Introduction
In 2010, Telltale Games released Back to the Future: The Game, a graphic adventure and the story continuation of the original film series. Half a year later, the game brings back Marty McFly and Doc Brown in the next time-traveling journey.
Gameplay and Story
Episodically organized, the game is divided into five chapters, each of which opens up a piece of the larger story. The gameplay is solidly in the graphic adventure vein, with an emphasis on talk-heavy interaction, inventory puzzles, and exploration. The puzzles are generally simple but do the story’s bidding without disrupting flow.
The premiere episode, “It’s About Time,” discovers Marty as he learns that Doc has been imprisoned in 1931. Marty rides back in time to rescue his friend using the DeLorean, encountering younger versions of known characters and negotiating the problems of altering the past without sacrificing the future.
Voice Acting and Presentation
One of the large positives of the game is the voice acting. The return of Christopher Lloyd as the voice of Doc Brown makes the character authentic. Michael J. Fox does not voice most of Marty’s voice in the game, but A.J. LoCascio does a decent enough job for the character. Fox does appear later in the series, making fans happy by showing up.
Visually, the game has a stylized appearance that is fitting for its source material. The worlds and character designs get the look of the films across in a way that still functions for the interactive medium.
Reception and Legacy
Back to the Future: The Game similarly had good reviews, particularly for its story and faithfulness to the movie franchise. Reviewers enjoyed that the game is faithful to the films, with IGN’s Greg Miller commenting that the game “pushes the characters in interesting directions and whips up a good story”. Some reviewed it negatively for not having much depth to the gameplay mechanics, commenting that the game is more narrative than challenging.
For fans of the original trilogy, the game is a nostalgic treat that enhances the existing lore. The episodic presentation and the engaging story confirm that it’s a well-deserved addition to the Back to the Future franchise.
Conclusion
Telltale Games’ Back to the Future: The Game is evidence of the enduring appeal of the film franchise. It provides good voice acting, a good narrative, and a faithful recreation of the Back to the Future universe, and thus provides old and new fans alike with a fun ride through the years.