DOS

Flashback: The Quest for Identity

Basically, Flashback is a wonderful game, with a couple of minor flaws. It has an interesting story, a tough (but fair) level of difficulty, gorgeous graphics, good sound, and solid design. You'll work the logic part of your brain on the devious puzzles, and your itchy trigger finger on the enemies, as you unravel what happened to Conrad. This leaves you with a satisfied feeling by the time you reach the end, and that's the mark of a well thought out and executed game.

I said it creates it’s own style. But, what did I exactly mean? Having an inventory and using objects to make your way around, helping yourself with tools like a two-seconds energy shield, stones for distracting enemies or a teleporter you must throw around. And they are not just small items that give you a bonus for killing more or simple gimmicks. Along with a pretty seamlessly blend of action and story. Not just an introduction and an ending that means nothing for the game. And don’t forget the animations, sometimes they look a bit ugly yet they are the nice kind of eye candy.

Before 3D games come to prominence, there are the 2D platform games. Essentially, you control a character across a side scrolling map, jumping over platforms which are suspended in midair while collecting power ups and weapon upgrades that are scattered on screen. For years these have been the dominant genre in computer games. In 1992, amidst this popular gaming trend, Delphine Software releases Flashback: The Quest for Identity (also known as Flashback). As I pick up the game and install it, my initial thoughts are that it is pretty much of the same type of games. Gladly, I am wrong.