2023-12-01 17:02:03
Conrad B. Hart is back.
We are celebrating the return to the gaming scene of Paul Cuisset, historic game designer of a video game that has become part of the memory of all players who carry the weight of the years on their back. About 30 years ago Flashback was born, developed by Delphine Software, of which Cuisset himself was a part. A resounding success, to the point of becoming the best-selling video game in history in France from an indigenous software publisher. How nice to have Conrad B. Hart back in perfect shape and health, no longer chased and forced to make a disastrous landing on an uncharted planet. This was part of the original 1992 game, which got a remaster a few years ago. Today, Microids wants to offer us a story more in tune with the times, but still immersed in a science fiction and Cyberpunk context. The special agent is looking for his friend Ian, who disappeared without a trace. Conrad decides to follow in his footsteps, accompanied by his faithful weapon/AI Aisha. Unfortunately, trouble seems to follow the unsuspecting protagonist. An army of Morphs under the orders of General Lazarus is ready to make his life hell. A manhunt that only the emblematic agent will know how to manage best. The story is not offered as a continuation of the previous one, with the experiences of the first Historical Flashback and the later Fade to Black passing the baton. Flashback 2 is in line in terms of continuity on the gameplay side, and a little less in terms of story and characters. We would have preferred, also due to the time window of several decades, greater narrative tension, perhaps with some gems linked to the past.
Our incurable nostalgia therefore remains empty-handed, with a narrative that forgets the existence of the past and erects no barriers for anyone approaching the game for the first time. A good thing certainly, because it might have been useful to add some elements of emotional connection that at least suggested that there was some sort of continuity with the “historical” series, which we remember includes two previous chapters highlighting Starring Conrad B. Hart. This time, Conrad takes us to futuristic versions of New York and Washington, with a stop in the jungle of the outside world. The somatic features of the platform are there, although the real novelty lies in the use of depth and not just horizontal scrolling. The presentation of the different locations is revealed after having satisfied a sine qua non condition to continue, namely pressing a button, solving a small elementary puzzle, speaking to an NPC or simply completing a mission. Once the obstacle has been resolved, the new area becomes explorable and, as if it were a puzzle, it turns into a tile that amplifies its extension. This assumption is “almost” always true, as we often encounter areas that require loading to proceed with its use, starting the same circle described above. Generally speaking, the leitmotif of the gameplay remains this throughout the gaming experience, without the presence of the twists and turns that characterized the first two historical chapters. A magic that seems to have dissolved in the folds of time.
Stuck in the 90s…
The iterative structure of game mechanics essentially involves a series of missions to complete to achieve a goal. The first, for example, is to get money to buy a robot to use in the arena to fight. If we win, we get information about our friend Ian, who disappeared without leaving any clues. Located here and there, there are many NPCs that give the illusion of being able to expand our experience, perhaps with some secondary or similar. Unfortunately, it is not the case. The only deviation is given by the presence of a motorcycle trip along a futuristic ring road with heavy traffic of flying cars. The end result of this lovely passage is not the best and this transit from point A to point B quickly becomes yet another frustration to endure. It is important to highlight the absence of a character progression system and its arsenal, reinforcing the inability of the gameplay to renew itself. We would have preferred a real nostalgia operation, rediscovering – in a modern tone – certain elements which made the 1992 title famous and without forgetting current needs. These cutscenes, for example, which showed Conrad “doing things”, useful for fueling the pathos of the moment, with a style that was very reminiscent of Blade Runner and Total Recall (the version with Arnold Schwarzenegger), gave way to cold interludes.
These authentic vibrations do not find objective confirmation in Flashback 2. Even if the team itself – by its own admission – was keen to point out that the inspirations came precisely from these great classics of science fiction, the final result does not does not coincide with these initial intentions. To be honest, the settings are objectively derivative in relation to the genre, with super futuristic metropolises in which progress coexists with social inequalities. It is something that, however, remains limited to the graphic sector alone, which underlines the great love of its creator and the passion of all those who collaborated in this “attempt” at a comeback. Because yes, that’s what it’s about. It is true that what was has been, and it is better that it remains there, remembered (and perhaps replayed) with this lightness of being “a child of the time” in which it was conceived and without the intention of wanting – at all costs – to find a place in an era that does not belong to them.
VERDICT
The year was 1992 and the breakout success of Flashback was being celebrated. 30 years later, Flashback 2 reveals itself at the antipodes, with this magic which seems to have inexorably dissolved in the folds of time. The gameplay appears lazy and incoherent from the start, with only the graphics sector maintaining the weak flame of interest. The story and the characters do not prove to be up to par at all, for what turns out to be a nostalgia operation stuck on the rails.
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#Flashback #PlayStation