the game with updated CGI and voiceover, but my faw version is the original one.
October 21st, 2007 at 7:35 am
Yeah, Flashback is a game that I always enjoy playing through from start to finish. It’s one of the most memorable games of all time for me, actually.
Your right, Flashback did make it on some of the CD consoles (including the 3DO and Philips CD-i). In fact, I own the Sega CD version in addition to the Genesis version as well. I wanted to name the different console versions of Flashback, but I decided not to in order to keep the review from dragging on a bit.
Good catch though Disco
October 21st, 2007 at 11:37 am
I hope this ends up on the VC
October 21st, 2007 at 11:52 am
i have been waiting for the day when this game would make it to VC, i really hope that its soon, i loved this game. Also, I want Mario RPG and SMB3.
October 21st, 2007 at 12:26 pm
This game was great.
I dont know how it would hold up now, but I would give it a try.
Nice review !
October 21st, 2007 at 12:49 pm
I remember this game, I had rented it at the local store a bunch of times, me and my dad loved playing this game, and I could never remeber what it was called
October 21st, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Did you know there was a sequel for PC and PlayStation called:
Fade To Black?
October 21st, 2007 at 6:15 pm
@ David: I sure do. I remember seeing it in a computer store some years ago when it first came out and I was very excited that they made a sequel. Years later, I finally owned it on the Playstation, but Fade To Black didn’t quite do it for me like Flashback did.
It was too slow and clunky. I had such high hopes for it too. But really, I think the mechanics for Flashback just didn’t translate well in 3D.
October 21st, 2007 at 7:51 pm
I remember owning this on the Megadrive and loving it but I don’t remember ever completing it. I don’t know why.
If this comes to VC I’ll be definately downloading. And If any version of “Another World” comes I’ll be giving that a look as well. I never did get a chance to play it.
October 21st, 2007 at 11:35 pm
Amazing game, one of my all time faves on Amiga.
I want Amiga titles on the VC! The system had so many amazing games that are screaming to be played again.
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:56 pm
pjlucky: “Another World” is so great. Once you know how to beat it you can run through it really quickly, but it’s sooo much fun. You can buy a High-Res PC version directly from designer Eric Chahi for $9 at his website: http://www.anotherworld.fr/anotherworld_uk/index.htm
I HIGHLY recommend it! When else do you get a chance to give money directly to a game designer you respect?
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:24 am
I LOVED this game. Man, a more perfect VC candidate does not exist…
October 23rd, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Well, I don’t think there will be a VC version of Flashback becouse Delphine Software is no more… But I got very, very excited when I red somewhere that the guys from ex Delphine Software are making a Wii game!
And this High-Res Another World you mentioned is excelent too, can finish it in 20mins :D. There is also the real sequel for AW (or out of this world in USA) on Sega CD called ”Heart of the alien”!
Sorry if my english is bad;)