Partly responsible for the resurgence of the point-and-click adventure genre, Telltale Games has consistently delivered quality adventure titles for several years, including such hits as the Sam & Max series, Tales of Monkey Island, and Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People. So, when news spread that Telltale would be handling a five-episode series based on the Back to the Future license, it was difficult not to be excited, especially as a fan of the original film series. Historically, video games have not particularly been kind to the franchise, with the laughably bad 8- and 16-bit entries from the late 80s and early 90s better left forgotten. However, bringing both Christopher Lloyd and trilogy screenwriter Bob Gale on board, this was Telltale’s chance to finally give Back to the Future a video game that the fans deserved, and one that the franchise could be proud of. And so, 25 years after the first film was released, the first episode of Back to the Future: The Game launched, as worthy of a game as any fan could hope for.
Story
Picking up six months after the end of Back to the Future, Part III, we find Marty McFly adjusting to life without Doc Brown. Finding his father involved in a sale of Doc’s estate, which is due to Doc officially missing, when in fact he’s actually traveling through time with his family, young Marty is not pleased. Heading off to the sale to make sure some of Doc’s more “sensitive” items don’t fall into the wrong hands, he expresses his disapproval of the entire sale and has a brief run-in with old nemesis Biff Tannen. However, as he ponders the whereabouts of his old friend, a familiar time-traveling car makes a surprising and dramatic return, prompting Marty to buckle up and head off on another time-bending adventure to bail Doc out of whatever trouble he may have gotten himself into. And so begins “It’s About Time,” the opening chapter of Back to the Future: The Game.
Telltale’s biggest strength has always been its well-written and witty storylines and “It’s About Time” is no different, weaving together a coherent, witty, and entertaining narrative that serves as a worthy follow up to the original trilogy. A lot of care seems to have gone into the game’s story, evoking a rather authentic Back to the Future experience. Even some of the more farfetched aspects of the story, such as the miraculous return of the DeLorean, destroyed at the end of the third film, seem right at home in this, to quote Doc, “unusual universe.” The dynamic between Doc and Marty is as strong as ever, and the eternal bully/victim relationship between the Tannens and the McFlys still manages to find its place in this new adventure. What’s more, the storyline continues what Back to the Future, Part III started, delving deeper into the character of Doc by introducing a much young version of him as an integral part of the plot. Several call backs are also made to the films, including a recreation of the Twin Pines Mall scene from the first film, allowing it to serve as both a tribute and a faithful continuation of the original story.
Gameplay
Anyone who has ever played a Telltale Game in the past probably has a good grasp of what to expect from Back to the Future: The Game. For those that haven’t, the core gameplay is the standard point-and-click adventure fair, in which the player must interact with different characters, find clues, and solve puzzles to advance the plot. Being that “It’s About Time” is the first episode in the series, don’t expect the puzzles to be overly complicated, which might be a problem for adventure game veterans looking for a bit of a challenge, aside from one particularly tricky puzzle. In addition, some of the puzzles are actually pretty obvious, which can make it all the easier to completely miss the answer if someone is expecting a more complicated solution. Despite this, it’s a good way to start the series, allowing newcomers to the genre to pick it up quickly while, hopefully, saving the more complex puzzles for later installments.
As is standard from Telltale Games, “It’s About Time” isn’t particularly long, ranging from about 2-4 hours of gameplay time, depending on whether you rush the game or take time and explore this new setting. While the game can be played either way, this is definitely one game you should take your time and enjoy, as there are many in-jokes, sight gags, and optional story elements that can be missed by simply rushing through the game. That’s the beauty of a Telltale game, and the adventure genre as a whole, rewarding the player for their patience and willingness to explore rather than just how fast one can complete the game.
Still, as much as I would like to say this is the perfect game, it sadly isn’t, if only because of some the minor flaws the game has. And, as minor as those flaws may be, they are still flaws. For instance, moving around can be a bit awkward at times. There are two control options, not counting the use of a compatible joypad; keyboard controls and mouse controls. The keyboard controls are your standard WASD control scheme, and one would expect that these controls should be intuitive. However, they can be a bit on the clunky side at times, and the camera angle, which switches depending on where you are on the map, can leave you pressing down to go right, left to go up, etc. It’s feels a bit awkward and, while it’s something that easy to get used to, it’s still something that needs a bit more tweaking. There is also the option of using the mouse to move around, holding down left-click and moving the mouse in the direction you want to go. A little less intuitive, unless you’re used to point-and-click adventure games that use similar controls, but ultimately, they work.
Secondly, it feels as though Telltale missed an opportunity in not allowing the player to drive the DeLorean. While there is really only one scene in which the DeLorean is actually used, it would have been nice to let the player take control of the DeLorean and ramp that sucker up to 88 mph, for no reason other than fanservice. And really, what self-respecting Back to the Future fan wouldn’t love a chance to drive the DeLorean? Ultimately, these are really minor flaws and don’t particularly divert attention away from the fun, the good qualities of the game vastly outweighing the bad. And again, this is just the first episode. One can only hope that an opportunity to drive the DeLorean is included in a later installment.
Visuals
As this is a Telltale game, don’t come in expecting a high resolution, photorealistic graphical experience. It isn’t what Telltale is about. Instead, what we get is a cartoony looking romp through Hill Valley, which works quite well with the genre itself and the franchise. The first thing to notice about the visuals are Doc and Marty. Both Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd allowed Telltale the use of their likenesses, which further cements the authentic feel the game offers. And while other characters, such George and Biff, don’t exactly look like their movie counterparts, the game’s visual style still manages to work. Besides, this is a game that revolves mostly around Doc and Marty, so it’s excusable.
Unlike previous Telltale releases, Back to the Future: The Game requires a bit more graphical power to make it run. However, even at its lowest visual setting, the game still looks vibrant and rich, with the environments in the game, including the Hill Valley Town Square circa 1931, looking like you would expect them to. However, while the visuals work well, the lip sync and facial animations do look a bit off at times, though whether that’s just the result of playing on the lowest graphical setting or a problem with the actual game is not something I can confirm given my own laptop’s shortcomings. There are also minor graphical glitches in the game; nothing too glaring, but somewhat noticeable when one of the characters’ lips move despite the fact that he says nothing, evident by both the lack of noise and lack of subtitles. Again, things like this are rare and in no way hinder enjoyment of the game, but they are still noticeable.
Audio
Aside from simply providing his likeness for the game Christopher Lloyd reprises his role as Doc for this new Back to the Future adventure, a decision as exciting as the idea of Telltale Games developing the series. And, while Michael J. Fox wasn’t available to reprise his role as Marty McFly, newcomer A.J. LoCascio’s rendition of Marty is so close to the real thing, you’d swear he were Michael J. Fox himself. The same can be said of James Arnold Taylor as young Emmett Brown, sounding so close to Doc himself, you’d swear it was a young Christopher Lloyd voicing him. As for the rest of the voice cast, while George and Biff don’t sound as close to their original counterparts as one might like, they still get the job done. As for the voice acting itself, it was quite up to par with believable dialogue and interactions, thanks to both the voice actors themselves and Telltale’s high-quality script. In addition, the game’s sound effects and background music manage to evoke a similar feel to that of the original films, with certain musical cues and leitmotifs taken directly from the films themselves, making for a rather nostalgic auditory experience.
Overall
Back to the Future: The Game does what the Back to the Future games of the past, along with licensed movie tie-ins in general, have consistently failed to do: provide an enjoyable experience consistent with the spirit of the films. Rather than simply retell a story the fans already know, Telltale instead decided to create a fresh new story within the established universe. While short and a bit on the easy side, “It’s About Time” is a great start to what will hopefully be a great episodic series and I’m looking forward to seeing what direction Telltale takes with the series, as well as seeing how they build on what they’ve already done. If you’re a fan of both point-and-click adventure games and Back to the Future, this game is a must have. And even if you’re a fan that has never played a point-and-click adventure game or isn’t really a fan of the genre, it’s still worth checking out for the storyline alone. The game is currently available on Mac and PC, with PS3 and iPad version slated for release at a later date. The next installment, “Get Tannen,” is set to go live in February, which cannot get here soon enough. Stay tuned.
Back to the Future: The Game is available as a digital download on Steam and TelltaleGames.com. Review code courtesy of Telltale Games.