Back to the Future returns and proves that it still has plenty of stories to tell.

I'll be the first to admit that I never played any of the Back to the Future games on the NES, SNES, or Genesis. From everything I've heard, it's probably for the best as none of those games came close to capturing the spirit of the classic films or even providing a fun experience. So when a new Back to the Future game developed by Telltale games was announced, it was met with the inevitable mixture of hope and dread. Hope because Bob Gale, screenwriter for the movies, was overseeing the plot of the game and dread because games based on licenses still have a terrible track record. After sitting down and playing through episode 1 of Back to the Future, I can honestly say that fans have nothing to worry about.

The game picks up six months after the end of the third movie. No one besides Marty knows what's happened to Doc and his missing friend's ever-increasing money problems lead the bank to sell off his stuff to cover the debt. Marty is understandably upset by this but can do little to stop it. Just when Marty is about to give up on saving anything, the DeLorean appears with a message from Doc. He's trapped in the 1930s and needs help to escape. This basic setup is all the game needs in order to bring back fond memories of the films, particularly the first and third. The story is filled with references that fans will love and even little nods to some of the best movie moments. When taken on its own, the story is still strong if a little short, but when you consider that this is only the first act of a planned five then it can be easily forgiven. The structure still follows the films in that something bad happens, things begin to escalate, Marty helps fix some past lives, and a chaotic end occurs. It's all great fun, and I look forward to where the story is going from here.

The gameplay adheres closely to the traditional adventure game formula. Players will click around the screen to hear a bit of information about objects or talk to characters in order to fix the immediate problems. There is really nothing new offered, but this never felt like a problem. Where other adventure games try to make their gameplay longer by making the puzzles wacky and illogical, Back to the Future is refreshingly realistic. It really feels like Marty's way of solving problems, and there were still moments where the answer was not immediately apparent. The game, knowing that non-gamer Back to the Future fans might play it, offers a hint system so that if players ever get stuck there's a way to get past it. It's up to the player to decide whether they want to figure it out on his own, be pointed in the right direction, or have the puzzle's solution be given to him. The feature works well, and I appreciated it on the few occasions that I became stumped. Perhaps most impressive is that the game found a way to have an exciting climax in an adventure game. There was obviously no chance that I could lose but the situation presented was incredibly engaging, making you want to figure it out as quickly as possible even though you didn't need to.

Back to the Future may not be the best looking game I've ever played, but its style goes a long way in convincing you that this is the same world you know and love. Each character is wonderfully rendered with little details that stand out like Marty's freckles or Doc's liver spots. The places you visit also feel like you've stepped onto a movie set with 1930s Hill Valley particularly standing out. I was able to walk the street and pick out each famous spot though I suspect it was made more compact in order to keep everything more manageable. The only annoying aspect that I encountered visually was a single black line that would come and go. It doesn't kill the game, but it always brought me out of the moment.

Perhaps the most nostalgic accomplishment is the sound design. The game is filled with classic music from the movie and placed in moments where it actually fits. I've played more than a few licensed games where the music was just haphazardly thrown around, but Back to the Future makes sure the music matches the moment. But what really blew me away was the voice acting. The only returning actor is Christopher Lloyd as Doc, and he seamlessly slips back into the character. But he wasn't the standout actor for me. The two that really impressed me was young Emmett Brown and Marty. Young Emmett really felt like this was how a young Doc would be; kinda nerdy and uptight but with a good heart. The actor playing Marty, newcomer A.J. Locascio, nails the character. So much so that I actually forgot that I wasn't listening to Michael J. Fox after a while. It all comes together so well that you become convinced that this is a continuation of Back to the Future.

For stalwart fans of the adventure genre, Back to the Future doesn't offer anything new. It's the same basic structure that fans will recognize and easily slip into. But for those just looking for more Back to the Future, the game is near perfect. It's easy to see that a lot of care and devotion went into the development and while the game can be beaten in less than four hours, I still highly recommend it to anyone who was even a slight fan of the trilogy. I guarantee you'll smile the whole way through.

Note: This game was reviewed on the PC